The application window is expected to close on: 10/30/2026

This position is a hybrid position with approximately 3 days in office in San Jose, California, United States.

Meet the Team

The Cisco Hardware Engineering Team develops and works with Next Generation Technology to build Cisco Hardware products keeping in mind the user experience and in accordance with IEEE standards, and industry protocols. Hardware Engineers serve a range of roles at Cisco from IP Creators and architects creating industry standards, to Solution Integrators driving multi-functional teams to go from concept to production, as well as providing expertise in Solution Verification and ensuring that our products meet Cisco and Industry quality standards. They drive innovation across the large Cisco portfolio, encompassing System/Board Design, Circuit Board Layout, Hardware Automation, Validation and Test, and Signal Integrity and Power Design. By partnering multi-functionally with system designers, diagnostics and customer escalation engineers, and external vendors, they ensure robust test methodology and timely issue mitigation. This collaborative approach bolsters product quality and delivers next-generation solutions through dedicated IP development, research, and a dedication to challenging the industry status quo to optimize cost and performance.

Your Impact

This position provides high-level technical leadership for the Silicon One organization, bridging the gap between advanced DFT architecture, silicon quality, and high-volume manufacturing. The role is responsible for the end-to-end product lifecycle—from RTL design and NPI through mass production—ensuring that our programmable silicon architecture maintains the highest industry standards for reliability, yield, and field performance. Responsibilities include:

DFT Strategy & Implementation

• Direct the development and execution of robust DFT architectures (JTAG, SCAN, BIST) and integrate test modes at the top-level RTL.
• Guide multi-functional teams in integrating Design-for-Manufacturability (DFM) and DFT principles early in the development cycle to ensure optimal test coverage.

NPI & Mass Production Leadership

• Orchestrate the transition of complex SoC products from development through New Product Introduction (NPI) to successful mass production.
• Manage program risks and provide executive-level status reporting on manufacturing health and yield optimization.

Quality & Reliability Engineering

• Lead high-level Root Cause Analysis (RCA) initiatives, using advanced diagnostics to drive corrective and preventative actions.
• Supervise comprehensive product qualification, including Environmental Stress Screening (ESS), electrical characterization, and accelerated life testing.
• Implement advanced yield analysis, power binning, and fuse array repairs to drive DPPM to industry-leading lows.

Data-Driven Process Optimization

• Monitor high-volume manufacturing data to identify trends, optimize process windows, and drive continuous yield improvement.
• Ensure adherence to global quality standards (ISO 9001) and maintain comprehensive technical documentation for all quality plans.

Minimum Qualifications

• 20+ years in Silicon DFT, Test, Quality, and Program Management; minimum of 5 years specifically within high-reliability hardware environments.
• Deep knowledge of the full ASIC development lifecycle, specifically within the Silicon One pipeline and advanced FinFET processes (6nm/7nm).
• Mastery of Synopsys suite (Design Compiler, Tetramax, Spyglass, VCS) and ATE (93K testers).
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related technical field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Data Analytics: Validated expertise in Statistical Process Control (SPC) and diagnostic tools (JMP, Python, SQL).
• Leadership: Proven success in leading multidisciplinary teams, influencing high-stakes technical partnerships, and translating complex data into actionable executive insights.

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Why Cisco? 

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere. 

We are Cisco, and our power starts with you. 

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:

The starting salary range posted for this position is $214,100.00 to $309,800.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits.

Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks.  Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.

U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco’s policies:

• 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees

• 1 paid day off for employee’s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco

• Non-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees

• Exempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)

• 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next

• Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members

• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer

For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policies.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

• .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;

• 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;

• 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and

• Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area:

$214,100.00 - $356,300.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$192,400.00 - $317,200.00

* For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.