Senior Design Engineer

Cisco • Upper Macungie Township, PA

11d

About The Position

As a Senior Engineer, you’ll lead the design and development of next-generation 100G/200G/400G photonics ICs. From architecture to lab validation, you’ll shape product direction, mentor engineers, and ensure Cisco stays at the forefront of optical networking innovation. Specific responsibilities include:
Drive architecture, design, and verification of high-speed mixed-signal and photonics circuits.
Define and document chip-level specifications and verification plans.
Collaborate across optical, electrical, firmware, and manufacturing teams to deliver end-to-end solutions.
Lead lab validation, debug, and yield improvement activities.
Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior engineers.

Requirements

• Bachelors + 12 years of related experience, or Masters + 8 years of related experience, or PhD + 5 years of related experience
• Master’s or PhD in Electrical Engineering (or related field).
• 10+ years of experience in analog/mixed-signal IC design for high-speed systems.
• Lab validation and test experience with high-speed equipment.
• Experience with Python and C for automation and analysis.
• Hands-on expertise with design tools (Cadence Virtuoso, Spectre, Calibre, etc.).

Nice To Haves

• Deep expertise in photonics and high-speed datapath circuits (modulators, TIAs, PLLs, ADC/DAC, CDR).
• Knowledge of industry standards (IEEE 802.3, QSFP, OSFP, QSFP-DD).
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and making critical design tradeoffs.
• Strong leadership, communication, and mentoring skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive architecture, design, and verification of high-speed mixed-signal and photonics circuits.
• Define and document chip-level specifications and verification plans.
• Collaborate across optical, electrical, firmware, and manufacturing teams to deliver end-to-end solutions.
• Lead lab validation, debug, and yield improvement activities.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior engineers.

Benefits

• 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.
• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level