Distinguished Hardware Security Engineer Remote

Cisco•Research Triangle Park, NC

1d•$252,300 - $321,200•Remote

About The Position

This is a US remote role for U.S. citizens where some travel is required. As a Distinguished Engineer on Cisco's Foundational Security Technologies team, your architectural decisions will help secure millions of devices running the world’s most critical networks, data centers, and AI infrastructure. The Security and Trust Organization (S&TO) holds company-wide responsibility for the trustworthiness of everything Cisco ships. Foundational Security Technologies is the team that makes that promise real at the hardware and firmware layer — and it’s growing. We’re looking for an industry-recognized expert in hardware and embedded system security to define and drive Cisco’s next generation of hardware security innovation, in partnership with product teams across the company. This is Cisco’s principal authority role for hardware security — spanning trustworthy systems, embedded security, secure enclaves, and silicon roots of trust. You’ll set the foundational hardware security roadmap across Cisco’s networking, routing, switching, optical, data center, AI systems, and cloud infrastructure portfolio, architecting immutable roots of trust, platform firmware resiliency, cryptographic device identity, and anti-tamper protections. You’ll do it in close partnership with business unit engineering leaders, ASIC architects, supply chain executives, and the technical leadership at our largest hyperscale and webscale customers. You’ll also represent Cisco’s voice in the global standards consortia that define the industry.

Requirements

BS/MS/PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, with 15+ years of experience in hardware systems design, silicon security, or embedded architecture.
A track record as a Distinguished Engineer, Fellow, Chief Architect, or senior technical leader driving hardware security strategy at a top-tier networking, semiconductor, or hyperscale cloud company.
Deep knowledge of complex networking systems (terabit switches, edge/core routers, security appliances, optical transceivers), board-level design, FPGA/ASIC development, and system-level cost/performance trade-offs, with direct experience across design, development, manufacturing, and product lifecycle management.
Demonstrated knowledge of applied cryptography, PKI architectures, key management, and hardware security countermeasures such as side-channel (DPA/SPA) and fault-injection mitigations.
Outstanding communication skills, with the ability to move fluidly between low-level silicon and firmware detail and executive-level strategy.

Nice To Haves

Active contribution to, or leadership within, one or more hardware-security-focused industry standards groups such as OCP Security, TCG (TPM, DICE, CyRes), DMTF (SPDM), GlobalPlatform, FIDO Alliance, RISC-V Security, IEEE, NIST, or ETSI.
Hands-on experience with post-quantum cryptography, NIST SP 800-193 platform resiliency, secure enclave design, physical anti-tamper mechanisms, or authenticated lifecycle management.
Experience leading products through security certification and regulatory compliance programs such as FIPS 140-3, Common Criteria, CNSA, or PSA Certified.
Experience conducting hardware security assessments, penetration testing, and/or side-channel resiliency testing against hardware and firmware targets.

Responsibilities

Set the security standards, requirements, and technical direction that secure the hardware and embedded software across Cisco’s entire product portfolio.
Architect chip- and platform-level roots of trust — including platform firmware resiliency, cryptographic device identity, and anti-tamper protections — as the building blocks of secure-by-design systems.
Advise business unit engineering leaders and executives on embedded security decisions, translating deep technical trade-offs into clear business outcomes.
Ensure Cisco stays ahead of emerging regulation, including the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), US federal executive orders, and Common Criteria / CNSA mandates.
Work directly with hyperscaler and cloud-scale customers’ technical leadership to translate their security requirements into Cisco’s silicon and system roadmaps.
Represent Cisco in the industry standards bodies that shape the field, contributing to or spearheading work in groups such as OCP Security, TCG, DMTF, GlobalPlatform, IEEE, or NIST.
Mentor the next generation of hardware security architects and technical leaders, building depth and resilience across the organization.

Benefits

medical, dental and vision insurance
a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution
paid parental leave
short and long-term disability coverage
basic life insurance
Cisco restricted stock units
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
16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees (non-exempt employees)
flexible vacation time off program (exempt employees)
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
annual bonuses (for non-sales roles)
performance-based incentive pay (for sales roles)