Engineering Technician

Cisco•Carlsbad, CA

19d•$80,700 - $132,900•Onsite

About The Position

The Common Hardware Group (CHG) creates innovative hardware platforms central to the AI era, powering Cisco’s core Switching, Routing, and Wireless products for organizations globally. Our innovations in silicon, optics, and hardware platforms—like Silicon One—are shaping the technology industry. Join Cisco’s Optical Engineering team and collaborate with multidisciplinary groups across product development, from design to manufacturing. You’ll partner with silicon design, hardware, test, software/firmware, silicon photonics, packaging, systems, marketing/applications, and manufacturing teams to deliver amazing next-generation optical interconnect solutions. As a Test Technician, you will support the development, validation, and characterization of next-generation optical transceiver modules and related hardware. This hands-on, lab-focused role is critical to ensuring product quality, reliability, and test efficiency throughout the R&D, DVT, and manufacturing readiness phases.

Requirements

Associate’s degree in engineering technology, Electronics, Physics, or a related technical field or equivalent experience.
5 + years of hands-on experience in a testing, manufacturing, or laboratory environment
Experience in reading and interpreting schematics, wiring diagrams, and technical drawings; solid understanding of electronic test principles and measurement techniques
Experience working with lab instrumentation (oscilloscopes, network analyzers, DMMs, power supplies, BERTs, traffic generators, and optical test equipment)
Ability to lift and move equipment up to 25+ lbs. and work in a fast-paced laboratory environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with optical transceivers, fiber interconnects.
Exposure to high-speed communication products (e.g., pluggable transceiver modules)
Familiarity with DVT, NPI, or reliability testing environments
Basic scripting experience for test automation and data logging (e.g., Python)

Responsibilities

Execute functional, parametric, and environmental tests (including thermal cycling and humidity) on optical transceiver modules and supporting hardware.
Troubleshoot and diagnose complex hardware issues at the module, board, and component level using systematic debug methodologies.
Configure, calibrate, and maintain complex lab instrumentation (oscilloscopes, network analyzers, optical, environmental chambers, etc.).
Collect, analyze, and summarize test data to identify trends, anomalies, and failure modes.
Work closely with hardware, optical, and test engineers to support NPI and validation projects, providing clear technical documentation and failure analysis insights.
Identify opportunities to improve test efficiency, repeatability, and data quality through improved procedures and automation workflows.

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
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)
flexible vacation time off program (exempt)
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
Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer
annual bonuses (for non-sales roles)
performance-based incentive pay (for sales roles)