Hardware Design Engineer Technical Lead

Cisco•Richfield, RI

About The Position

The Hardware Design Engineer Technical Lead is a key member of Cisco’s Purpose Built Switch hardware team, defining and designing next-generation Hyperscaler Switch hardware based on Silicon One and/or merchant ASICs. The role covers system- and board-level specifications, schematic capture, FPGA design, and ASIC/system-level bring-up and troubleshooting. The engineer works with ASIC, DFT, Signal Integrity, software, diagnostics, and manufacturing teams to bring up systems and resolve design issues; debugs hardware in labs using scopes and analyzers; and serves as a technical liaison with major component suppliers.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree plus 12 years of related experience, master’s degree plus 8 years, Ph.D. plus 5 years, or equivalent related work experience.
Prior experience with common hardware technologies, including power, clock, memory, CPU, and a variety of system interfaces.
Previous experience with complex high-speed board design and board bring-up.
Experience with schematics/layout, hardware bring-up, troubleshooting, and system-level testing.
Experience working with software teams on system bring-up and porting, including device configuration at the register level.

Nice To Haves

Experience with schematic, PCB, and Verilog HDL/VHDL design.
Experience with scripting languages such as Python and Tcl.
Experience with lab bring-up and product design validation.
Knowledge of the Ethernet protocol.
Experience with access-switch Ethernet interfaces, including gigabit, multi-gigabit, and 10-gigabit.
Experience with high-speed Ethernet interfaces, including 25G, 100G, 400G, and 800G.
Experience with DRAM, CPU subcomplexes, and control interfaces such as PCIe, I2C, SPI, and MDC/MDIO.
Self-motivation, teamwork, and strong communication skills.

Responsibilities

Define and design next-generation Hyperscaler Switch hardware based on Silicon One and/or merchant ASICs.
Develop system- and board-level specifications.
Perform schematic capture and FPGA design.
Bring up and troubleshoot ASIC- and system-level hardware.
Work with ASIC, DFT, Signal Integrity, software, diagnostics, and manufacturing teams to resolve design issues and bring up systems.
Debug and troubleshoot hardware in labs using scopes and analyzers.
Act as the technical liaison with major component suppliers.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution.
Paid parental leave.
Short- and long-term disability coverage.
Basic life insurance.
Paid holidays and a floating holiday for non-exempt employees.
Birthday day off, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and personal wellness days.
Paid vacation or flexible vacation time off, depending on employee classification.
Sick time off, with unused sick time carryover up to the stated limit.
Additional paid time away may be requested for critical or emergency family issues.
Optional paid volunteer days.
Annual bonuses for eligible non-sales employees, subject to Cisco policies.
Potential eligibility for Cisco restricted stock unit grants, subject to continued employment and vesting terms.