Hardware Engineer Hybrid

Cisco•Research Triangle Park, NC

10d•$115,800 - $163,200•Hybrid

About The Position

The Hardware Engineer will architect, design, implement, test, and support hardware security features and solutions across Cisco’s product portfolio. The role applies hardware engineering expertise and embedded systems knowledge to address complex hardware security challenges, driving the development and deployment of hardware- and firmware-based technologies that help ensure Cisco products are trustworthy. The position includes leading development and verification activities, serving as an applications engineering specialist and trusted advisor to product teams deploying security technologies, assessing system architectures and hardware components for security capabilities and vulnerabilities, and providing technical guidance and education. The engineer will manage multiple concurrent activities independently, continue developing security expertise, investigate emerging threats and technologies, and evaluate security solutions. This hybrid role is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, with three days per week in the office. Work involves U.S. Government classified environments, so the successful applicant must be a U.S. Person. Some work may be restricted by the U.S. government to U.S. citizens working on U.S. soil.

Requirements

B.S. in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field with at least 5 years of relevant experience, or an M.S. with at least 3 years of relevant experience.
Prior experience in HDL (FPGA/ASIC) design or verification, such as Verilog, VHDL, or System Verilog.
Prior experience with board-level bring-up and debugging using hardware debug tools and lab equipment, such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG/SWD, and evaluation boards.
Must be a U.S. Person to perform work on U.S. Government classified environments; some work may require U.S. citizenship and work on U.S. soil.
Ability to prioritize and independently manage concurrent tasks.

Nice To Haves

Experience with x86 and ARM CPU architectures, boot flow, and bootstrap or firmware execution.
Scripting experience for automation using Python or Linux shell scripts.
Background in security-related design principles, threat modeling, and secure hardware architecture.
Experience with Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) standards, algorithms, and encryption techniques, including implementation in embedded products.
Experience with embedded CPU systems and hardware debugging and testing in a lab environment.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, document, and test hardware or combined hardware- and firmware-based security technologies on CPU evaluation platforms and Cisco products.
Assist internal product teams deploying hardware and software security technologies.
Educate product teams about hardware security.
Develop documentation, proof of concepts, reference code, and scripts to facilitate adoption and verification of security technologies.
Participate in hardware architecture, design, specifications, and HDL code reviews.
Lead development and verification activities within the team.
Assess system architectures and hardware components for security capabilities and vulnerabilities.
Investigate new security threats and technologies, continue security education, and evaluate security solutions.

Benefits

Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
401(k) plan with Cisco matching contribution
Paid parental leave
Short- and long-term disability coverage
Basic life insurance
Restricted stock unit grants may be available, subject to eligibility and vesting conditions.
Paid holidays and a floating holiday for non-exempt employees
Birthday day off, year-end holiday shutdown, and paid personal wellness days
Paid vacation or flexible vacation time off, depending on employee classification
Sick time off
Additional paid time away may be requested for critical or emergency family issues.
Optional paid volunteer days
Annual bonuses may be available for non-sales roles, subject to Cisco policies.