Hardware Engineering (Electrical) Technical Lead

Cisco•San Jose, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Common Hardware Group (CHG) Wireless is responsible for the Cisco Enterprise Access Point Portfolio. As part of the wireless engineering group, you will collaborate with multi-functional teams—including Hardware Design, Antenna/Compliance, Power Engineering, Signal Integrity, EMC/EMI, and Mechanical Design—to deliver industry-leading wireless products. This role involves leading hardware New Product Introduction (NPI) for Cisco Enterprise Access Point programs, from architecture definition to mass production. You will drive the design and implementation of complex power systems, including Board-Mounted Power and Front-End power solutions, and optimize power stages for maximum efficiency and thermal performance. The role also includes authoring Product Requirement Documents (PRDs), participating in RFQs, iterating on schematics and layout designs, and performing thorough validation. You will provide technical mentorship to the team regarding power topologies, analog design, and component selection, and control product schedules through the NPI cycle, coordinating with various teams. Additionally, you will perform and review failure analysis, root cause analysis, and corrective action reports, ensuring designs meet DFM and quality assurance standards, and connect with firmware and mechanical teams to ensure power supply designs are fully integrated and thermally compliant.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical or computer engineering or power electronics with 8+ years of experience, or master’s degree with 6+ years of experience, or PhD with 3+ years of related experience.
Experience in end-to-end product development, having launched at least 1 hardware product.
Experience in RF system design and wireless standards.
Experience with power electronics and analog design, specifically with topologies such as buck, buck-boost, flyback, and LLC.
Experience in industry-standard tools such as Concept, Allegro, LTspice, PSpice, Simplis, Mathcad, PowerDC, SIWave, Ansys, or Hyperlynx.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated interest and expertise in solving complex, high-density Board-Mounted and Front-End power hardware challenges.
Experience with Stability analyzers, oscilloscopes, function-generators, electronic loads, and bench programmable AC/DC power sources.
Knowledge of firmware-level power management and mechanical/thermal design constraints in power supplies.
Strong understanding of component selection, materials, manufacturing processes, and DFM/QA methodologies.
Experience with antenna design and the compliance/certification process for Wi-Fi products.
Familiarity with manufacturing build management and factory processes.

Responsibilities

Lead hardware New Product Introduction (NPI) for Cisco Enterprise Access Point programs, from architecture definition to mass production.
Drive the design and implementation of complex power systems, including Board-Mounted Power and Front-End power solutions. Optimize power stages (buck, buck-boost, flyback, LLC) for maximum efficiency and thermal performance.
Author Product Requirement Documents (PRDs), participate in RFQs, and iterate on schematics and layout designs. Perform thorough validation using stability analyzers, oscilloscopes, and programmable power sources.
Provide technical mentorship to the team regarding power topologies, analog design, and component selection.
Control product schedules through the NPI cycle. Coordinate with Mechanical, Sourcing, Packaging, Certification, and Quality teams.
Perform and review failure analysis (FA), root cause analysis (RCA), and corrective action reports (CAR/8D). Ensure all designs meet DFM (Design for Manufacturing) and quality assurance standards.
Connect with firmware and mechanical teams to ensure power supply designs are fully integrated and thermally compliant.

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
1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees
1 paid day off for employee’s birthday
paid year-end holiday shutdown
4 paid days off for personal wellness
16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year (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
up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward
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)