Principal Hardware Engineer

Cisco•San Jose, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Principal Hardware Engineer will define and drive end-to-end quality strategy for next-generation hyperscale switching, routing, wireless access points, AI servers, and optical platforms, from architecture and development through qualification, high-volume production, and customer deployment. The role leads complex product-quality investigations and customer cases, coordinating engineering, manufacturing, operations, and customer teams to find root causes, contain impact, and implement lasting corrective actions. As a senior technical partner for critical customer issues, the engineer addresses deployment, interoperability, reliability, performance, and system-integration challenges involving Cisco and third-party products. The role establishes quality and reliability practices across silicon, high-speed SerDes, optics, PCB, power, thermal, mechanical, firmware, diagnostics, and network operating systems; leads system-level failure analysis and risk reviews; and turns field, customer, and manufacturing findings into preventive improvements. The engineer leads quality readiness for emerging Ethernet platforms, including pluggable, linear-drive, and near-packaged/co-packaged optical solutions. They partner with hyperscale customers, strengthen qualification, validation, diagnostics, and production-monitoring plans, influence multifunctional teams and senior leaders on quality priorities and risks, mentor engineers, and represent Cisco in strategic customer and industry engagements. The role is onsite at Cisco’s San Jose, California office and may require up to 10% local and/or international travel.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science and 15+ years of experience; or master’s degree in one of those fields and 12+ years of experience; or PhD in one of those fields and 10+ years of related experience such as networking, switching, optics, or data-center infrastructure.
Experience leading quality, reliability, systems engineering, or customer issue resolution for complex, high-volume networking, switching, optical, or hyperscale data-center products.
Experience driving complex technical investigations from customer symptom and data collection through root-cause identification, corrective action, and verification of effectiveness.
Experience with Ethernet switching and optical communication technologies, including switch ASICs, high-speed SerDes, signal integrity, optical modules, DSPs, link budgets, and system validation.
Experience leading multifunctional responses to critical customer cases, field partner concerns, product defects, or interoperability issues.

Nice To Haves

Strong judgment in assessing product risk and prioritizing actions, with the ability to influence engineering teams, customers, and executive partners.
Experience with quality and reliability across fixed, modular, chassis-based, or disaggregated switching platforms.
Knowledge of hyperscale data-center architectures, AI/ML fabrics, scale-out networks, and distributed systems.
Experience with silicon photonics, coherent optics, linear-drive optics, near-packaged/co-packaged optics, or optical switching.
Familiarity with SONiC, Linux-based network operating systems, SAI, platform firmware, telemetry, diagnostics, and fleet automation.
Experience using field, manufacturing, and test data to identify emerging quality trends and drive preventive improvements.
Contributions to industry standards, patents, or publications, with recognized technical leadership in networking quality or optical systems.

Responsibilities

Define and drive end-to-end quality strategy for next-generation switching, routing, wireless access point, AI server, and optical platforms across architecture, development, qualification, production, and customer deployment.
Lead complex product-quality investigations and customer cases, coordinating engineering, manufacturing, operations, and customer teams to identify root causes, contain impact, and implement effective corrective actions.
Serve as a senior technical partner for critical customer issues involving deployment, interoperability, reliability, performance, and system integration across Cisco and third-party products.
Establish quality and reliability practices across silicon, high-speed SerDes, optics, PCB, power, thermal, mechanical, firmware, diagnostics, and network operating systems.
Lead system-level failure analysis and risk reviews.
Translate field data, customer feedback, and manufacturing findings into preventive improvements to product robustness and customer experience.
Lead quality readiness for emerging Ethernet platforms, including pluggable, linear-drive, and near-packaged/co-packaged optical solutions.
Partner with hyperscale customers to understand operational requirements, resolve quality concerns, and build confidence in product readiness, reliability, and serviceability.
Define and strengthen qualification, validation, diagnostics, and production-monitoring plans to detect issues early and reduce recurrence in deployed systems.
Influence multifunctional teams and senior leaders on quality priorities, product risk, and corrective-action plans.
Mentor engineers and represent Cisco in strategic customer and industry engagements.

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 continued employment
10 paid holidays per full calendar year
One floating holiday for non-exempt employees
One paid day off for employee’s birthday
Paid year-end holiday shutdown
Four paid personal wellness days
Vacation time or flexible vacation time off, depending on exempt status
80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st, with up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward
Additional paid time away may be requested for critical or emergency family issues
Optional 10 paid volunteer days per full calendar year
Annual bonuses for eligible non-sales roles