Hardware Engineer I (Full Time) United States

lwtsquad; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco in San Jose, CA invites applicants for hardware engineering opportunities spanning ASIC design, system/board design, and validation. Roles connect from circuit design to high-volume manufacturing.

Candidates should possess knowledge of HDL, embedded systems, and scripting for test automation; collaboration across software, manufacturing, and mechanical teams is essential. Open to recent graduates or students and visa-free eligible in the U.S.

Qualifications

• Completion within the past 3 years, or current enrollment with expected completion within 12 months, of a certification or relevant degree program (e.g., Associates, Apprenticeship, Boot Camp, or Certification in a specialized program + 1 year of relevant experience, High School Diploma + 2 years of relevant experience) or Bachelors + 0 years of relevant experience.
• Familiarity with hardware description languages (e.g., Verilog, VHDL) and/or PCB design tools (e.g., Altium, Cadence, Mentor Graphics).
• Foundational knowledge of embedded systems and microcontrollers.
• Familiarity with scripting or programming languages (e.g., Python, MATLAB, C/C++) for automating test or data analysis tasks.
• Able to legally live and work in the country for which you're applying, without visa support or sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to product development from circuit design to high-volume manufacturing.
• Collaborate with multi-functional teams to determine infrastructural needs and product specifications.
• Support hardware prototyping, validation, and debugging.
• Apply simulation tools for circuit analysis and electromagnetic modeling.
• Work with teams across software, manufacturing, and mechanical engineering to deliver robust hardware solutions.

Skills

Verilog/VHDL

Embedded systems

Python/MATLAB/C/C++

PCB design tools (Altium/Cadence/Ment"

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Computer/Mechanical Engineering or related field

Tools

SPICE

HyperLynx

HFSS

Job description

Applications are accepted until further notice.

Please note this posting is to advertise potential job opportunities. This exact role may not be open today but could open in the near future. When you apply, a Cisco representative may contact you directly if a relevant position opens.

Meet the Team

Open-minded, driven, diverse and deeply creative people at Cisco design the hardware that makes the internet work. Bring your knowledge of computers and networking and take it to a new level in any one of the following product categories including: cloud, social, mobile/wireless, video, VoIP, big data, collaboration, web, Internet of Things, routing, switching, IPv6, data center, HPC, Telepresence and many more. Your work will affect billions globally.

Supply Chain Operations

Collaborate with peers on projects that have a real-world impact. From our processes to manufacturing, you'll deliver a standout customer experience of Cisco products and services. Take your innovative ideas from the drawing board to deliver powerful solutions. You'll collaborate with multi-functional teams to determine our infrastructural needs and product specifications.

Your Impact

You will change the product development from the lowest levels of circuit design to large system design and see your contribution all the way through to high volume manufacturing. Creative Hardware Engineering positions available in:

• ASIC Design and Verification
• System/Board Design
• Hardware Automation, Validation and Test
• Signal Integrity
• Power Design

Minimum Qualifications

• Completion within the past 3 years, or current enrollment with expected completion within 12 months, of a certification or relevant degree program (e.g., Associates, Apprenticeship, Boot Camp, or Certification in a specialized program + 1 year of relevant experience, High School Diploma + 2 years of relevant experience) or Bachelors + 0 years of relevant experience. Relevant fields include: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, a related program, or holders of equivalent academic certifications.
• Familiarity with hardware description languages (e.g., Verilog, VHDL) and/or PCB design tools (e.g., Altium, Cadence, Mentor Graphics).
• Foundational knowledge of embedded systems and microcontrollers.
• Familiarity with scripting or programming languages (e.g., Python, MATLAB, C/C++) for automating test or data analysis tasks.
• Able to legally live and work in the country for which you're applying, without visa support or sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with hardware prototyping (e.g., breadboards, FPGAs, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or similar platforms).
• Familiarity with signal and power integrity concepts and tools.
• Exposure to hardware validation and debugging in a team or project setting.
• Experience with simulation tools (e.g., SPICE, HyperLynx, HFSS) for circuit analysis or electromagnetic modeling.
• Experience working in multi-functional teams (e.g., collaborating with software, manufacturing, or mechanical engineers).

Why Cisco

At Cisco, we're revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We've been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint. Simply put – we power the future.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you'll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.

We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada

When available, the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hire, full-time salaries in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including equity or benefits. For non-sales roles the hiring ranges reflect base salary only; employees are also eligible to receive annual bonuses. Hiring ranges for sales positions include base and incentive compensation target. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location and additional factors, including but not limited to skillset, experience, and relevant education, certifications, or training. Applicants may not be eligible for the full salary range based on their U.S. or Canada hiring location. The recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees have access to quality medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance and numerous wellbeing offerings.

Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday (for non-exempt employees), plus a day off for their birthday. Non-Exempt new hires accrue up to 16 days of vacation time off each year, at a rate of 4.92 hours per pay period. Exempt new hires participate in Cisco's flexible Vacation Time Off policy, which does not place a defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use, but is subject to availability and some business limitations. All new hires are eligible for Sick Time Off subject to Cisco's Sick Time Off Policy and will have eighty (80) hours of sick time off provided on their hire date and on January 1st of each year thereafter. Up to 80 hours of unused sick time will be carried forward from one calendar year to the next such that the maximum number of sick time hours an employee may have available is 160 hours. Employees in Illinois have a unique time off program designed specifically with local requirements in mind. All employees also have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

• 0.75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota; 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%; 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.