Hardware Engineering Project Manager

Cisco Systems, Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 138,000 - 197,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Hardware Project Manager onsite at San Jose, CA to lead end-to-end hardware development and coordinate cross-functional teams across hardware, software, product management, and operations.

You will monitor project health, manage budgets, and drive risk mitigation while advancing governance and automation to improve delivery and quality. This role emphasizes collaboration with manufacturing partners and suppliers in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering with 5+ years of experience or a master's degree in engineering with 3+ years of experience in hardware project management or hardware/product development.
• Experience applying Jira and Confluence to track project dependencies, risks, and issue resolution.
• Experience handling end-to-end projects including budget oversight, schedule management, and breakthrough tracking.
• Experience in advanced spreadsheet management, including data modeling and visualization to track project metrics.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end hardware project development from concept through customer release, defining priorities and execution plans.
• Orchestrate cross-functional alignment between hardware, software, product management, and operations teams.
• Monitor project health, identify risks, and drive timely resolution with actionable recommendations.
• Champion process improvements, governance, and integration of automation/AI-enabled tools for efficiency.
• Manage financial integrity and resource allocation, ensuring budgets and scope are controlled.
• Facilitate collaboration between internal teams, manufacturing partners, and external suppliers with transparent leadership updates.

Skills

Jira

Confluence

Budget oversight

Schedule management

Data modeling

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's degree in engineering

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 11/04/2026

This is an onsite position at the San Jose, CA location.

Meet the team

The hardware engineering group creates innovative hardware platforms central to the AI era, powering Cisco's core Switching, Routing, and Wireless products for customers globally. Our innovations in silicon, optics, and hardware platforms-like Silicon One-are shaping the technology industry. We value diverse perspectives and foster an inclusive environment where every team member is empowered to share their ideas and drive meaningful outcomes.

Our hardware PMO team serves as the engine for Cisco's hardware portfolio, redefining complex strategies into predictable, high-quality delivery through multi-functional governance and operational excellence. As a Hardware Project Manager, you will act as the primary orchestrator for next-generation platforms, driving the end-to-end product lifecycle while ensuring financial rigor and seamless alignment across our engineering and business partners.

Your Impact

• Lead end-to-end hardware project development from initial concept through customer release, defining clear priorities, breakthroughs, and comprehensive execution plans.
• Orchestrate projects by aligning hardware and software engineering, product management, and operations teams to ensure cohesive delivery.
• Proactively monitor project health, identify risks and dependencies, and drive timely issue resolution through actionable recommendations to partners.
• Champion continuous process improvements, governance frameworks, and the integration of automation and AI-enabled tools to enhance operational efficiency.
• Manage financial integrity and resource allocation, ensuring that budgets are tracked accurately and projects remain within scope and on schedule.
• Facilitate seamless collaboration between internal teams, manufacturing partners, and external suppliers while providing transparent status updates to leadership.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering with 5+ years of experience or a master's degree in engineering with 3+ years of experience in technical hardware project management or hardware/product development
• Experience applying Jira and Confluence to track project dependencies, risks, and issue resolution.
• Experience handling end-to-end projects including budget oversight, schedule management, and breakthrough tracking.
• Experience in advanced spreadsheet management, including the use of data modeling and visualization to track project metrics.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience implementing AI-powered tools or workflows to improve operational efficiency or project delivery speed.
• Demonstrated experience with Design Verification Testing (DVT) processes within hardware development lifecycles
• In-depth knowledge of hardware manufacturing environments and production workflows
• Background in supply chain operations or procurement strategies for complex hardware programs
• Current project management certification (e.g., PMP, CAPM, PRINCE2)
• Proven ability to navigate and influence outcomes in a highly matrixed, globally distributed organization
• Experience balancing rapid program execution with long-term operational and quality priorities
• Familiarity with managing cross-functional dependencies in fast-paced engineering environments

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.

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:

The starting salary range posted for this position is $138,100.00 to $196,500.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits.

Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco's plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.

U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco's policies:

• 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees

• 1 paid day off for employee's birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco

• Non-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees

• Exempt employees participate in Cisco's flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)

• 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours ofunused sick timecarried forwardfrom one calendar yearto the next

• 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

For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco's policies.

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

• .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 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area:

$138,100.00 - $226,000.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$124,000.00 - $201,000.00

* For quota-based sales roles on Cisco's sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.