Hardware Post-Silicon Validation Engineer (Hybrid)

Cisco Systems, Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 256,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Hardware Post-Silicon Validation Engineer for our San Jose, CA team.

You will perform hands-on lab-intensive validation, drive early silicon bring-up, and own end-to-end root-cause analysis of silicon, package, and board issues in a high-speed networking context. The role emphasizes testing Ethernet MAC/PHY, PCIe/SerDes, and system-level workloads with advanced measurement equipment, while developing lab automation using Python and maintaining strict validation

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of experience in post-silicon electrical validation, hardware bring-up and lab-based silicon debug.
• Experience in electronics, digital logic, signal integrity, and power integrity.
• Experience in high-speed measurement techniques (eye diagrams, BER, jitter, compliance testing).
• Experience with interfaces such as DDR5, USB 3.x, SGMII, PCIe, USB2.0, eMMC, SPI, MDIO, I2C, and UART.
• Experience with reading and reviewing schematics and layout files for complex boards.

Responsibilities

• Work on early-silicon bring-up activities from first power-on through feature enablement.
• Define, execute, and refine detailed hardware validation plans covering functionality characterization, performance, and reliability.
• Drive validation readiness, lab infrastructure setup, and test coverage strategy.
• Support power-on sequencing, reset strategy validation, clock bring-up, and strap configuration.
• Perform in-depth voltage, current, power integrity (PDN), and signal integrity analysis.
• Capture, analyze, and interpret waveforms, eye diagrams, jitter, BER, PDN measurements, power supply stability and noise.
• Independently isolate and root-cause silicon, package, board, or signal integrity issues.
• Work on validation of Ethernet MAC/PHY and high-speed interfaces such as PCIe and SerDes.
• Responsible for packet-level validation using traffic generators and protocol analyzers.
• Validate system-level behavior under real-world networking workloads.
• Advanced-level operation of oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, VNAs, protocol analyzers, BERTs, and multimeters.
• Develop and maintain lab automation using scripts and frameworks (e.g., Python).
• Plan and execute thermal testing using chambers and chillers across operating ranges.

Skills

Electronics

Signal integrity

Power integrity

High-speed measurement

Networking fundamentals

Education

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

Master's degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field

PhD in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

VNAs

Protocol analyzers

BERTs and multimeters

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/24/2026

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

This position requires that you live within commuting distance of our San Jose, CA office and commute to the office at least 4-5 days per week.

Meet the Team

The Silicon One team creates innovative hardware platforms central to the AI era, powering Cisco’s core Switching, Routing, and Wireless products for organizations globally. Our innovations in silicon, optics, and hardware platforms are shaping the technology industry. We're a global team of creative experts, bringing our unique backgrounds and bold ideas to push boundaries and help each other grow. Because full product development—from design to qualification to production—is within our team, we’re able to think differently, experiment more, and work quickly. Join us to power the future of the digital world.

Welcome to the Post-Silicon Validation Team at Cisco! Our group offers a unique combination of a startup culture with the benefits of working for the leading networking company in the world. You will engage in dynamic collaboration with verification engineers, designers, and cross-functional teams, working together to ensure the successful verification of the ASIC throughout its lifecycle.

Operating at the forefront of technology, we work with cutting-edge, high-speed, and power-hungry devices. Our small, but highly influential team thrives in this challenging environment, leveraging our expertise to impact the future of networking technology. With a commitment to excellence and a passion transformative technology, we are shaping the future of high-performance Networking and delivering unparalleled value in every project we undertake. Join us and be a part of a team where professionalism meets impact.

Your Impact

We are seeking a Hardware Post-Silicon Validation Engineer with experience in lab-intensive hardware validation to test and debug of high-performance networking silicon. This role is heavily focused on hands-on work in silicon validation labs, driving early-silicon bring-up, performing advanced electrical and protocol measurements, and owning end-to-end root-cause analysis of silicon, package, and board-level issues. The position offers technical ownership, cross-functional influence, and exposure to complex networking ASICs and high-speed interfaces.

• Work on early-silicon bring-up activities from first power-on through feature enablement

• Define, execute, and refine detailed hardware validation plans covering functionality characterization, performance, and reliability

• Drive validation readiness, lab infrastructure setup, and test coverage strategy

• Support power-on sequencing, reset strategy validation, clock bring-up, and strap configuration

• Perform in-depth voltage, current, power integrity (PDN), and signal integrity analysis

• Capture, analyze, and interpret waveforms, eye diagrams, jitter, BER, PDN measurements, power supply stability and noise.

• Independently isolate and root-cause silicon, package, board, or signal integrity issues

• Work on validation of Ethernet MAC/PHY and high-speed interfaces such as PCIe and SerDes

• Responsible for packet-level validation using traffic generators and protocol analyzers

• Validate system-level behavior under real-world networking workloads

• Advanced-level operation of oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, VNAs, protocol analyzers, BERTs, and multimeters

• Develop and maintain lab automation using scripts and frameworks (e.g., Python)

• Plan and execute thermal testing using chambers and chillers across operating ranges

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field and 4+ years of experience in post-silicon electrical validation, hardware bring-up and lab-based silicon debug, or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field and 2+ years of experience in post-silicon electrical validation, hardware bring-up and lab-based silicon debug, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field and 0+ years of experience in post-silicon electrical validation, hardware bring-up and lab-based silicon debug.

• Experience in electronics, digital logic, signal integrity, and power integrity

• Experience in high-speed measurement techniques (eye diagrams, BER, jitter, compliance testing)

• Experience with interfaces such as DDR5, USB 3.x, SGMII, PCIe, USB2.0, eMMC, SPI, MDIO, I2C, and UART

• Experience with Reading and Reviewing schematics and layout files for complex boards

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working independently, lead, plan and execute lab-based debug efforts

• Hands-on experience with silicon bring-up and post-silicon validation labs

• Experience validating Ethernet, PCIe, and SerDes interfaces

• Scripting skills for lab automation and data analysis (Python preferred)

• Understanding of networking fundamentals and packet-based systems

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 $155,000.00 to $222,600.00 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:

$155,000.00 - $256,000.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$138,100.00 - $227,900.00

* 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.