Hardware Security Technical Leader - Hyperscaler Hybrid

Cisco; United States; Hybrid; USD 139,000 - 201,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc is seeking aHardware Security Architect to focus on hyperscaler security and ensure next-generation platforms and Hyperscaler hardware architectures meet strict security, trust, and resilience standards. You will own the analysis from high-level architecture to silicon components, guiding cross-functional teams and partners to deliver robust hardware security solutions.

Background in hardware design and security principles is essential.

Qualifications

• Degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field with 9+ years (BS), 6+ years (MS), or 3+ years (PhD).
• Experience leading security initiatives and mentoring engineers as a technical leader.
• Background in hardware development (reading schematics, block diagrams, datasheets, or register-level docs).
• Background in hardware root-of-trust (RoT), secure boot, hardware resiliency, tamper resistance, cryptographic imprinting (ECID, etc), or hardware cryptographic acceleration (AES-GCM, SHA-2/3, LMS/XMSS, ML-DSA/ML-KEM).

Responsibilities

• Provide clear, actionable security requirements and architectural guidance to product teams and vendors.
• Coordinate Cisco's interests in external standards groups (OCP, SONiC).
• Evaluate system-level hardware designs and datasheets to identify threats and gaps.
• Establish requirements aligned with industry standards and compliance frameworks (NIST SP 800-193, NSA CNSA 2.0, EU Cyber Resilience Act).
• Author security requirements, review checklists, threat models, and engineering specs for internal/external use.
• Lead multiple concurrent security evaluations and reviews with autonomy.

Skills

Security leadership

Hardware development

RoT

Secure boot

Cryptographic acceleration

Threat modeling

Education

Electrical/Computer Engineering degree

Tools

Open Compute Project (OCP)

SONiC Security Groups

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 11/29/2026 This role is hybrid in Raleigh, North Carolina (RTP). 3 days onsite per week.

Meet the Team

The Security & Trust Organization (S&TO) has corporate-level responsibility for customer data protection and compliance, corporate information protection, and government and product security. Security is a key concern of our customers and a top investment area for Cisco. Join us and help us become the #1 Trusted IT Company in the World!

Within the Foundational Security Technologies (FST) team seeks to increase product security and trustworthiness across a broad range of Cisco products through development, integration and deployment of reusable software and hardware solutions. Within Foundational Security, the Hardware & Firmware Security Team (HFST) focuses on security solutions implemented at the hardware and firmware level.

Your Impact

Focus on Hyperscaler Security, play a pivotal role in ensuring Cisco's next-generation platforms and custom Hyperscaler hardware architectures adhere to meticulous security, trust, and resilience standards. Own the analysis of sophisticated systems from the high-level architecture down to component-level silicon, guiding multi-functional engineering teams and external partners to deliver robust, secure hardware solutions.

Background in hardware design, low-level architecture, and security principles. Enjoy translating sophisticated technical standards into practical engineering requirements and partnering across disciplinary boundaries to tackle challenging hardware security problems. Communicate technical concepts clearly through engineering documentation and multi-functional teamwork, and thrive when driving multiple parallel technical initiatives in a dynamic environment!

Key Responsibilities

• Providing clear, actionable security requirements and architectural design guidance to product teams, hardware design engineers, firmware/BIOS teams, and third-party vendors. Provide technical mentorship to members of the Security and Trust engineering team.
• Coordinate and represent Cisco's technical interests in key external open-source and standards groups, such as the Open Compute Project (OCP)and Software for Open Networking in the Cloud (SONiC) Security Working Groups.
• Evaluate system-level hardware designs, schematics, board architectures, and component datasheets to identify threat vectors, vulnerabilities, and compliance gaps.
• Interpret, apply, and establish requirements aligned with emerging industry standards and compliance frameworks, including NIST SP 800-193 (Platform Firmware Resiliency), NSA CNSA 2.0 (Post-Quantum Cryptography / CNSA Suite), the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), and internal Hardware Cisco Secure Development Lifecycle (HW-CSDL) mandates.
• Author and provide overall direction for hardware security requirements, review checklists, threat models, compliance white papers, and engineering specifications for internal and external consumption.
• Participate in and lead multiple concurrent security evaluations, design reviews, and compliance workstreams across diverse hardware programs with a high-level of autonomy.

Minimum Qualifications

• Degree in Electrical/Computer Engineering or related field with proven experience: 9+ years (BS), 6+ years (MS), or 3+ years (PhD)
• Prior experience leading security initiatives and mentoring engineers as a technical leader.
• Prior background in hardware development (e.g. reading and interpreting system-level schematics, block diagrams, component datasheets, or register-level hardware documentation).
• Prior background in hardware root-of-trust (RoT), secure boot, hardware or firmware resiliency, tamper resistance, cryptographic imprinting (ECID, etc), or hardware cryptographic acceleration (e.g., AES-GCM, SHA-2/3, LMS/XMSS, ML-DSA/ML-KEM).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with designing, implementing, or evaluating hardware-rooted attestation architectures and device identity mechanisms (e.g., SPDM, TCG DICE, or IEEE 802.1AR).
• Experience with Hyperscaler and cloud platform architectures (e.g., OCP specifications, OpenBMC, Caliptra, OpenTitan, OpenPRoT).
• Experience implementing industry standard security IP or developing novel HW security solutions (e.g. FPGA Bitstream security, secure microcontroller architectures, HW RoT, bus encryption).
• Experience with hardware threat modeling or hardware security analysis (e.g., fault injection, side-channel analysis, JTAG/debug security).
• Prior experience contributing to security related industry standards such as OCP, Caliptra, OpenTitan, etc. Background in hardware security frameworks and standards, such as NIST SP 800-193, NSA CNSA 2.0, TCG DICE / TPM, or global cybersecurity regulations (e.g., EU CRA).

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 $139,200.00 to $201,400.00 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

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.

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

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

New York City Metro Area:
$171,600.00 - $281,800.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:
$151,300.00 - $250,900.00

* 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.