Hardware Tech Lead -Optomechanical Engineer

Cisco Systems, Inc; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 151,000 - 216,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with Cisco matching

Paid parental leave

Health, dental and vision insurance

Cisco RSU grants

Bonuses / incentive pay

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking an Optomechanical Engineer to support the Quantum Experimental Team in developing deployable quantum hardware platforms.

You will re-engineer bench-top optical setups into compact 19-inch rack-mount chassis, addressing thermal, mechanical, and alignment challenges across environments. You will collaborate with optical physicists and systems engineers, perform FEA, design enclosures, and validate prototypes to ensure ultra-high alignment stability and

Qualifications

• 2+ years experience in optomechanical design, precision mechanism design, or optoelectronic packaging for commercial, aerospace, or telecom applications.
• Experience in 3D CAD (SolidWorks, Creo) and FEA tools (ANSYS, COMSOL, or SolidWorks Simulation).
• Experience with GD&T (ASME Y14.5), kinematic design principles, CTE matching techniques, and micron-level precision adjustment mechanisms.
• Experience packaging free-space optics, fiber launches, photonic devices, or laser assemblies into enclosed hardware products.

Responsibilities

• Re-engineer delicate breadboard/benchtop optical setups into compact 19-inch rack-mount chassis.
• Solve thermal expansion, structural deformation, and drift challenges with sub-micron alignment.
• Standardize mounting, fiber routing, and precision adjustment mechanisms for fast assembly and servicing.
• Design compact ruggedized enclosures (1U–4U) for optics and photonic devices.
• Ensure high alignment stability within enclosed hardware over long lifespans.
• Perform FEA for deformation, thermal, and heat dissipation analyses.
• Design active/passive vibration isolation to protect optical paths.
• Conduct tolerance stack-up analyses to guarantee budgets and interchangeability.
• Build and validate optomechanical prototypes; test for drift, stability, and loss.
• Collaborate with scientists/engineers to characterize insertion loss, beam quality, and phase stability.

Skills

Optomechanical design

3D CAD

Finite Element Analysis

GD&T

Vibration isolation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

SolidWorks

Creo

ANSYS

COMSOL

SolidWorks Simulation

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/17/2026

Meet the Team

The Outshift by Cisco team is one of Cisco’s most innovative organizations, driving the next generation of transformative technologies and business opportunities. As part of the Strategy, Incubation & Applications group led by Cisco’s Chief Strategy Officer, you will collaborate with some of the company’s most forward-thinking researchers, engineers, and technology leaders. Within the Outshift Quantum Research team and Quantum Labs, we are pioneering the design and development of practical, scalable, and efficient quantum networking technologies — building blocks for the future Quantum Internet. Our multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers is dedicated to advancing the state of the art in quantum networking, distributed quantum systems, and quantum-enabled applications.

Your Impact

Cisco Quantum Research Team is seeking a Optomechanical Engineer to support our Quantum Experimental Team that is central to the physical realization of Cisco's deployable quantum hardware platforms. In this role:

• You will take delicate breadboard and benchtop optical setups developed in R&D and re-engineer them into compact, vibration-isolated, and manufacturable 19-inch rack-mount chassis.
• You will solve critical thermal expansion, structural deformation, and drift challenges, maintaining sub-micron kinematic alignment across wide operating temperature and mechanical shock/vibration profiles.
• You will establish standardized mounting, fiber routing, and precision adjustment mechanisms that enable fast, repeatable assembly, testing, and servicing without requiring time-consuming manual alignment on customer sites.
• Design compact, modular, and ruggedized enclosures (1U–4U chassis) for precision free-space optics, fiber-to-chip interfaces, laser sources, and photonic devices.
• Design the layout of free-space optics, fiber-to-chip interfaces, laser sources, and photonic devices inside each enclosure capable of maintaining ultra-high alignment stability over extended operational lifespans.
• Perform Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for structural deformation, thermal expansion (CTE matching), and heat dissipation in enclosed optical modules.
• Design active and passive vibration isolation systems to protect sensitive optical paths from internal cooling fan vibrations and external data center acoustic/structural noise.
• Conduct comprehensive tolerance stack-up analyses (GD&T) to guarantee optical alignment budgets and component interchangeable assembly tolerances.
• Build, assemble, and validate initial optomechanical prototypes in the lab, testing for thermal drift, mechanical stability, optical loss, and vibration susceptibility.
• Collaborate with optical physicists and systems engineers to characterize insertion loss, beam quality, and phase stability across environmental stress screening (ESS).
• Work with vendors and machine shops to select specialized materials, precision machining methods, custom optical coatings, and surface finishes.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related experience, or equivalent related work experience.
• 2+ years experience in optomechanical design, precision mechanism design, or optoelectronic packaging for commercial, aerospace, or telecom applications.
• Experience in 3D CAD (SolidWorks, Creo) and FEA tools (ANSYS, COMSOL, or SolidWorks Simulation) for structural, thermal, and modal analysis.
• Experience with GD&T (ASME Y14.5), kinematic design principles, CTE matching techniques, and micron-level precision adjustment mechanisms.
• Experience packaging free-space optics, fiber launches, photonic devices, or laser assemblies into enclosed hardware products.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with deployment of hybrid systems including free-space optics, fiber systems, integrated photonic device in data center environment.
• Experience with standard optical telecommunication components and architecture, as well as designing or operating optical data center rack systems.
• Experience with scaling quantum R&D prototypes into standardized, customer-ready 19 inch rack solution.
• Expereince in collaborating with systems engineers to perform co-dependent tolerance, thermal, and mechanical safety margin analyses across chassis and rack boundaries.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to work effectively across scientific and engineering teams.

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 $151,300.00 to $216,200.00 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:

$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.