Lead Hardware Architect: Board Design & SI/PI

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 172,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Silicon One hardware team is seeking a Lead Hardware Board Design Engineer in Milpitas, CA to define board-level architecture and drive complex networking products from concept to production.

You will guide hardware initiatives, resolve SI/PI and thermal challenges, and collaborate with vendors, fabricators, and cross-functional teams. This is an individual contributor role with broad technical influence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering with 7+ years of experience, or Master’s with 5+ years, or PhD with 2+ years.
• Experience with hardware board design and system-level development, including high-speed digital design and validation.
• Experience taking designs from concept to production, including schematics and layouts.
• Networking/server/high-performance embedded systems experience, including PCIe, DDR, SerDes, and thermal management.
• Experience leading technical projects and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Define board-level architecture, power-delivery strategy, and design direction for complex networking products.
• Lead hardware initiatives from requirements through validation and manufacturing release.
• Resolve signal integrity, power integrity, reliability, and thermal challenges.
• Participate in design reviews, cross-functional investigations, and lab work.
• Mentor engineers and improve hardware delivery processes.
• Partner with silicon vendors, PCB fabricators, and contract manufacturers on tradeoffs.
• Communicate risks and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Own the design and validation of a sub-system and ensure specs are met.

Skills

High-speed design

Signal integrity

Power integrity

Hardware validation

Schematic capture

Board bring-up

Project leadership

Education

Bachelor’s in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Master’s in Electrical/Computer Engineering

PhD in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Tools

Cadence Concept

Cadence Allegro

Job description

Cisco Silicon One hardware team is seeking a Lead Hardware Board Design Engineer in Milpitas, CA to define board-level architecture and drive complex networking products from concept to production.

You will guide hardware initiatives, resolve SI/PI and thermal challenges, and collaborate with vendors, fabricators, and cross-functional teams. This is an individual contributor role with broad technical influence.