Lead Photonics Validation Engineer

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Photonic Validation Engineer within the Outshift Quantum Research team in Santa Monica, CA.

You will design verification protocols, develop test plans, and build scalable test infrastructure for quantum hardware platforms, collaborating with researchers, engineers, and leaders across optics, hardware, and software domains. You will author FAT/SAT runbooks, automate data collection, and establish rigorous benchmarks to ensure long-term stability and repeatability

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 8+ years related experience, or advanced degree with fewer years.
• 2+ years in test development, test automation, or hardware validation for optoelectronic systems.
• Experience writing Python or MATLAB for test automation, data analysis, and control of hardware.
• Experience with standard optical characterization equipment.
• Experience producing test protocols, FAT/SAT procedures, and validation reports.
• Ability to read engineering drawings, schematics, and assembly procedures.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement verification protocols for photonic and electronic performance metrics.
• Author FAT/SAT plans, runbooks, and comprehensive performance reports.
• Bridge between hardware, optics, software, and systems engineering to diagnose issues.
• Establish assembly and test infrastructure to scale quantum hardware delivery.
• Develop test plans, validation matrices, and automated scripts for subsystems and full systems.
• Build DAQ and instrument control setups using Python, LabVIEW, or MATLAB.
• Set baseline benchmarks for quantum and classical metrics and ensure repeatability.
• Perform functional and parametric testing on subsystems and multi-subsystem setups.
• Document and track non-conformances and issues for engineering review.

Skills

Test automation

Hardware validation

Python

MATLAB

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in related field

Tools

Altium Designer

Cadence Allegro

HFSS

Keysight ADS

HyperLynx

Job description

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

Meet the Team

The Outshift by Cisco team is one of the Cisco’s most visible innovation organizations, driving the next generation of transformative technologies and business opportunities. 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 — foundational 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 is seeking a skilled Photonic Validation Engineer to support our Quantum Experimental Team in a role that is central to the physical realization of Cisco's deployable quantum hardware platforms. You will:

• Define and implement verification protocols to validate complex photonic and electronic performance metrics (e.g., entanglement fidelity, extinction ratios, dark count rates, coincidence counts, and insertion loss) under full system integration.
• Author clear, standardized test plans, Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) protocols, Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) runbooks, and detailed performance reports that give external enterprise customers absolute confidence in our delivery.
• Act as the diagnostic bridge between hardware, optics, software, and systems engineering—pinpointing root causes of inter-subsystem anomalies, cross-talk, and signal degradation to drive design iterations.
• Play a key role in establishing the assembly and test infrastructure that will support the scaling of Cisco's quantum hardware platform delivery.
• Develop comprehensive test plans, validation matrices, and automated test scripts to verify both individual subsystem specifications and full-system multi-subsystem functionality.
• Build automated data acquisition (DAQ) and instrument control setups (using Python, LabVIEW, or MATLAB) to streamline routine testing of photonic switches, detectors, laser sources, and time-tagging/coincidence electronics.
• Establish reproducible baseline benchmarks for key quantum and classical metrics, ensuring long-term operational stability and repeatability across manufacturing units.
• Perform functional and parametric testing on standalone subsystems.
• Implement integrated multi-subsystem co-validation to identify complex issues such as thermal drift, RF noise pickup, optical back-reflections, clock synchronization offsets, and control logic timing race conditions.
• Author standardized Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) and Site Acceptance Test (SAT) execution procedures and technical sign-off criteria.
• Document, analyze, and present statistical test data, error propagation analyses, and pass/fail reports for engineering review and customer compliance packages.
• Maintain clear, traceable revision-controlled test logs, non-conformance reports (NCRs), and bug/issue tracking entries for hardware and software teams.

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 of experience in test development, test automation, or hardware validation for complex optoelectronic, photonic, high-speed RF, or quantum systems.
• Experience writing code with Python or MATLAB for test automation, data analysis, and hardware instrument control.
• Experience with standard optical characterization equipment.
• Experience writing technical documentation, test protocols, FAT/SAT procedures, and validation reports.
• Experience reading, interpreting, and producing engineering drawings, schematics, and assembly procedures

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing electronics and control systems for lasers, electro-optic modulators, optical switches, photonic integrated circuits, or other photonic devices.
• Experience with precision timing, synchronization, and systems requiring tight latency control.
• Experience designing low-noise power distribution and electronics for sensitive instrumentation.
• Familiarity with high-speed data converters and interfaces such as JESD204B/JESD204C, Ethernet, and SFP-based interfaces.
• Experience with EDA tools such as Altium Designer or Cadence Allegro and signal-integrity/RF simulation tools such as Ansys HFSS, Keysight ADS, or HyperLynx.
• Knowledge of EMC/EMI design practices and UL/CE certification requirements.
• Experience designing electronics and cable/interconnect systems for rack-mounted instrumentation.
• Background in classical optics, quantum optics, quantum networking, photonics, or precision instrumentation.

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.