Principal Hardware Engineer

Cisco Systems; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is seeking to hire a post-silicon test and validation engineer. This role involves driving the validation of high-performance silicon architecture and mentoring engineers, ensuring successful product development and alignment with stakeholders to deliver quality outcomes.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in semiconductor product development.
• Proficiency in digital and mixed-signal design.
• Deep understanding of SoC/FPGA architecture.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement product development strategies.
• Troubleshoot complex silicon/system-level issues.
• Coach and mentor junior engineers.

Skills

Proficiency in scripting languages

Experience in semiconductor product development

Strong interpersonal abilities

Education

BS, MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Logic analyzers

JTAG

Job description

Application Deadline expected to close June 14, 2025

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

Meet the Team

Silicon One is Cisco's networking silicon architecture crafted to power its next generation of high-performance networking hardware. It is a unified, programmable silicon architecture that can be used across various types of network devices, including routers and switches.

Your Impact

You will own and drive the post-silicon test and validation of complex SoC and test chips, ensuring first-time-right silicon and timely execution. You will also partner with design, validation, DFX, software, and program management teams to develop, validate, and deliver high-quality products.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement robust product development strategies, test plans, and bring-up methodologies for high-performance network silicon
• Troubleshoot complex silicon/system-level issues, perform data analysis, and derive actionable insights to improve performance and yield
• Coach, mentor, and grow junior engineers to build a strong, resilient technical team
• Clearly present technical updates, risk assessments, and progress to leadership and multi-functional stakeholders.
• Continuously assess and refine development methodologies, adopting ground breaking tools and technologies to improve efficiency
• Work with external foundry partners, IP vendors, and strategic customers to align on expectations and resolve critical issues
• Proactively identify project risks and implement mitigation plans throughout the product development lifecycle

Minimum Qualifications

• BS, MS or PHD in Electrical Engineering
• Proven experience in semiconductor product development, with strong emphasis on post-silicon validation and high-volume manufacturing, expertise in digital and mixed-signal design, test program development, bring-up, and debug
• Proficiency in scripting languages (Python, Perl, Shell) and hardware description languages (Verilog, SystemVerilog, or VHDL) and previous experience with foundry engagement and working on advanced process nodes (7nm, 5nm, or below)
• Deep understanding of SoC/FPGA architecture, CPU/GPU subsystems, and advanced packaging technologies
• Solid experience with lab tools and equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG, etc. and expert in MBIST and ATPG methodologies, patterns, and tools

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience with silicon bring-up, yield analysis, and ATE test development.
• Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams and drive multi-functional alignment
• Strong interpersonal and program management abilities, with demonstrated success managing multiple concurrent product efforts
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills, including experience working with executives and customers

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. Simply put – we power the future.

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.