Senior ASIC RTL Engineer

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 168,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. in San Jose, CA, is seeking a senior RTL design engineer focused on Design for Test (DFT) for Silicon One.

You will collaborate with front-end RTL and backend physical design teams to deliver robust silicon solutions and ensure performance and reliability. The role requires 7+ years in Electrical/CS engineering, strong Verilog/SystemVerilog, and experience with front-end tools (simulators, linting, CDC, synthesis, formal verification).

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering required with at least 7 years of experience.
• Prior experience in Verilog/System Verilog coding.
• Prior experience with front-end tools (Verilog simulators, linting, CDC checkers, synthesis, formal verification).
• Prior experience with interface protocols such as AMBA(AXI, APB, AHB), memories.

Responsibilities

• Drive high-quality Design for Test (DFT) RTL to ensure robust silicon solutions.
• Collaborate with Front-end RTL and backend physical design teams to align silicon architecture.
• Deliver silicon that meets Cisco's performance and innovation standards.

Skills

Verilog/SystemVerilog

Education

Electrical or Computer Engineering degree

Tools

Verilog simulators

Linting tools

CDC checkers

Synthesis tools

Formal verification

AMBA AXI/APB/AHB

JTAG interfaces

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 12/17/2026

Meet the Team: The Silicon One team creates innovative hardware platforms central to the AI era, powering Cisco’s core Switching, Routing, and Wireless products for organizations globally. Our innovations in silicon, optics, and hardware platforms are shaping the technology industry. We're a global team of creative experts, bringing our unique backgrounds and bold ideas to push boundaries and help each other grow. Because full product development—from design to qualification to production—is within our team, we’re able to think differently, experiment more, and work quickly. Join us to power the future of the digital world

Your Impact:

You will be a key member of the Silicon One development organization, collaborating closely with Front-end RTL and backend physical design teams to gain a deep understanding of chip architecture. Your primary focus will be to drive high-quality Design for Test (DFT) RTL, ensuring robust and reliable silicon solutions that meet Cisco’s standards for performance and innovation. This cross-functional teamwork is essential to delivering advanced networking silicon aligned with Cisco Silicon One’s scalable and flexible architecture.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or a Master's Degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering required with at least 7 years of experience
• Prior experience in Verilog/System Verilog coding.
• Prior experience with front-end tools (Verilog simulators, linting, CDC checkers, synthesis, formal verification).
• Prior experience with industry standard interface protocols such as AMBA(AXI, APB, AHB), JTAG etc, memories.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience with power optimization techniques , power intent (UPF), power estimation.
• Prior experience with DFT/MBIST is a plus
• Prior experience with post-silicon debug

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 $167,700.00 to $245,200.00 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 of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to 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.

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

• New York City Metro Area: $167,700.00 - $282,000.00
• Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $149,100.00 - $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.

cisconians power the future. We make impact as a team, innovating fast and fearlessly to create meaningful solutions on a large scale. The depth and breadth of our technology doesn't just benefit our customers – it also means limitless opportunities for us to experiment and learn. We understand the power each of our unique backgrounds bring when we work together. Because of that, we have a global network of thinkers, doers, experts, and curious creators who help one another do their life’s best work.