Silicon Validation Engineer

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

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a senior ASIC software engineer to develop and maintain APIs and SDKs in C/C++, enabling emulation, bring-up, and feature work. You will verify functionality through emulation tests and collaborate with design and software teams to drive silicon milestones.

The role involves writing Python/TCL scripts, contributing to silicon validation, and using lab automation with Spirent and IXIA to confirm performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelors + 7 years of related experience, or Masters + 4 years of related experience, or PhD + 1 year of related experience.
• Prior experience with software design using C or C++
• Prior experience with writing drivers or SDK for ASICS
• Prior experience with scripting languages such as Python or TCL
• Prior experience working with Emulator or ASIC bring up environments

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain ASIC APIs and SDKs in C and C++, delivering clean, scalable updates that support emulation, bring-up, and ongoing feature work.
• Own tasks that extend verification and test capability, writing Python and TCL scripts that exercise ASIC features and measure performance in the emulation environment.
• Verify ASIC functionality and performance through structured emulation tests, debugging failures and driving issues to resolution with design and software partners.
• Contribute to silicon validation once silicon arrives, using existing scripts and lab automation, including traffic‑generation tools such as Spirent and IXIA, to confirm feature behavior and performance.
• Partner across design, software, and validation teams to keep emulation environments, test plans, and silicon milestones aligned through each stage of the program

Skills

C/C++ design

Python/TCL scripting

ASIC emulation bring-up

Driver/SDK development

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

Spirent

IXIA

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 11/29/2026

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

Develop and maintain ASIC APIs and SDKs in C and C++, delivering clean, scalable updates that support emulation, bring‑up, and ongoing feature work.

Own tasks that extend verification and test capability, writing Python and TCL scripts that exercise ASIC features and measure performance in the emulation environment.

Verify ASIC functionality and performance through structured emulation tests, debugging failures and driving issues to resolution with design and software partners.

Contribute to silicon validation once silicon arrives, using existing scripts and lab automation, including traffic‑generation tools such as Spirent and IXIA, to confirm feature behavior and performance.

Partner across design, software, and validation teams to keep emulation environments, test plans, and silicon milestones aligned through each stage of the program.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors + 7 years of related experience, or Masters + 4 years of related experience, or PhD + 1 year of related experience.
• Prior experience with software design skills using C or C++
• Prior experience with writing drivers or SDK for ASICS
• Prior experience with scripting languages such as Python or TCL
• Prior experience working with Emulator or ASIC bring up environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in overall architecture of software systems: Linux kernel drivers (PCIE or I2C)
• Prior experience with troubleshooting or debugging skills
• Prior experience with test equipment automation like IXIA or Spirent

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.

Salary and Benefits

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. The 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.