System Architecture Engineer Leader (Hardware Board Design) (Onsite)

Cisco Systems, Inc; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc is seeking a Senior Technical Lead Hardware Board Design Engineer to shape long-term hardware architecture for high‑performance networking gear. You will lead cross‑functional teams across design, validation, and manufacturing, guiding complex programs from concept through production.

You will influence senior leaders with clear engineering judgments, drive architecture reviews, and set reusable verification standards to ensure product quality and success in critical

Qualifications

• Experience in hardware board design and system architecture for high-performance systems.
• Proven ability to lead complex, multi-site engineering initiatives.
• Hands-on with high-speed digital design, signal integrity, and reliability testing.

Responsibilities

• Define long-term hardware architecture and roadmaps for networking systems.
• Lead multi-disciplinary hardware initiatives from concept to product release.
• Engage with senior leaders in reviews and external technical engagements.
• Ensure verification methods and quality standards are established for board design.

Skills

End-to-End System Design

Technical Validation

Strategic Leadership

Cross-functional Collaboration

Education

Bachelors in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Masters in Electrical/Computer Engineering

PhD in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Tools

Cadence

HyperLynx

ANSYS

Keysight ADS

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 01/28/2027 This position requires that you live within commuting distance of our Milpitas, CA office and commute to the lab 5 days per week.

Meet the Team

The Common Hardware Group (CHG) 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—like Silicon One—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.

Cisco Silicon One is the only unifying silicon architecture in the market that enables customers to deploy the best-of-breed silicon from Top of Rack (TOR) switches through web-scale data centers and across service providers, enterprise networks, and data centers with a fully unified routing and switching portfolio.

Come join us and take part in shaping Cisco's ground-breaking solutions by designing, developing, and testing some of the most complex ASICs being developed in the industry.

The Cisco Service Provider Routing Hardware Engineering team develops next-generation hardware by adhering to IEEE standards and industry best practices. Our engineers drive innovation across the full product lifecycle, serving as IP architects, creators, and solution integrators who manage products from concept to production. We design a new class of high-performance routers for the Internet of the future: Cisco 8000 Series routers. These cloud-enhanced systems are powered by Cisco Silicon One ASICs and deliver the scale, performance, and efficiency required by critical infrastructure. You will collaborate with board design, ASIC, signal integrity, power, software, mechanical, thermal, manufacturing, systems, and supplier teams to define, design, validate, and release high-performance networking products.

Your Impact

As a Senior Technical Lead Hardware Board Design Engineer, you will be a recognized expert who shapes multi-year hardware architecture, design standards, and technical strategy for major networking products. You will lead high-impact, cross-functional initiatives, resolve the most complex technical problems, and influence senior leaders through clear engineering judgment and compelling technical decisions. This is an individual contributor role with enterprise-level influence; it does not require people management. Define long-term hardware architecture, power-delivery strategy, design standards, and technology roadmaps for high-performance networking systems. Lead major, multi-disciplinary hardware initiatives from early concept through product release and customer delivery. Act as a senior escalation point for novel or high-risk architectural, signal integrity, power integrity, reliability, field, and manufacturing issues. Develop and communicate technical strategies that align multiple business units and engineering disciplines. Establish reusable methods, constraints, verification practices, and quality standards for board design. Guide senior engineers and technical leaders through architecture reviews, design tradeoffs, and complex investigations. Represent hardware engineering in executive reviews, strategic supplier discussions, standards activities, and selected external technical engagements. Anticipate industry and technology shifts and recommend investments in future hardware capabilities. Drive decisions using simulations, laboratory evidence, product data, and a clear understanding of business impact.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering and 11+ years of experience, or Master’s in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering and 7+ years of related experience, or PhD in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering and 4+ years of related experience.
• End-to-End System Design: Experience in hardware board design and system architecture—taking products from concept through production—for high-performance systems, including PCIe, Ethernet, DDR, SerDes, and advanced thermal/EMI management.
• Technical Validation & Tools: Experience with high-speed digital design, signal and power integrity, power distribution, and reliability testing, supported by hands‑on use of Cadence design tools and advanced lab instrumentation (oscilloscopes, logic/spectrum analyzers).
• Strategic Leadership & Delivery: Experience leading complex, multi-site, and cross-functional engineering initiatives, partnering with silicon vendors and contract manufacturers to solve high-impact, ambiguous technical challenges at scale.

Preferred Qualifications

• Systems Architecture: Experience with advanced networking systems, ASICs, FPGAs, high-speed memory, multi-gigabit SerDes, and advanced packaging.
• Specialized Technologies: Experience in co-packaged/near-packaged optics, signal/power integrity budget analysis, ultra-high-speed signaling, and next-generation power delivery.
• Technical Proficiency: Hands‑on experience with Cadence (Concept/Allegro), HyperLynx, ANSYS, Keysight ADS, and advanced lab equipment (VNA, TDR, high-bandwidth oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers).
• Automation: Experience with creating test scripts using Python to streamline validation and design tasks.
• Problem‑Solving: Analytical, methodical approach to decomposing complex issues, evaluating empirical evidence, and documenting clear, actionable conclusions.
• Collaboration: History of working effectively within cross‑functional teams to drive initiatives forward.
• Leadership & Influence: History of influencing senior technical and business leaders across organizational boundaries, underpinned by exceptional written, verbal, and executive-level communication skills.

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