Technical Marketing Engineering Technical Leader

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 172,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking an experienced Product Management professional for the Transceiver Modules Group. You will craft validation plans, prepare technical content for requirements, and collaborate with partners for interoperability testing in AI data center deployments.

You will engage with engineers and TMEs across Cisco BU's to influence roadmaps, respond to field inquiries, and help ensure successful product integration of high-speed optics in switching and routing environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of relevant experience or Master’s with 8+ years or PhD with 3+ years, preferably in Electrical Engineering or a physical science.
• Experience in Technical Marketing, Field Application Engineering, or related roles.
• Hands-on interoperability testing and validation in lab environments (validating optical modules on switches/routers).
• Strong client-facing communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with customers using optics for AI data centers to craft validation test plans.
• Prepare technical content for Product Requirement Documents and product specifications for AI applications.
• Coordinate interoperability testing with Go-To-Market partners and perform system validation.
• Respond to field inquiries related to optical transceivers and contribute to future programs and roadmaps.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Senior technical marketing

Field application experience

Client facing experience

Lab interoperability testing

Education

Bachelor’s degree + 10+ years

Master’s degree + 8+ years

PhD + 3+ years

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 11/22/2026

Meet the Team

The Transceiver Modules Group Business Unit handles Cisco’s pluggable optic modules that enable customers to connect switches, routers, and servers with high-speed fiber optics. The Product Management team includes Product Managers and Technical Marketing Engineers (TMEs) and covers a broad range of optical technologies, customer applications, and market segments. The TMEs support the team’s business goals by supporting sales, fostering new technology, and performing investigations and demos. We value creativity and collaboration. Sometimes the wild ideas turn out to be the best ones! You’ll also collaborate with the product managers, TMEs, and engineers in our BU and other Cisco BUs.

Your Impact

In this role, you will work with customers using optics for AI data centers. You will craft and implement validation test plans for Cisco’s optics based on AI customer requirements. You will prepare technical content to support Product Requirement Documents and specifications for new products for AI applications. You will collaborate with technology and Go-To-Market partners for interoperability testing and system functional validation, and respond to field inquiries related to optical transceivers. Additionally, you will contribute to forward-looking programs, roadmaps and collaborate on content for internal Concept Commits and Execution Commits, focusing on customers, configurations, and competitive industry information. You’re a problem solver who embraces opportunities to step outside your comfort zone. You are comfortable solving pluggable optics in switches and routers, even in front of customers. You know your way around a fiber optics lab with high-speed scopes and optical spectrum analyzers. You know that machines are logical and people can be more nuanced.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree with 10+ years of relevant experience or Master's degree with 8+ years of relevant experience or PhD with 3+ years, preferably combined with a degree in Electrical Engineering or a physical science or related.
• Experience in Technical Marketing, Field Application Engineering, or related.
• Hands on skills for interoperability testing and validation activities in the lab (for example: validating optical modules on switches and routers).
• Client facing experience along with exceptional communication and collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of customer optical infrastructure requirements in AI datacenter networks.
• Knowledge of or prior experience with relevant networking technologies, and an understanding of Cisco’s switching and routing portfolio.
• Knowledge of standards related to pluggable optical transceivers, including optical PMDs (e.g. IEEE 802.3xx, optical MSAs), pluggable form factor MSAs (SFF, QSFP-DD, CMIS, etc.), and IEEE Attachment Unit Interfaces (AUIs).

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 $171,600.00 to $245,000.00 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 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: $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.

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.