Hardware Engineer (Transceiver Module Group)

The application window is expected to close on: 11/06/2026

This is an onsite position and the employee will be required to work out of San Jose, CA location.

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.

The Transceiver Module Group (TMG) within CHG is a collaborative and multi-functional product development and sustaining team responsible for defining and implementing specifications, test procedures, and validation of optical interconnection technologies ranging from 100Mbit/s to 1.6Tbit/s. As optics are the critical backbone of AI infrastructure, our team is at the forefront of this evolution, ensuring the seamless integration of high-performance modules across a vast portfolio of Cisco switches and systems.

Your Impact

Our team is a center of excellence in several areas such as optical and electrical high-speed characterization, definition and management of interactions between optics and systems.

• Develop and implement comprehensive test and configuration strategies for new optical module transceiver products to ensure robust performance.

• Investigate complex technical issues by performing root cause analysis and implementing corrective actions for hardware-software interactions at the system level.

• Build and maintain automation tools and scripts (e.g., Python, LabVIEW, etc.) and leverage AI methodologies to enhance test efficiency and accelerate data analysis.

• Conduct lab operations using electrical and optical test equipment, including optical attenuators, switches, I2C analyzers, digital multi-meters, traffic generators, and oscilloscopes.

• Characterize module low-speed IO and electrical timing using knowledge of EEPROM programming, digital logic, and the Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS).

• Partner with multi-functional engineering teams and external suppliers to ensure high-quality product designs that meet industry standards and perform reliably across Cisco switches and systems.

• Author clear test reports and present complex technical data to multi-functional partners to facilitate informed decision-making.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or relevant field with 5+ years of relevant work experience or Master’s degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering with 3+ years of relevant experience.

• Experience with electrical/optical test and measurement equipment. Such as optical attenuators, switches, I2C analyzers, digital multi-meters, traffic generators, or oscilloscopes.

• Experience in automation environments (e.g., Unix/Linux, Python).

• Experience of digital logic, EEPROM, and I2C interfaces.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated familiarity with optical transceiver industry standards (SFF, IEEE) and MSA (Multi-Source Agreement) specifications.

• Strong understanding of CMIS (Common Management Interface Specification) standards.

• Experience with basic networking, including Cisco IOS/NXOS or CCNA certification.

• Demonstrated interest or experience in applying AI tools to enhance test automation and hardware validation processes.

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 $138,100.00 to $196,500.00 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:

$138,100.00 - $226,000.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$124,000.00 - $201,000.00

* 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.