Integrated Photonic Test Engineer

The application window is expected to close on: 08/24/2026

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

This is a hybrid role with three day per week at our Holmdel, NJ office.

The Acacia division of Cisco is looking for an integrated photonics test engineer. 

Meet the Team

Acacia (part of Cisco) is a market leader in high-speed coherent optical transceivers, pioneering the development of coherent pluggable transceivers. Acacia’s coherent products are deployed by all hyperscalers to connect their Data Centers over distances from a few kilometers to thousands of kilometers and even in submarine networks. The emergence of AI has drastically increased the demand for Acacia’s coherent transceivers. Acacia’s coherent transceivers are also being used in space applications and are expected to be used inside data centers as interconnect speeds continue to increase. Acacia is also entering the PAM4 Client market and is expected to be a key provider of PAM4 solutions, including a 1.6T PAM4 DSP. The Photonic Integrated Circuits (PIC) team is a dynamic group that develops advanced photonics chips for optical communications products. Acacia takes pride in providing and fostering a collaborate environment to ensure success and personal growth.

Your Impact

As an Integrated Photonic Test Engineer, you will play a critical role in developing and supporting Cisco’s next generation integrated photonic components for telecommunications, data centers, and AI infrastructure. You will devise, develop and execute engineering tests supporting novel optical components to be used in Cisco’s silicon photonics product offerings.

• Develop, build and perform hands-on engineering tests to support Cisco’s integrated photonic components and circuits on die, wafer and assembly levels.
• Analyze and correlate optical test data with design and process parameters to optimize device performance for high-speed photonics applications
• Apply data analytics leveraging AI/ML for proactive problem detection and resolution
• Communicate clear, concise, and actionable data-driven analysis to cross-functional teams, including Design, Assembly, Test, Qualification and Foundry partners.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelors + 7 years of related experience, or Masters + 4 years of related experience, or PhD + 1 year of related experience
• Knowledge with solid-state physics, integrated photonics, and opto-electronics
• Experience in hardware and software automation of photonics testing

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. with + 3 year experience.
• Prior experience with commercial large-scale photonic circuit testing developments
• Prior experience building optical testing setups and systems for integrated photonics and performing hands-on testing.
• Strong programming skills for testing automation using Python, Matlab, C#, or Labview
• High proficiency in statistical programming languages for data analysis and modeling as well as experience in using commercial statistical applications like JMP
• Strong SQL skills for complex data extraction from relational databases
• Experience testing RF and high-speed optical components.
• Prior experience specifically with silicon photonics or other integrated high-speed photonic platforms is a strong plus.

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 $154,900.00 to $225,300.00 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:

$154,900.00 - $259,100.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$136,500.00 - $228,300.00

* 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.