Digital Design Leader

Meet the Team

Cisco’s Client Optics Group (COG) designs & delivers the high-speed optical transceivers, and platforms that power Cisco's core data center networking solutions. We specialize in the design and integration of cutting-edge IM/DD optics and silicon photonic platforms that enable customers to deploy industry-leading optical technologies within data center with unprecedented speed, capacity, and reliability. Come join us and take part in shaping COG’s ground-breaking optical solutions by designing, developing, and testing some of the most advanced pluggable, and Co-packaged Optics (CPO) being developed in the industry.

You will work with Cisco's outstanding Silicon Photonics team. Our team is responsible for driving the development and optimization of optical transceivers & modules (800G,1.6T & beyond) that seamlessly integrate with Cisco's routing, switching, and datacenter platforms, enabling customers to build scalable, high-performance networks that support emerging technologies including AI/ML workloads, and next-generation data center architectures.

What You'll Do

The Digital Design Lead for the Client Optics Group (COG) provides essential technical leadership in the development of digital logic for silicon photonics, ensuring high-performance outcomes for 100G, 200G, and 400G optical interconnects. This role involves managing the full ASIC lifecycle, from architectural conception and RTL-based design of CPU subsystems and data path interfaces to tapeout and post-silicon production support, while overseeing the integration of digital logic with analog and mixed-signal blocks to ensure the reliability of Co-Packaged Optics and silicon photonics modules.

Candidates must possess comprehensive expertise in high-speed optical interconnects and mastery of the complete ASIC/SoC design flow, including DFT, physical design, and verification. Furthermore, the position requires the ability to drive technical strategy through effective collaboration with cross-functional teams in firmware, packaging, and process engineering to optimize power, performance, and manufacturability within the United States of America office context.

Your Impact

As a Digital Design Lead, you will work with a diverse team of engineers spanning digital design, analog/mixed-signal design, verification, DFT, physical design, firmware, FPGA, CAD, packaging, and post-silicon validation.

At the concept stage, you will help define the digital architecture, interface requirements, implementation strategy, and design methodology. During execution, you will lead block-level development and support full-chip integration of high-speed IPs such as ODSP, D2D IP, SerDes XSR, SerDes PAM4 integrated drivers/TIA, and control functions. You will work closely with verification teams to ensure complete functional closure, with physical design teams to support implementation readiness, and with post-silicon teams to help drive successful product bring-up and release to production.

Specific responsibilities include

• Lead all design activities from Pre-Silicon RTL to GDS2 signoff and Post-Silicon activities such as FPGA prototyping, Lab Validation and ATE bring-up.
• Lead the architecture and design of complex digital blocks and CPU subsystems. Work seamlessly across cross function teams and resolve design and technical issues.
• Understand and support FW architecture and support FW based verification.
• Good understanding of feedback and control systems and stability. Must be able to understand concepts such as accuracy, resolution, loop time constants and make appropriate trade-offs.
• Develop top and block level specifications for high speed datapath and low speed control planes, including timing, power budgets and hardware vs firmware partitioning
• Review verification coverage and sign off on coverage metrics. Independently simulate, verify and debug verification issues. Support integration and verification of Serdes and DSP IP.
• Support all backend activities such as synthesis, timing closure, DFT and low power design, scripts for design automation and processing QOR metrics.
• Contribute to FPGA prototyping and validation activities where applicable.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in electrical engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related field. Master’s degree strongly preferred
• 12-16 years of industry experience with hands-on experience in digital design including FSM and CPU sub-systems, complex SOCs and FPGA validation
• Strong technical leadership Experience of minimum 6 years
• Familiarity with protocols such as SPI, I2C, APB, AXI, or similar interfaces and high-speed SerDes, Ethernet, D2D PHY IP, and protocols.
• Strong knowledge of ASIC/SoC design flow, including RTL development using SystemVerilog, simulation, lint, CDC/RDC, synthesis, formal/equivalence checking, DFT, and implementation handoff
• Good understanding of full front-end design and development as well as exposure to full suite of backend tools such as CDC, synthesis, LEC, DFT etc.
• Strong teamwork, communication, and organizational skills. Strong analytical, problem-solving, and debugging skills.

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.