Optical Hardware Product Engineer

The application window is expected to close on: 11/29/2026

This role will be onsite in our Maynard, MA office.

Meet the Team

Optics Operations Product Engineering team partners with cross-functional team of development engineers to design and sustain Optical transceiver components and modules throughout their product lifecycle. Product Engineers are self-motivated, result oriented, and strong-minded engineers who embrace creativity and new ways of thinking to deliver innovative solutions.

Your Impact

Optics Operations is an organization that enables and accelerates innovation to create an unrivaled customer experience & competitive advantage for Cisco through end-to-end operation leadership and product lifecycle management. In this role, you will be a key Optics Operations Engineering team member supporting the Cisco Optics Operations next generation product portfolio.

Your responsibilities include (but not limited to):

• Collaborate & drive early discussions with cross-functional engineering (Design, Process, Test, Assembly, etc.) teams to provide feedback on DFM and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA)
• Partner with quality teams to execute optical-electrical testing, de-risking, and industry-standard qualification processes
• Responsible to work with design, marketing, supply chain, quality, OSATs and CMs to develop end-to-end manufacturing and test solutions, qualify and release to production
• Responsible for alpha/beta/pilot stage product build yield improvement, troubleshooting, and manufacturing readiness
• Early involvement in NPI with focus on manufacturing process development for optical transceivers or optical sub-assemblies
• Responsible for the transition of advanced optical designs into high-volume production; drive manufacturing readiness, characterization, and PFMEA
• Establish manufacturing metrics to drive continuous improvement of equipment performance and process to meet OE (Optical Engine) product specification
• Drive the characterization of NPI & sustaining product yields including benchmark correlations to meet and/or exceed product cost and equipment capacity targets

Minimum Qualifications: 

• MS or PhD Electrical Engineering and/or related engineering fields
• 8+ years of industry experience in product engineering or product development for high volume production with focus on silicon photonics, optical transceivers or opto-electronic packaging sub-assemblies.
• Proven track record of transitioning products from NPI to High volume production through a contract manufacture and/or OSAT partner
• Knowledge and experience with design for manufacturability (DFM) during product development of Optical Engines, Chip packaging, co-packaged optics and wafer packaging
• Proficiency in statistical and analytical tools such as Python, JMP Scripting, AI models for automated yield prediction and monitoring
• Experience in opto-electrical testing, Failure Analysis, & PFMEA Yield predicting, monitoring and improvement

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with active optical alignment, die attach, wire bonding, wafer packaging, etc.
• Experience with chip packaging assembly processes development
• Experience with product development tasks: Bill of Materials & Change Management
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills
• Experience with Optics & Silicon Photonics sub-assemblies
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal skills with experience presenting senior leadership

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 $136,500.00 to $198,500.00 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:

$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.