Hardware Engineer

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  • Location:
    San Jose, California, US
  • Area of Interest
    Engineer - Hardware
  • Compensation Range
    135800 USD - 193400 USD
  • Job Type
    Professional
  • Technology Interest
    Cloud & AI (DCN & Compute)
  • Job Id
    1446247

The application window is expected to close on:  07/18/2025.

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


Meet the Team

The Common Hardware Group (CHG) delivers the silicon, optics, and hardware platforms for Cisco's core Switching, Routing, and Wireless products.  With ~2,100 employees across 16 countries, we craft the networking hardware for Enterprises and Service Providers of various sizes, the Public Sector, and Non-Profit Organizations across the world.

The Computing Systems Products Group, through The Unified Computing Systems innovative architecture, helps to enable the fully unified data center.  We architect the next generation unified computing systems, including compute, storage, network, visualization, and management into a single platform.


Your Impact

You'll have the opportunity to collaborate with a diverse group of engineers, including a dynamic software and hardware development team composed of dedicated engineers, programmers, and designers.  Together, you'll be responsible for bringing innovative technology to life.  You will also interact closely with project managers who are skilled at coordinating complex projects, ensuring that milestones are met, and deliverables are driven with precision. Additionally, your work will involve coordination with external vendors, encouraging robust partnerships that facilitate access to specialized resources and services.

You are curious and a problem solver.  You love to learn and grow and work in an environment that is constantly evolving.  You are a self-starter that thrives on learning information quickly and uses resources to research and resolve issues.  You have excellent verbal and written communications skills.  You can own the innovation, design and architecture of new hardware products, services, and solutions.

In this highly visible role as Hardware Engineer, you will:

  • coordinate and contribute to engineering work including specifications and test plans.
  • interact, lead, and address challenging technical problems with multi-functional teams.
  • act as technical liaison to key suppliers for the product and technical perspectives.
  • assist with decision making to resolve technical tradeoff, operational and business considerations.
  • be involved in hardware integration, validation, and performance of the products like the latest GPU, NICs, FC HBAs, RAID Controllers in Intel and/or AMD based servers.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, or relevant degree with 5+ years of relevant work experience or equivalent related work experience
  • 2+ years of experience writing scripts with Shell scripting or Python
  • Experience with Storage and Networking devices validation
  • Operating systems like Linux, Windows, ESX (VMWare)
  • Basic knowledge BIOS Baseboard Management Control (BMC)
  • Prior experience with troubleshooting/debugging on system level
  • Prior experience in lab bring up

Preferred Qualifications

  • M.S. in Computer Engineering, or relevant degree with 3+ years of relevant work experience or equivalent related work experience
  • Hands-on engineering efforts for system bring up and validation in the lab
  • Prior experience working with GPU’s and Networking Cards

 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. Simply put – we power the future.  

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:

When available, the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hire, full-time salaries in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including equity or benefits. For non-sales roles the hiring ranges reflect base salary only; employees are also eligible to receive annual bonuses. Hiring ranges for sales positions include base and incentive compensation target. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location and additional factors, including but not limited to skillset, experience, and relevant education, certifications, or training. Applicants may not be eligible for the full salary range based on their U.S. or Canada hiring location. The recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees have access to quality medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance and numerous wellbeing offerings.

Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday (for non-exempt employees), plus a day off for their birthday. Non-Exempt new hires accrue up to 16 days of vacation time off each year, at a rate of 4.92 hours per pay period. Exempt new hires participate in Cisco’s flexible Vacation Time Off policy, which does not place a defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use, but is subject to availability and some business limitations. All new hires are eligible for Sick Time Off subject to Cisco’s Sick Time Off Policy and will have eighty (80) hours of sick time off provided on their hire date and on January 1st of each year thereafter.  Up to 80 hours of unused sick time will be carried forward from one calendar year to the next such that the maximum number of sick time hours an employee may have available is 160 hours. Employees in Illinois have a unique time off program designed specifically with local requirements in mind. All employees also have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components. 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 up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

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