Senior Emulation Engineer

  • Location:
    San Jose, California, US
  • Area of Interest
    Engineer - Hardware
  • Compensation Range
    165700 USD - 232900 USD
  • Job Type
    Professional
  • Technology Interest
    Networking
  • Job Id
    1430607
The application window is expected to close on 1/10/2025
This is an onsite role and will require working out of the Milpitas/San Jose office location.

Who We Are:
The Common Hardware Group (CHG) delivers the silicon, optics, and hardware platforms for Cisco's core Switching, Routing, and Wireless products. We design the networking hardware for Enterprises and Service Providers of various sizes, the Public Sector, and Non-Profit Organizations across the world. Cisco Silicon One (#CiscoSiliconOne) is the only unifying silicon architecture in the market that enables customers to deploy the best-of-breed silicon from Top of Rack (TOR) switches all the way through web scale data centers and across service providers, enterprise networks, and data centers with a fully unified routing and switching portfolio. Come join us and take part in shaping Cisco's ground-breaking solutions by designing, developing, and testing some of the most complex ASICs being developed in the industry.

Who you'll work with:
You will work with Cisco’s best-in-class switching solution team. Our team is responsible for driving integration of the Nexus systems and ACI with software, including OpenStack, Docker, and Open vSwitch, to help our customers build multitenant clouds.

What you’ll do:
  • Develop state-of-the-art emulation environments that will be used to evaluate the performance and functionality of multi-terabit systems.
  • Developing emulation infrastructure using C/C++ and TCL
  • As a team member, work closely with the design, DV, power, and post-silicon diagnostic teams.
  • Assist with test plan design, test implementation, and debugging during the pre-silicon emulation process.
  • Develop tests to generate complex traffic, and performance scenarios to catch potential post-Silicon issues during the Pre-Silicon phase.
  • Work with leading emulation vendors to troubleshoot issues.
Minimum Qualifications:
  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in EE (Electrical & Electronics) or CE (Computer Engineering) with 8+ years of relevant experience.
  • Prior emulation experience on platforms such as Palladium, Veloce, or Zebu as well as experience with compilation, debug, performance testing.
  • Prior experience with RTL development for Emulation prototypes and Verilog, System Verilog.
  • Prior experience with C/C++ and TCL infrastructure development
  • Prior experience with System debug tools like gdb, waveform debuggers.
Preferred Qualifications:
  • Experience with scripting programs (e.g., Python, Perl or similar)
  • Post Silicon functional validation or debugging experience is a plus.
  • Experience with protocols e.g. PCie, I2C, Ethernet packet headers, Ethernet protocol is preferred.

#WeAreCisco

#WeAreCisco where every individual brings their unique skills and perspectives together to pursue our purpose of powering an inclusive future for all.


Our passion is connection—we celebrate our employees’ diverse set of backgrounds and focus on unlocking potential. Cisconians often experience one company, many careers where learning and development are encouraged and supported at every stage. Our technology, tools, and culture pioneered hybrid work trends, allowing all to not only give their best, but be their best.


We understand our outstanding opportunity to bring communities together and at the heart of that is our people. One-third of Cisconians collaborate in our 30 employee resource organizations, called Inclusive Communities, to connect, foster belonging, learn to be informed allies, and make a difference. Dedicated paid time off to volunteer—80 hours each year—allows us to give back to causes we are passionate about, and nearly 86% do!


Our purpose, driven by our people, is what makes us the worldwide leader in technology that powers the internet. Helping our customers reimagine their applications, secure their enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals is what we do best. We ensure that every step we take is a step towards a more inclusive future for all. Take your next step and be you, with us! 

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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