Principal Hardware Engineer - Quality & Reliability

The application deadline is being extended, expected to close August 29th, 2025.

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

Meet the Team

The Silicon Operations team's vision is to enable an outstanding Silicon Supply Chain Operations team to service Silicon component needs of Cisco's core businesses as well as the emerging components business. We are an exciting team that works in a fast-paced, start-up type environment with a mission to scale Cisco's Silicon-One business. The Quality & Reliability team is working with Design and Engineering teams to qualify, productize and sustain Cisco ASIC products through procedures and processes.

Your Impact

You will engage and drive the teams working on Design for Reliability. You will build and innovate in data analytics to enable faster quality through AI/ML data models. You will plan and develop test teams to drive FA and Qualification activity.

Responsibilities

• Plan strategic, scalable engagement with Reliability Services and Equipment providers with respect to Silicon One Product roadmap.
• Support and work with the design team to understand and define reliability requirements of products.
• Conduct design review and close loops with the design team to fix design issues affecting Q& R.
• Define and ensure process for ORM is implemented and effective.
• Engage qualification failures to RCCA using structured problem-solving methods (Cause and Effect diagrams, 8D and 5-Whys ) with a multi-functional team to diagnose, resolve, and prevent future problems. Recommend and manage failure analyses of quality failure to root cause. Work in conjunctions with teams to set up methodology and equipment for dynamic FA.
• To improve ongoing quality, identify and minimize ATE/CFT to system test coverage test gaps. Make sure sensors are used to optimum capability at all test steps and used for system characterization and parametric testing to enable improved quality and reliability monitoring. Come up with new ML test techniques to improve RCCA and prediction.
• Coach, mentor, and grow junior engineers to build a strong, resilient technical team
• Clearly present technical updates, risk assessments, and progress to leadership and multi-functional stakeholders
• Continuously assess and refine development methodologies, adopting ground breaking tools and technologies to improve efficiency
• Work with external foundry partners, IP vendors, and strategic customers to align on expectations and resolve critical issues
• Proactively identify project risks and implement mitigation plans throughout the product development lifecycle

Minimum Qualifications

• Masters/PHD or equivalent experience in Engineering, Semiconductor/Quality, Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical Engineering, or relevant field with customer-facing skills and experiences
• 10+ years in a comparable role for semiconductor quality, Customer Quality, Reliability Engineering, Failure Analysis
• Experience in Product & Test Engineering for the semiconductor industry.
• In-depth knowledge of semiconductor device & package fail mechanisms/symptoms
• Multiple roles a plus

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on skills in Quality tools and methodologies i.e. Is/Is-Not, Fault Tree Analysis, Fishbone, 5-why, 8D, statistics and structured problem-solving techniques.
• Strong technical problem solving and hands-on skills in quality tools and methodologies.
• Excellent ability to manage both internal and external dynamic environments and circumstances through influence and negotiation skills to respond to challenging information and situations.
• Excellent communication, technical writing and presentation skills.
• Candidate should have a solid quality / engineering background, along with good teamwork and interpersonal skills across worldwide time zones.

Pay Range: 225000 USD - 325300 USD

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 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.