Optical Engineering Technical Leader

Milpitas, California, US
Full-time
$171,600.00 to $245,000.00
Posted Nov 13, 2026

Skills

Industrial Automation
Sales
Troubleshooting

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 11/22/2026 Meet the Team

Join a dynamic team dedicated to the development, qualification, manufacturing, and deployment of next-generation optical technologies for high-speed networking systems. We operate across both technology development and manufacturing execution, solving complex optical and high-speed signal integrity challenges. Our goal is to drive innovation in Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), Near-Packaged Optics (NPO), and silicon photonics to power the future of networking.

Your Impact As an Optical Engineering Technical Leader, you will provide critical expertise in advancing our optical technology roadmap. You will develop strategies for system-level optical link validation and margin characterization, managing power and loss budgets. Your role involves defining technical requirements and tradeoffs for performance, power, thermal reliability, manufacturability, and cost in subsystems. You will work closely with contract manufacturers and optical suppliers to develop scalable manufacturing processes and drive the automation of optical and electrical measurements for high-volume manufacturing. Additionally, you will perform high-speed SerDes and electrical/optical link characterization to ensure optimal performance.

Minimum Qualifications

•Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

•5 years of experience in optical engineering, focusing on technology development and manufacturing execution.

•Demonstrated experience with Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), Near-Packaged Optics (NPO), optical engines, and silicon photonics.

•Advanced expertise in component-level testing of fiber harnesses, laser sources, and fiber attach/alignment.

•Strong understanding of 112G/224G/448G-class electrical and optical interfaces and evolving industry standards.

•Proven ability to develop test requirements covering optical power, wavelength, extinction ratio, BER, and receive sensitivity.

•Experienced in providing factory automation solution for related testing requirements

Preferred Qualifications

•Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Optics, Physics, or a related technical discipline.

•Experience working directly with contract manufacturers and optical suppliers to scale manufacturing processes.

•Proficiency in driving the automation of optical and electrical measurements for high-volume manufacturing environments.

•Deep knowledge of high-speed SerDes characterization and complex electrical/optical link integrity troubleshooting.

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 $171,600.00 to $245,000.00 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:

$171,600.00 - $281,800.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$151,300.00 - $250,900.00

•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.