The application window is expected to close on: 08/07/2026Job 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) creates innovative hardware platforms central to the AI era, powering Cisco’s core Switching, Routing, and Wireless products for organizations globally. Our innovations in silicon, optics, and hardware platforms—like Silicon One—are shaping the technology industry. We're a global team of creative experts, bringing our unique backgrounds and bold ideas to push boundaries and help each other grow. Because full product development—from design to qualification to production—is within our team, we’re able to think differently, experiment more, and work quickly. Join us to power the future of the digital world.

Your Impact:
We are looking for a motivated technical leader to join the CAD/Methodology team. You will own Infrastructure engagement and alignment including the arrangement/QA for Vendor IPs, standard cells and Process Design Kits (PDKs)—from early architecture through tape-out and into post-silicon bring-up and debug.

Success depends as much on clarity and follow-through as on depth in flows and tools. You will be the primary key stakeholder bridging between Cisco projects leads and all supply chain dependencies such as IP/std cells vendors and external foundries.
Responsibilities include keeping schedules, aligning technical requirements, and aligning delivery commitments so IP and PDK land on time, qualified, and usable in Cisco projects.

Key Responsibilities:

• Stakeholder leadership and communication — Partner routinely with Program/Project Management, Physical Design, Package / SI, RTL/Design, Design Verification, and CAD/Methodology. Translate priorities across disciplines, surface risks early, and drive decisions.
• External engagement and IP delivery — Work with foundries and IP vendors on roadmaps, releases, and bug fixes.
• Vendor IP and PDK lifecycle — Manage vendor deliverables end-to-end including integration, validation, qualification, versioning, and controlled distribution into the design environment.
• Help define and evolve the installation, QA, and release platform for IPs and PDKs.
• Collaborate with design teams on benchmarking vendors and technology options where trade-offs affect PPA, schedule, or flow risks, support informed choices for programs.
• Foundry collateral quality — Evaluate, integrate, and debug PDKs, technology files, and libraries for flow compatibility and design-rule readiness, feed issues back to vendors with clear technical context.
• Documentation enablement for IP/PDK usage, integration, and best practices.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 8+ years in physical design enablement, CAD, or equivalent, with prior experience with ASIC flows, physical design methodologies, and foundry processes.
• Prior experience in communication and program management.
• Prior experience with multi-party threads, writing summaries for executives and engineers, and keep pre-silicon and post-silicon stakeholders aligned.
• Prior experience with IP installation, PDK enablement, and technology file management.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Scripting (e.g., Python, TCL) for automation; comfortable with process nodes and PDK structures in real programs.
• Hands-on experience with timing models.
• Familiarity with EDA tools (e.g., Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens) for physical design and verification.

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 $165,000.00 to $241,400.00 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:
$165,000.00 - $277,600.00

Non-Metro New York state& Washington state:
$146,700.00 - $247,000.00

• 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.