Foundry Technology Engineer

About the role

We are seeking an accomplished Engineer to join Cisco’s Component Quality and Technology team (CQT), driving the development and mass production of next-generation Silicon Photonics (SiPh) and Electronic Integrated Circuits (EICs). In this role, you will serve as the primary interface between Cisco engineering and high-volume manufacturing (HVM) foundries, owning end-to-end process integration, device qualification, and bring-up for both photonic and electronic ICs. You will translate design intent into manufacturable, reliable, and testable solutions that power the future of global networking.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end PIC and EIC tape-out lifecycle — from device-level design recommendations and PDK engagement through DRC sign-off, process integration, and foundry qualification.
• Drive bring-up of new process nodes and technology platforms in partnership with internal design and external foundry teams.
• Develop, modify, and optimize photonic and electronic process flows across SiPh and CMOS platforms by using CMOS fabrication capabilities.
• Conceptualize and implement critical process modules with a strong emphasis on design-for-manufacturing (DFM) principles, ensuring robust process windows and high yield from initial integration through HVM ramp.
• Lead the development and validation of optical and electrical Process Control Monitors (PCMs) and automated test plans for passive and active PIC and EIC components, including Si-based modulators and Ge photodetectors.
• Apply design-for-test (DFT) methodologies to ensure testability is built into the design from tape-out through production.
• Implement root-cause analysis and Design of Experiments (DOE) to address failure mechanisms in discrete and integrated components.
• Apply design-for-reliability (DFR) frameworks to anticipate and eliminate failure modes early in the development cycle, and drive qualification.

Requirements

• PhD or MS in Electrical Engineering, Optics, Photonics, or a related field.
• 4+ years of validated experience in chip development, foundry management, and process qualification, with demonstrated success in high-volume production environments.
• Direct experience working with external foundries (e.g., TSMC, GlobalFoundries, Tower, or comparable SiPh foundries) on process bring-up and qualification.
• Knowledge of design-for-manufacturing (DFM), design-for-reliability (DFR), and design-for-test (DFT) principles applied to the fabrication, integration, and characterization of PIC and EIC devices, across the full device lifecycle from early-stage design review through sustained HVM.
• Hands-on experience with wafer-level testing, lab automation, and bring-up and debugging of photonic and electronic ICs within high-volume production environments.
• Comfortable owning qualification test plans and interfacing directly with foundry process engineers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficient in IC design tools including Cadence Virtuoso, Synopsys, and layout.
• Shown ability to lead multi-functional technical teams and run complex vendor/foundry relationships, including process roadmap negotiations and qualification milestone ownership.
• Familiarity or hands-on experience with near-package optics (NPO) or co-packaged optics (CPO) architectures.
• Prior experience in volume manufacturing within a silicon photonics foundry environment.
• Proficiency with sophisticated simulation tools for photonic and electronic IC design (e.g., ANSYS Lumerical).
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to and lead projects within matrixed, geographically distributed technical teams.

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. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale.

Pay

The starting salary range for this position is $154,900.00 to $225,300.00 for new hires 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:

• New York City Metro Area: $154,900.00 - $259,100.00
• Non-Metro New York State & Washington State: $136,500.00 - $228,300.00

For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution.
• Paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance.
• Grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.
• Paid time away:
  • 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.
  • Non-exempt employees receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at a rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees.
  • Exempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, with no defined limit on vacation time (subject to availability and business limitations).
  • 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, with 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.
• Eligibility to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policies.
• For sales roles, performance-based incentive pay split between quota and non-quota components.