Hardware Engineer (Remote)

This position requires the successful applicant to be a U.S. Person (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, asylee, or refugee) as the role involves work on US Government classified environments. Some tasks may be restricted to U.S. citizens on U.S. soil.

About the Team

The Security & Trust Organization (S&TO) holds corporate-level responsibility for customer data protection, compliance, corporate information security, and government and product security. As security is a top priority for Cisco and our customers, we are investing heavily to become the #1 Trusted IT Company globally.

Within S&TO, the Foundational Security Technologies (FST) team enhances product security across Cisco through reusable hardware and software solutions. The Hardware & Firmware Security Team (HFST), part of FST, focuses on security implemented at the hardware and firmware level.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, document, and test hardware or combined hardware and firmware-based security technologies on CPU evaluation platforms and Cisco products.
• Assist internal product teams in deploying hardware and software security technologies.
• Create documentation, proof of concepts, reference code, and scripts to facilitate adoption and verification of security technologies.
• Participate in and contribute to hardware architecture, design, specifications, and HDL code reviews.
• Assess system architectures and components for security capabilities and vulnerabilities.
• Educate others to increase security awareness across teams.
• Stay current with evolving security threats, investigate new technologies, and evaluate security solutions.
• Manage multiple concurrent tasks and prioritize effectively in a dynamic environment.

Requirements

• B.S. with 2 years' experience or M.S. in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Experience with FPGA design and/or verification using Verilog Hardware Description Language.
• Experience with embedded CPU systems, including hardware debug and test in a lab environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong troubleshooting skills and experience with board-level bring-up using hardware debug tools (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, evaluation boards).
• Experience with x86 and ARM CPUs, boot architecture, and bootstrap code.
• Scripting experience for automation using Python or Linux shell scripts.
• Knowledge of security-related design principles, methods, and architecture.
• Experience with Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) standards, algorithms, and encryption techniques, including implementation in embedded products.

Why Cisco?

Cisco is transforming how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era. With 40 years of innovation, we create solutions that bridge physical and digital worlds, providing unparalleled security, visibility, and insights. Our global team collaborates with empathy to drive meaningful impact at scale.

Pay

The starting salary range for this position in the U.S. and Canada is $91,900.00 to $121,800.00, not including incentive compensation, equity, or benefits. Individual pay is determined by hiring location, market conditions, skills, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and training. Below are the full salary ranges for specific locations:

• New York City Metro Area: $110,400.00 - $183,600.00
• Non-Metro New York State & Washington State: $106,600.00 - $162,000.00

For sales roles, the ranges include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) plan with Cisco matching contribution.
• Paid parental leave, short- and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance.
• Restricted stock units (RSUs) that vest over time.
• Paid time off:
  • 10 paid holidays per year + 1 floating holiday (non-exempt employees).
  • 1 paid birthday day off, year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 personal wellness days.
  • Non-exempt employees: 16 days of paid vacation per year (accrued at 4.92 hours per pay period).
  • Exempt employees: Flexible vacation with no defined limit (subject to business needs).
  • 80 hours of sick time on hire and annually, with up to 80 hours carried forward.
  • Additional paid time for critical family emergencies.
  • 10 paid volunteer days per year.
• Annual bonuses for non-sales roles (subject to Cisco’s policies).
• Sales roles: Performance-based incentive pay (quota and non-quota components).