Technical Marketing Engineering Technical Leader

Application window expected to close on 09/11/2026; posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or sufficient applications are received.

About the Team

Join the Acacia team at Cisco, where we drive innovation in high-speed optical networking to power the world’s most critical connectivity infrastructure. Our culture thrives on collaborative problem-solving and the diverse expertise of our team members as we tackle complex engineering challenges. You will have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology that directly shapes the future of global communications.

Responsibilities

• Customer Design-in & Technical Support: Lead the technical engagement for Acacia's premier customers. Provide expert guidance during the hardware and software integration phases to ensure successful product adoption and performance.
• Strategic Product Influence: Leverage broader industry knowledge and technical expertise to contribute to portfolio development and technical product strategy. Partner with Product Management to align our roadmap with market drivers and technical trends.
• Competitive Differentiation: Apply specialist knowledge of Acacia's products and the competitive landscape to differentiate our offerings. Support Sales teams in high-stakes customer engagements by articulating our unique value propositions.
• Cross-Functional Product Refinement: Work closely with Product Development, UX Design, Customer Experience (CX), and Sales to refine products. Ensure that new features and functions are designed specifically to address evolving customer needs and expand market share.
• Early-Stage Validation: Participate in early product development cycles by validating features and functions. Act as the "voice of the customer" during the NPI (New Product Introduction) process to ensure high-quality, executable results.
• Trusted Advisor & Advocate: Build and maintain deep-rooted relationships with customer technical teams. Serve as a champion for the customer internally while acting as a trusted advisor externally on product functionality and roadmaps.
• Technical Evangelism: Lead product demonstrations, participate in industry forums, and champion technical functionality throughout the entire product lifecycle—from launch to maturity.
• Enablement & Documentation: Develop comprehensive training materials, product specifications, and technical documentation to empower partners, field engineers, and the global sales team.

Requirements

• Bachelors + 12 years of experience, or Masters + 8 years of experience or related work experience.
• Experience with one or more of the following: Coherent Optical Technology, Digital Signal Processing (DSP), and high-speed host/client interfaces (Ethernet/OTN).
• Prior experience with standards organizations (OIF, IEEE, OpenZR+, OpenROADM) or the competitive landscape of the optical networking market.
• Proven experience working across functional silos (Engineering, Marketing, Sales) to drive consensus and deliver measurable results.

Preferred Qualifications

• Exceptional ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, executable requirements and compelling marketing narratives.
• A "roll-up-your-sleeves" approach to debugging and resolving complex system-level issues.
• Prior experience working as an SAE or similar role.

About 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.

Pay

The starting salary range for this position is $194,600.00 to $285,700.00 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.

Full salary ranges for specific locations:

• New York City Metro Area: $194,600.00 - $328,600.00
• Non-Metro New York State & Washington State: $179,000.00 - $294,000.00

For quota-based 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
• Basic life insurance
• 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
• 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
• Additional paid time away may be requested for critical or emergency family issues
• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer
• Annual bonuses for non-sales roles, subject to Cisco’s policies
• For sales roles, performance-based incentive pay split between quota and non-quota components
• Eligibility to earn grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment