Silicon Photonics Design Engineer

Cisco

Silicon Photonics Design Engineer responsible for integrated optical device development in Cisco transceivers. Collaborating on designs and ensuring reliability for next-gen products as part of an innovative hardware team.

Posted 4/30/2026full-timeCarlsbad • California, Pennsylvania • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $122,000 - $172,100 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

responsible for the design, development and qualification of integrated optical devices used in Cisco silicon photonics transceivers
Work within a team of silicon photonics designers on integrated optical devices
Develop modulators and photodetector through device design
Design layout of test and characterization structures
Conduct testing (including high speed) and reliability qualification
Interact with the foundry and its engineers to optimize the manufacturing process
Interface with product team IC designers to deliver device models and optimize performance parameters

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Optics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field
5+ years of experience in an engineering role
Experience designing passive and active silicon photonics components (e.g. grating couplers, photodetectors, modulators, filters)
Experience using software modeling tools such as Ansys/Lumerical, Silvaco, or Photon Design
Experience using CAD layout tools such as Cadence Virtuoso, kLayout, etc.
Master’s degree in a related field and 3+ years of experience or PhD in a related field and 0+ years of experience (preferred)
Experience with optical test equipment (e.g. tunable lasers, detectors, OSA, VNA) and microwave measurement techniques
Experience with design of integrated electronic circuits that interface with active silicon photonics components (e.g., TIAs, modulator drivers)

Benefits

Comp & perks

medical, dental and vision insurance
401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution
paid parental leave
short and long-term disability coverage
basic life insurance
10 paid holidays per full calendar year
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
16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year
eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units
flexible vacation time off program

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

designdevelopmentqualificationmodulatorsphotodetectorstestingreliability qualificationdesign of integrated electronic circuitsmicrowave measurement techniques

Soft Skills

team collaborationinterpersonal communicationoptimization

Certifications

Bachelor’s degreeMaster’s degreePhD