Optical Engineer
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Sep 24, 2026. First seen by Alion on Aug 19, 2026. Cisco Systems scores A on the Alion truth index.
Meet the Team
Optical engineers at Cisco design and build the next generation of Cisco optical communication products. Your product development role may cover: Design and development of Optical transmission systems, subsystems, and components (including process development, photonic chip layout, simulation, verification). Selection and qualification of active and passive integrated photonic and discrete optical components for the final product. Development of benchmarks, analysis, implementation, validation, and optimization of communications algorithms for link optimization. Resolution of technical issues associated with components, parts, products, or systems. Support testing of new and existing designs including product release. Deployment of optical systems in the field.
Your Impact
Expert using standards and knowledge of internal or external business issues to improve products or services.
Works independently, but receives minimal guidance and direction from leader then determines the best approach to accomplish work.
Acts as a resource for colleagues with less experience.
Understands project and/or department needs and establishes relationships with appropriate multi-functional collaborators to gather input, collect information, and complete work steps.
Leads projects from end-to-end, while also accomplishing work as a primary contributor.
Leads design of systems, subsystems, or components.
Leads design reviews for optical systems and products.
Identifies and recommends innovative approaches to design strategy, using a broad knowledge of the industry and end-user experience from the field.
Designs, tests, and validates multiple subsystems/blocks.
Leads efforts for performance optimization and design testing.
Drives debugging activities to shorten time to successful deployment.
Leads collaboration with hardware and software teams to design optical modules.
Sees opportunities for multiple products to work together to create value for customers.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelors + 7 years of related experience, or Masters + 4 years of related experience, or PhD + 1 year of related experience.
Preferred Qualifications
Varies based on the team and business needs | Preferred qualifications are desired education, experience, and skills that are in addition to minimum qualifications.
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.