{"id":1339391,"url":"https://alion.io/job/cisco-systems-tech-lead-hardware-embedded-engineer","title":"Tech Lead - Hardware /Embedded Engineer","company":{"id":90,"name":"Cisco Systems","domain":"cisco.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/cisco-systems","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":92,"open_postings":236,"ghost_share":0.008,"stale_share":0.458,"repost_share":0.059,"time_to_fill_p50_days":17,"computed_at":"2026-10-06T05:45:30Z"}},"role":"Leadership","role_family":"Leadership","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Santa Monica, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":171600,"max":281800,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":281800},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-27T15:24:40Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-27","last_verified_at":"2026-10-06T22:36:48Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":9,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":9},"description":"The application window is expected to close on: 10/17/2026Meet the Team\nThe Outshift by Cisco team is one of Cisco’s most visible innovation organizations, driving the next generation of transformative technologies and business opportunities. As part of the Strategy, Incubation & Applications group led by Cisco’s Chief Strategy Officer, you will collaborate with some of the company’s most forward-thinking researchers, engineers, and technology leaders. Within the Outshift Quantum Research team and Quantum Labs, we are pioneering the design and development of practical, scalable, and efficient quantum networking technologies - foundational building blocks for the future Quantum Internet. Our multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers is dedicated to advancing the state of the art in quantum networking, distributed quantum systems, and quantum-enabled applications.\nYour Impact\nCisco Quantum Research is seeking a highly skilled Embedded & Controls Engineer to help develop the next generation of deployable quantum networking hardware.\nYou will take end-to-end ownership of the electronics and control architecture that connects our advanced photonic and quantum hardware to Cisco's software and orchestration platforms. Your work will span custom PCB design, mixed-signal and high-speed electronics, FPGA and embedded systems, firmware, precision control algorithms, hardware APIs, and rack-level system integration.\nWorking closely with our photonics, software, systems, and mechanical engineering teams, you will transform laboratory prototypes into robust, manufacturable systems capable of operating outside the laboratory. You will address challenging requirements including ultra-low-noise electronics, precise synchronization, sub-nanosecond timing, high-speed signal integrity, closed-loop optical control, and reliable remote management.\nYour work will establish the electronic and control infrastructure required to bring Cisco's quantum networking technologies from research prototypes into scalable, field-deployable platforms.\nYou Will:\nArchitect custom mixed-signal PCBs for precision control, data acquisition, timing, and communication within rack-mounted quantum systems.\n\nDevelop embedded software and firmware to control custom electronics, optical components, and photonic devices.\n\nDesign high-speed analog and digital signal paths while maintaining stringent requirements for signal integrity, latency, synchronization, and noise.\n\nInterface with embedded processors, FPGAs, ADCs, DACs, and discrete control and telemetry signals.\n\nDesign, implement, and tune digital control loops for precision regulation and stabilization of optical and electronic hardware.\n\nArchitect low-noise power distribution, grounding, and control electronics for sensitive quantum hardware.\n\nDevelop interfaces for system communication using technologies such as Ethernet, UART, SPI, USB, GPIO, and high-speed data-converter interfaces.\n\nDefine and implement APIs that enable higher-level software platforms to control hardware and access system status and telemetry.\n\nDevelop custom cable harnessing and interconnect solutions for RF, digital, analog, telemetry, and high-speed signals.\n\nCollaborate with software, systems, mechanical, optical, and photonics engineers to optimize thermal performance, grounding, EMI/EMC, signal integrity, and overall system reliability.\n\nLead hardware bring-up and debug complex interactions between electronics, firmware, FPGA logic, and system-level software.\n\nCreate and implement comprehensive hardware, firmware, and system-level test plans; analyze results and drive design improvements.\n\nTransform laboratory and benchtop prototypes into reliable, manufacturable, field-deployable rack-mounted systems.\n\nMinimum Qualifications\nBachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related experience, or equivalent related work experience.\n\n3+ years of experience developing custom electronic hardware and embedded control systems.\n\nExperience designing mixed-signal PCBs incorporating embedded processors, microcontrollers, or FPGAs.\n\nExperience in embedded software/firmware development using C/C++.\n\nExperience with FPGA-based systems, including familiarity with RTL and/or High-Level Synthesis (HLS).\n\nPreferred Qualifications\nExperience developing electronics and control systems for lasers, electro-optic modulators, optical switches, photonic integrated circuits, or other photonic devices.\n\nExperience with analog and digital electronics, signal integrity, impedance matching, grounding, and high-speed PCB design\n\nExperience working with ADCs, DACs, and mixed-signal data-acquisition and control systems.\n\nExperience with common communication interfaces including Ethernet, UART, SPI, USB, and GPIO.\n\nExperience designing low-noise power distribution and electronics for sensitive instrumentation.\n\nBackground in classical optics, quantum optics, quantum networking, photonics, or precision instrumentation.\n\nWhy Cisco?\nAt 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.\nFueled 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.\nWe are Cisco, and our power starts with you.\nMessage to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:\nThe starting salary range posted for this position is $151,300.00 to $216,200.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position 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. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.\nU.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.\nU.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco’s policies:\n10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees\n\n1 paid day off for employee’s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco\n\nNon-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees\n\nExempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)\n\n80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next\n\nAdditional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members\n\nOptional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer\n\nFor non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policies.\nEmployees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:\n.75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;\n\n1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;\n\n1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and\n\nOnce performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.\n\nFor non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.\nThe applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:\nNew York City Metro Area:\n$171,600.00 - $281,800.00Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:\n$151,300.00 - $250,900.00* For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.\n** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.","description_format":"text","description_chars":9549,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":3,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Annual bonuses","Equity","Life insurance","Parental leave","Restricted stock units","Vision insurance"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Cybersecurity","Government","Endpoint Security","Observability & APM"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-27T15:24:40Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 1,384 · green card filings: 608","filings_12m":1384,"filings_prev_12m":1364,"green_card_filings_12m":608,"median_offered_wage_usd":152500,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-03T21:08:04+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)"],"filings_for_role_12m":25}],"liveness":{"score":74,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.824,"p_room":0.9,"age_days":8,"expected_fill_days":17,"reasons":["conf:2","velocity","win:mid","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-06T05:45:30Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":281800,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/cisco-systems-tech-lead-hardware-embedded-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/cisco-systems-tech-lead-hardware-embedded-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-07T01:32:50Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":2485,"day_limit":5000,"remaining_today":2515,"minute_limit":60,"resets_at":"2026-10-08T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":90},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=90"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fcisco-systems-tech-lead-hardware-embedded-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fcisco-systems-tech-lead-hardware-embedded-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fcisco-systems-tech-lead-hardware-embedded-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/cisco-systems-tech-lead-hardware-embedded-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fcisco-systems-tech-lead-hardware-embedded-engineer"}]}