Optical Design Engineer
Cisco
Posted 14 Nov 2026, 09:03 ET
This job at a glance
- Who can apply
- New grads, no experience needed · Bachelor's degree or Master's degree
- Must know
- NetworkingCircuit designPythonMATLABData analysis
- Work
- On-site in Carlsbad
- Pay
- Not stated by the employer.
- Skill demand
- Python9%MATLAB8%Networking7%Circuit design4%of 150 similar entry-level jobs posted in the US this week
- Listed
- Nov 14, 2026 · still open
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Company: Cisco
About the Role
The Silicon Photonics product team at Cisco provides end-to-end opportunities, from fundamental photonic building blocks to fully qualified products like CPO, NPO, OCI, and pluggable modules. The team encourages innovation and the pursuit of new ideas for continuous product optimization, with a focus on patent filings to maintain market leadership.
Key Responsibilities
- Full-Lifecycle Responsibility: Manage the PIC product design cycle from simulation and layout using Cadence Virtuoso to final GDS tapeout and post-Fab validation.
- Opto-Electronic Integration: Collaborate with EIC & module teams to co-design optimized Opto-Electronic chipsets that meet system-level specifications.
- Fast-Paced Operation: Expected to onboard quickly within the first six months to enable multiple products, aligning with multiple PIC tapeouts per year.
- Next-Gen Mastery: Assume responsibility for designing and owning small test-chips within one to two years to support next-generation products.
- Rapid Iteration Engine: Process multiple PIC designs in parallel and track them through the design-tapeout-Fab-validation cycle, given numerous PIC tapeouts annually.
Requirements & Tech Stack
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelors degree + 5 years of related experience, OR
- Masters degree + 3 years of related experience, OR
- PhD degree + 0 years of related experience
- Prior experience in Silicon Photonics circuit modeling, layouts/tapeouts, and fabrication process, including testing and validation.
- Prior experience in photonic device layouts (both passive and active) using Cadence Virtuoso for GDS generation.
- Prior experience with lab measurements, data analysis, and automation using tools like Matlab, Labview, and Python.
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior experience working with cross-functional engineering teams.
- Prior experience with OE/RF simulation (S-parameters, Co-simulation with electronic driver/TIA, HFSS).
- Prior experience working with silicon photonics foundries.
- Prior experience using AI tools for data analysis, testing, and validation.