Distinguished Hardware Engineer
Required skills
Bachelor’s degree with 15+ years of experience; Master’s degree with 14+ years; or PhD with 10+ years of related experience Established depth across board and system failure domains Extensive experience resolving critical, systemic quality issues across high-performance hardware programs at scale Expert-level skills in leading investigations for the highest-severity customer and field issues Experience applying data analysis at scale—leveraging field datasets, telemetry, and reliability databases—to execute proactive corrective actions
Preferred skills
Experience leading executive-level technical briefings on root cause, corrective action, and reliability commitments for hyperscaler and large enterprise clients Deep understanding of defensive design principles at the component, board, and system levels Proficiency in physical failure analysis, including non-destructive methods (CT scanning, X-ray, TDR, thermal imaging) and destructive methods (SEM, EDS, cross-sectioning, IC decapsulation) Familiarity with industry frameworks governing hardware qualification, accelerated life testing, and failure rate modeling Knowledge of quality/reliability engineering for high-speed interfaces, power delivery systems, and advanced packaging (liquid cooling, copper cables, connectors), and a track record of industry recognition through patents, publications, or active participation in standards bodies
Technologies
Field telemetry, AI-driven pattern recognition, large-scale data analysis, physical failure analysis methods (CT scanning, X-ray, TDR, thermal imaging, SEM, EDS, cross-sectioning, IC decapsulation)
Responsibilities
Define and govern comprehensive hardware quality strategies and validation standards, ensuring long-term reliability for hyperscaler, enterprise, and AI data center markets Lead high-stakes root cause analysis and corrective action programs, addressing critical failures across design, manufacturing, and supply chain to ensure both immediate remediation and long-term architectural robustness Institutionalize lessons learned from field and manufacturing failures by championing "defensive design" principles—such as enhanced fault tolerance and design margins—to prevent recurring issues in future generations Utilize large-scale data analysis and AI-driven pattern recognition on field telemetry to proactively identify systemic trends and mitigate emerging risks before they impact customers Advises executive leadership on product roadmaps, represents Cisco’s quality commitments to key customers, and elevates the engineering community through mentorship and industry-wide influence
Seniority
Senior-level technical leadership
Domain
Hardware quality, field performance, customer trust, product improvement, high-performance hardware programs, AI data center compute products
