Hardware Engineering Technical Leader

## Responsibilities - Leverage design expertise to evaluate and qualify sophisticated interconnect components that optimize signal integrity, mechanical robustness, reliability, and overall system performance, while complying with industry standards and regulatory requirements. - Lead cross-functional teams to evaluate, down-select, and qualify connectors and interconnect components, partnering closely with suppliers to predict and validate interconnect behavior from concept through NPI. - Manage vendor relationships, mentor junior engineers, and drive continuous improvement and excellence throughout the product lifecycle. - Bring the next generation of high-speed architectures to market through expert component engineering and strong program leadership. - Innovate and adapt to the evolving landscape of electronic design to sharpen Cisco's competitive edge. ## Requirements - BSME/BSEE or equivalent with typically 8+ years of experience bringing new products to market. - Hands-on experience with interconnect and connector technologies at the application and component level, including fundamentals of associated PCB attach technologies. - Demonstrated effectiveness leading cross-functional teams of internal and external stakeholders to address and resolve performance and quality issues within large, complex programs — including mentoring junior engineers and effectively managing expectations with senior leadership and management teams. - Proficient in mechanical and electrical design principles, including tolerance analysis, fabrication methods, materials selection, plating, validation testing, and familiarity with Signal Integrity (SI) fundamentals. - Strong program management and leadership skills, with a track record of collaborating with leaders to identify business needs, align priorities, and achieve strategic objectives. ## Nice to Have - Experience with system-level design of networking equipment and the ability to decompose system requirements into interconnect-level specifications. - Familiarity with thermal management and liquid cooling considerations (e.g., coolant cables, cold-plate, leak detection, thermal interface materials (TIM), active cooling connectors). - Experience managing supplier relationships and implementing rigorous quality control measures to ensure product standards and reliability are consistently met. - Breadth across key areas of the interconnect commodity space — Mechanical Engineering, Signal Integrity, Test, Failure Analysis, Manufacturing, and PCB/PCBA fabrication and connector assembly techniques — or deep specialist expertise in connector design and qualification. - Competency in SPC, FMEA, 8D / Corrective Action, Cause-and-Effect Analysis, Design of Experiments (DOE), and risk assessment. - Experience with high-speed cable assemblies and their applications is a plus. - Prior manufacturing-facing experience is a plus. ## Benefits - Join a diverse and inclusive workplace. - Shape the future of technology. - Work with a team that blends different levels of expertise in semiconductor and systems design combining traditional knowledge with groundbreaking data analytics techniques. - Engage with Cisco Business Units as partners and customers, Suppliers of the commodity space you are managing, and extended Supply Chain functions including Global Supply Management, Product Operations, and Global Manufacturing Organization.