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Director, Central Engineering – Wireless & Enterprise Routing Hardware

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+ Location:San Jose, California, US

+ Alternate LocationRTP, North Carolina

+ Area of InterestEngineer - Hardware

+ Compensation Range223100 USD - 314200 USD

+ Job TypeProfessional

+ Technology InterestAI or Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Analytics, Internet of Everything, Security

+ Job Id1447429

New

Applications are accepted until further notice

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

This position requires that you commute to the San Jose, CA or RTP office 3 days a week.

Shape the Future of Enterprise Hardware at Cisco

Cisco’s networking platforms are the backbone of global connectivity—andwe’rebuilding the next generation.We’relooking for a technically grounded and strategically minded Director of Central Engineering to lead key functional domains that power our Wireless and Enterprise Routing hardware portfolio.

This role is ideal for a senior hardware leader who thrives on systems-level thinking, enabling engineering scale, and working at the intersection of platform architecture, manufacturing readiness, and product innovation.You’lldrive horizontal functions—such as signal integrity, ECAD methodologies, mechanical/thermal design, and diagnostics—serving as a technical and organizational multiplier across Cisco’s enterprise hardware programs.

WhatYou’llDo

As Director of Central Engineering, you will lead a multidisciplinary team that owns the foundational engineering capabilities behind Cisco’s next-gen wireless and routing platforms. You will:

+ Drive strategy and execution across core engineering functions:

- Signal & Power Integrity

- Mechanical & Thermal Engineering

- ECAD Tools & Methodologies

- Diagnostics & Bring-Up Infrastructure

+ Partner with product teams to support development of high-performance, cost-effective hardware systems

+ Standardize tools, design practices, and IP reuse across multiple business units and product lines

+ Lead organizational scale and team development, including talent strategy and mentorship

+ Collaborate with global engineering, software, operations, and supply chain teams from concept through volume production

This role offers both executive visibility and deep technical impact—enabling platform consistency, accelerating NPI, and improving product quality across Cisco’s enterprise hardware business.

Who** **You’ll** **Work With

In this role,you’llwork at the heart of Cisco’s hardware ecosystem—partnering closely with product design engineers to enable innovative architectures, with software engineering teams to co-develop diagnostics and bring-up infrastructure, and with manufacturing operations to ensure every platform is built to scale, cost, and quality.

You’llbe embedded in a deeply cross-functional environment, where collaboration across engineering, supply chain, and operations is essential to delivering reliable, high-performance products to our global customers. Your influence will span from whiteboard to factory floor—and everywhere in between.

Who you are

You are a creative and skilled technical professional who excels at solving complex problems. As a passionate innovator and self-starter, youbuild teams that turnvisions into reality.

Using yourstrong communication, empathy, and analyticalabilitiesyou collaborate effectively by listening, finding common ground, and working as a team to find the best product solutions.You have a high awareness which will guide you in generating trust withengineering design teams. You are veryorganizedenabling you to scale across multipleprogramsconversations well.

Minimum Qualifications:

+ Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineeringor related field or 14+ years of experience in Hardware Engineering field.

+ 7+ years of experience leading the design and development of hardware systems.5+ years leading cross-functional or centralized teams

+ Proven experience serving in the capacity of Director or as an Engineering Leader managing teams.

+ Technical depth in at least one core domain (e.g.Signal Integrity,Thermal& Mechanical Engineering, ECAD, diagnostics) and familiarity with the rest

+ Experience delivering complex, high-volume hardware systems in networking, datacenter, or telco environments

+ Proven success leading teams that support multiple product lines or business units

+ Strong organizational leadership, talent development, and cross-functional collaboration skills

Preferred Qualifications:

+ Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to address complex issues.

+ Ability to constantlyidentify, follow and learn innovative technologies, workin a fast-paced, team-focused environment.

+ Experience mentoring peers at all levels, been a manager of managers.

+ Familiarity with Cisco hardware development processes, toolchains, and standards

+ Background in platform strategy, tooling infrastructure, or design-for-manufacturing processes

+ Track recordof scaling infrastructure or design standards across multiple product lines

+ Experience with cloud, data center, or edge networking products

Why Cisco

The Internet of Everything is a phenomenon driving new opportunities for Cisco andit'sredefining our customers' businesses worldwide. We are pioneers and have been since the early days of connectivity. Today, we are building teams that are expanding our technology solutions inthe mobile, cloud, security, IT, including software and consulting services. As Cisco delivers the network that powers the Internet, we areconnectingthe unconnected. Imagine creating unprecedented disruption. Your revolutionary ideas willimpacteverything from retail, healthcare, and entertainment to public and private sectors, and far beyond. Collaborate with like-minded innovators in a fun and flexible culture that has earned Cisco global recognition as a Great Place to work. Withroughly 10billion connected things in the world now and over 50 billion estimated in the future, your career has exponential possibilities at Cisco.

Day to day, we focus on the give and take. We give our best, give our egos a break, andgive ofourselves(because giving back is built into our DNA.) We take accountability, bold steps, and take difference to heart. Because without diversity of thought anda dedicationto equality for all, there is no moving forward. So,youhave colorful hair?Don’tcare. Tattoos? Show off your ink. Like polka dots?That’scool. Pop culture geek? Many of us are. A passion for technology andworldchanging?Be you,with us!

We offer extensive employee benefits including20 daysof PTO, 10 paid volunteering days, paid birthday off, 401k match with NO vesting, generous health/dental/vision benefits and much more.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation toparticipatein the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

\#wearecisco

Cisco is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Cisco will consider for employment, on a case by case basis, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:

When available, the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hire, full-time salaries in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including equity or benefits. For non-sales roles the hiring ranges reflect base salary only; employees are also eligible to receive annual bonuses. Hiring ranges for sales positions include base and incentive compensation target. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location and additional factors, including but not limited to skillset, experience, and relevant education, certifications, or training. Applicants may not be eligible for the full salary range based on their U.S. or Canada hiring location. The recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday (for non-exempt employees), plus a day off for their birthday. Non-Exempt new hires accrue up to 16 days of vacation time off each year, at a rate of 4.92 hours per pay period. Exempt new hires participate in Cisco’s flexible Vacation Time Off policy, which does not place a defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use, but is subject to availability and some business limitations. All new hires are eligible for Sick Time Off subject to Cisco’s Sick Time Off Policy and will have eighty (80) hours of sick time off provided on their hire date and on January 1st of each year thereafter. Up to 80 hours of unused sick time will be carried forward from one calendar year to the next such that the maximum number of sick time hours an employee may have available is 160 hours. Employees in Illinois have a unique time off program designed specifically with local requirements in mind. All employees also have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

.75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;

1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;

1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

Cisco is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

Cisco will consider for employment, on a case by case basis, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.