Leader, Semiconductor Product Engineering

The application window is expected to close on: 09/29/2026

This role with be hybrid from one of Cisco offices in San Jose, CA, Carlsbad, CA, Holmdel, NJ or Maynard, MA

Optics Operations Product Engineering team partners with cross-functional team of developing engineers to design and sustain Optical transceiver components and modules throughout their product lifecycle. Product Engineers are self-motivated, result oriented, and strong-minded engineers who adopt creativity and new ways of thinking to deliver innovative solutions.

Optics Operations is an organization that enables and accelerates innovation to create an unrivaled customer experience & competitive advantage for Cisco through end-to-end operation leadership and product lifecycle managements. As part of Optics Operations, you will lead and mentor a team of talented product engineers, driving AI-driven process transformation, automated yield intelligence, and Design-for-Manufacturing (DFM/DFx) methodologies within our silicon and component product portfolio.

You will partner closely with engineering leaders, fab foundries, OSAT partners, and design teams to deliver breakthrough quality, maximize wafer and component yields, and ensure scalable supply chain resilience.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Lead an engineering team to deliver state-of-the-art semiconductor wafer products meeting Cisco quality and performance standards

• Partner with cross-functional teams (design, foundry, IC packaging, test, reliability) to exceed yield, quality, and costs targets.

• Lead the product engineering team to drive yield & Quality, implement DFx principles and manage products from initial silicon to high volume manufacturing (HVM)

• Collaborate with design & test teams to establish manufacturing and test strategies, including DFT implementation, test hardware specs, and test program creation

• Deliver AI-Driven process transformation to continuously improve quality, yield, and cost through test time reduction and root-cause analysis across design, fab, and packaging

• Create and execute strategies leveraging AI-powered analytics to streamline product development, accelerate failure identification, and enhance yield management

• Coach and upskill junior to senior engineers, fostering technical capabilities and an AI-driven mindset to maximize productivity and efficiency

• MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Optical Physics, Photonics, or related engineering fields

• 10+ years of semiconductor industry experience (mmWave, DSP, Silicon Photonics) as a technical lead, including 5+ years of direct people leadership

• Technical expertise in semiconductor fabrication processes, wafer sort/probe testing, and advanced packaging (2.5D/3D, flip-chip, optical interconnect)

• Proven mentoring skills with the ability to inspire and develop engineers across career stages, fostering accountability and continuous learning

• Hands-on mastery of Statistical Process Control (SPC), Design of Experiments, Six Sigma methodologies, and yield management software (e.g., JMP, Spotfire)

• Strategic mindset with deep silicon engineering expertise to guide engineering teams through complex projects

• Direct experience managing technical deliverables with leading foundry ecosystems and OSAT partners.

• Experience with Python, machine learning libraries, or enterprise AI tools to automate semiconductor yield learning, test pattern generation, or anomaly detection

• Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills, with proven ability to navigate complex matrix organizations and resolve high-stakes vendor defects

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