FPGA Senior Design Engineer

Meet the Team

The Firewall Hardware Team at Cisco is responsible for designing and developing high-performance, secure firewall hardware platforms that protect enterprise, data center, and cloud networks from evolving cyber threats. This team focuses on creating advanced hardware solutions, including FPGA-based crypto accelerators and network processing units, to deliver exceptional throughput, low latency, and robust security features.

Your Impact

We are seeking a highly experienced and accomplished FPGA Senior Design Engineer to provide technical leadership and deep expertise in the architecture, design, and implementation of complex, high‑speed digital systems. This pivotal role requires an individual who can own the end‑to‑end FPGA development process for critical, next‑generation products, mentor junior staff, and drive key architectural decisions across cross‑functional teams.

• Module Ownership and Implementation:
Take ownership of complex FPGA sub‑modules, from micro‑architecture definition to RTL implementation using Verilog/System Verilog or VHDL.

• Design & Architecture:
Define, architect, and implement high-performance digital logic using Hardware Description Languages (Verilog/System Verilog) for FPGAs.

• Verification:
Develop comprehensive, self-checking test benches and environments to verify FPGA functionality at the block and system level using simulation tools (e.g., VCS).

• Synthesis & Implementation:
Manage the entire FPGA tool flow, including synthesis, placement, routing, and static timing analysis. Aggressively pursue timing closure to meet strict performance requirements.

• IP Integration:
Integrate and verify internal and third-party Intellectual Property (IP) cores, such as high-speed memory controllers (HBM/DDR5), PCIe endpoints, and specialized DSP functions.

• System Integration:
Collaborate closely with hardware, software, and systems engineers to define interfaces, perform board-level bring‑up, and debug integrated systems using lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers).

• Documentation:
Create and maintain detailed design specifications, verification plans, and production release documentation.

• Optimization:
Analyze and optimize designs for efficiency, focusing on resource utilization, power consumption, and thermal performance.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience with a Masters' degree or 10+ years of experience with a Bachelors' degree. Experience expected to be in ASIC/FPGA design.

• Experience in end-to-end FPGA development process.

• Hands‑on experience with EDA tools such as VCS, Spyglass, and nLint.

• Expertise in verifying complex blocks, clusters, and top-level designs.

• Practical knowledge of System Verilog constraints, structures, and classes.

• Familiarity with TCL and/or Python scripting for automation tasks.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong domain expertise in one or more protocols, including PCIe, Ethernet, DMA, and DDR.

• In-depth knowledge of L2/L3/L4 networking protocols such as IPSec/DTLS, TLS, TCP/IP/UDP, and a deep understanding of cryptography technologies and algorithms such as AES-GCM/CBC, EDCHE RSA 2k, etc.

• A structured approach to design and effective problem‑solving skills.

• Experience in x86 and ARM-based board design.

• Expertise in Ethernet interface design across various speeds (1G/10G/40G/100G/400G).

Why Cisco?

At Cisco, we're revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era - and beyond. We've been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you'll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.

We are Cisco, and our…