Senior Director, Hardware - Mechanical & Thermal Eng Hyper Scale Systems; AI Networking

The application window is expected to close on: 10/29/2026

The high-impact System Thermal Engineering and Mechanical (STEAM) team within Networking Hardware Engineering (NHE) provides engineering leadership and foundational innovation across Cisco's core verticals, including Service Provider Routing, Enterprise Routing, and Switching. Our team is a critical partner across Cisco—driving innovation, advancing design reliability, optimizing engineering processes and infrastructure, and delivering scalable hardware solutions that power our most critical networking products.

Cisco Hardware Engineers develop and work with next-generation technologies to build world-class hardware products, keeping user experience, IEEE standards, and industry guidelines at the forefront. We direct the hardware development function across research and technical design for electronic parts, circuitry, and mechanical/thermal systems, delivering an exceptional engineering experience that enables our teams to build market-leading platforms.

As the Senior Director of Mechanical and Thermal Engineering, you will lead a specialized, multi-disciplinary engineering organization dedicated to the research, design, and optimization of mechanical and thermal systems across the networking sector. You will shape next-generation package, board, and system technologies by driving simulation, experimental validation, and multi-functional optimization.

Working closely with Silicon Design, Supply Chain, Electrical Design, Manufacturing, and Quality Assurance, your contributions will directly influence product reliability, performance, and manufacturability across active programs while establishing long-term technology roadmaps and industry leadership.

• Manage, mentor, and develop a high-performing organization of engineering managers, senior engineers, and technicians, fostering a collaborative, transparent, and innovative culture. Structure the team to support varied engagement models and multi-functional demands.
• Be responsible for the end-to-end development and execution of complex mechanical and thermal engineering projects, ensuring thorough alignment with company goals, schedules, and quality landmarks.
• Lead the design and optimization of mechanical enclosures, sheet metal, cooling systems, tolerance analysis, material selection, and Design-for-Reliability (DFR) to improve performance and efficiency in networking applications.
• Develop and scale engineering standards across multiple product lines, including employing AI/ML tools, algorithms, and computational optimization to accelerate mechanical and thermal design workflows.
• Ensure all hardware designs strictly align with relevant IEEE standards, industry regulations, safety requirements, and standards, maintaining uncompromised quality and superior user experience.
• Drive deep design reviews of mechanical enclosures, sheet metal fabrication, high-speed connector integration, tolerance analysis, and partner with technical collaborators on granular structural and thermal simulations.
• Establish seamless data transfer and collaboration workflows between STEAM and partner teams—including Product Development, Silicon Design, Electrical Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and QA to drive innovation, efficiency, and design reliability.
• Develop and execute strategic business and technology plans for the mechanical and thermal engineering department, authoring multi-year technology roadmaps for next-generation thermal, mechanical, and packaging solutions.
• Synthesize complex technical updates, engineering tradeoffs, and critical needs into clear, actionable presentations for executive leadership, and engage directly with select customers when critical issues or…