Cisco
Optical Design Engineer
$138K–$256K
Carlsbad, California, US +1 · Hybrid · Full-time · Posted Oct 23, 2026
- Location
- Carlsbad, California, US
Allentown, Pennsylvania, US - Experience
- Bachelors + 5 years of related experience, or Masters + 3 years of related experience, or PhD + 0 years of related experience.
- Education
- Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD; no equivalent experience alternative stated.
About the job
Designs and validates silicon photonics integrated circuits (PICs) from simulation and layout through tapeout, fabrication, and post-fabrication testing.
What you'll do
- Own PIC product design cycles, including simulation, Cadence Virtuoso layout, GDS tapeout, and post-fabrication validation.
- Co-design opto-electronic chipsets with EIC and module teams to meet system-level specifications.
- Manage multiple parallel PIC designs and tapeouts through fabrication and validation; develop small test chips for next-generation products.
What they ask for
- Experience in silicon photonics circuit modeling, layouts/tapeouts, fabrication processes, testing, and validation.
- Experience with passive and active photonic device layouts and GDS generation using EDA tools.
- Experience with lab measurements, data analysis, and automation using tools such as Matlab, Labview, or Python.
Nice to have
- Experience with cross-functional engineering teams, OE/RF simulation, or silicon photonics foundries.
- Experience using AI tools for data analysis, testing, and validation.
Pay
$138,100.00 to $198,200.00 USD base salary; $155,000.00 - $256,000.00 USD base salary (New York City Metro Area); $138,100.00 - $227,900.00 USD base salary (non-metro New York state and Washington state).
Tools
Cadence Virtuoso, Matlab, Labview, Python, HFSS
AI focus
Preferred experience using AI tools for data analysis, testing, and validation.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative