Cisco
Principal Hardware Engineer
$221K–$380K
Santa Monica, California, US · Onsite Only · Principal · Full-time · Posted Sep 27, 2026
- Experience
- Bachelor’s + 15 years, Master’s + 12 years, or PhD + 8 years of related experience, or equivalent related work experience; 10+ years of rack design, integration, and deployment experience.
- Education
- Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD; equivalent related work experience is also accepted.
About the job
Leads the design, integration, testing, and deployment of rack-mounted quantum hardware systems for customer data centers and research facilities.
What you'll do
- Architect and integrate electrical, RF/microwave, thermal, optical, and fiber-optic subsystems into scalable rack systems.
- Lead rack-level system deployment, safety compliance, and optimization for performance, reliability, and serviceability.
- Coordinate assembly, integration, testing, and site acceptance with engineering and program management teams; improve delivery processes.
What they ask for
- Bachelor’s + 15 years, Master’s + 12 years, or PhD + 8 years of related experience, or equivalent related work experience.
- 10+ years designing, integrating, and deploying high-density electro-mechanical, optoelectronic, or telecom racks.
- Experience with 3D CAD software (SolidWorks, Creo, or Inventor), rack layout design (EIA-310 standard), structural enclosures, and cable routing.
- Experience with AC/DC power distribution, rack thermal/airflow management, environmental interlocks, and managing a team of engineers.
Nice to have
- Experience defining and performing Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), including site-readiness specifications.
- Experience producing and interpreting engineering drawings, schematics, and assembly procedures, and providing structured design feedback.
Pay
$220,900.00 to $291,500.00 USD (base salary); $233,900.00 - $380,000.00 USD (base salary, New York City Metro Area); $220,900.00 - $344,300.00 USD (base salary, Non-Metro New York state & Washington state)
Tools
SolidWorks, Creo, Inventor, EIA-310, PDUs, UPS, UL, CE, IEC
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative