Senior FPGA Digital Design, Development Engineer

Cisco

. Translate system and product requirements into FPGA architectures, detailed designs, and hardware/software interfaces .

Posted 11/11/2026full-timeMilpitas • California • United StatesSenior💰 $154,900 - $225,300 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in FPGA architecture design, RTL development, and hardware/software interface integration, with a strong focus on verification, simulation, and system debugging. Proficient in delivering reliable FPGA solutions for industrial networks and collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.

Highest-signal resume keywords

FPGA DevelopmentRTL DevelopmentVerilog/SystemVerilogHardware ValidationSimulation Tools

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

FPGA Architecture DesignRTL DevelopmentSynthesisTiming AnalysisSimulationVerification PlansPacket ProcessingNetwork RedundancyPrecision TimingEmbedded Software

Soft Skills

CollaborationMentoringTechnical Reviews

Tools & Technologies

FPGA Development ToolsSimulation ToolsLinuxPythonTclShell Scripting

Industry Keywords

Electrical EngineeringComputer EngineeringIndustrial NetworkingHigh-Reliability ApplicationsEthernet InterfacesThird-Party IP Integration

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

IoTLinuxPythonShell Scripting

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Translate system and product requirements into FPGA architectures, detailed designs, and hardware/software interfaces
Develop and maintain RTL for packet processing, network redundancy, precision timing, and platform control
Define verification plans and develop simulations for functionality, corner cases, and recovery behavior
Perform synthesis, implementation, timing analysis, and timing closure while balancing performance and resource utilization
Collaborate with hardware and software engineers on interfaces, initialization sequences, diagnostics, and system integration
Support hardware bring-up and troubleshoot using simulation waveforms, packet captures, register traces, and laboratory tools
Investigate root causes, implement corrective changes, and validate fixes across platforms
Deliver reproducible FPGA builds, validated release images, and design/release documentation
Participate in technical reviews, mentor teammates, and improve reusable designs, verification coverage, and workflows
Develop FPGA capabilities for reliable industrial networks, precise timing, and disruption recovery within Cisco IoT products

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related discipline with 7+ years of relevant FPGA development experience, or master’s degree in a related discipline with 4+ years of relevant FPGA development experience, or equivalent combination of education and practical experience
Experience delivering FPGA functionality through requirements definition, RTL development, simulation, implementation, hardware validation, and production release
Verilog or SystemVerilog experience developing synthesizable RTL and maintaining existing designs
Knowledge of synchronous logic, state machines, buffering, clock domain crossings, and reset strategies
Experience with FPGA development tools, including simulation, synthesis, place and route, timing constraints, and timing closure
Experience with hardware bring-up and system debugging involving FPGA logic, embedded software, and board hardware
Preferred: experience collaborating with hardware, software, and verification engineers
Preferred: FPGA solutions for industrial networking, embedded systems, or high-reliability applications
Preferred: Ethernet packet processing, network redundancy/recovery, or precision time synchronization/timestamping
Preferred: Ethernet interfaces, external physical-layer devices, and third-party IP integration
Preferred: platform management functions including power sequencing, clock/reset control, peripheral interfaces, and diagnostics
Preferred: multiple FPGA families and vendor toolchains
Preferred: automated testbenches, regression environments, and reusable verification components
Preferred: Python, Tcl, or shell scripting in Linux
Preferred: reusable FPGA components and multi-product variant support
Preferred: technical reviews, mentoring, or architecture decisions

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental and vision insurance
401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution
Paid parental leave
Short- and long-term disability coverage
Basic life insurance
Potential grants of Cisco restricted stock units, vesting following continued employment
10 paid holidays per full calendar year
1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees
1 paid day off for employee’s birthday
Paid year-end holiday shutdown
4 paid days off for personal wellness
16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year for non-exempt employees
Flexible vacation time off program with no defined limit for eligible exempt employees
80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st
Up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward
Additional paid time away for critical or emergency family issues
Optional 10 paid volunteer days per full calendar year
Annual bonuses for non-sales roles, subject to Cisco policies
Performance-based incentive pay for sales-plan employees