SW Post-Silicon Validation Engineer

Meet the team:

Welcome to the Post-Silicon Validation Team at Cisco! Ourgroup offers a unique combination of a startup culture with the benefits of working for the leading networking company in the world. You will engage in dynamic collaboration with verification engineers, designers, and cross-functional teams, working together to ensure the successful verification of the ASIC throughout its lifecycle.

Operating at the forefront of technology, we work with cutting‑edge, high‑speed, and power‑hungry devices. Our small, but highly influential team thrives in this challenging environment, leveraging our expertise to impact the future of networking technology. With a commitment to excellence and a passion transformative technology, we are shaping the future of high-performance Networking and delivering unparalleled value in every project we undertake.

Join us and be a part of a team where professionalism meets impact

We are seeking a Post‑Silicon Validation Engineer with an interest in software
-oriented hardware validation, to support the electrical characterization of networking silicon in lab environments. In this role, you will contribute to executing validation plans, developing test procedures, and assisting with debug activities for networking ASICs. This position offers hands‑on exposure to networking technologies and hardware‑software cross functional debug.

• Execute post-silicon validation tests on networking ASICs
• Assist with silicon bring‑up and feature validation in lab environments
• Run functional, performance, and stress tests
• Collect and analyze test results, logs, and failure data
• Develop and maintain validation tests and scripts in C/C++ and Python
• Modify existing diagnostics and test frameworks to add new coverage
• Automate test execution, result collection, and reporting
• Support regression testing and continuous validation environments
• Assist in debugging hardware and software issues using standard tools
• Analyze packet traces, logs, and counters to help identify issues
• Reproduce failures and provide clear data to senior engineers
• Learn to distinguish between silicon, firmware, and software defects
• Validate basic networking functionality such as connectivity, packet forwarding, and traffic handling
• Assist with testing of MAC/PHY, Ser Des and other high‑speed interfaces
• Learn data plane and control plane concepts through hands‑on testing

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
• Minimum 3 years of experience (internship or academic project experience acceptable)
• Programming experience in C or C++
• Fundamental scripting experience in Python or similar languages
• Fundamental understanding of computer architecture and embedded systems
• Basic knowledge of networking concepts (Ethernet, TCP/IP fundamentals)

• Academic or internship experience with hardware validation, embedded software, or networking
• Exposure to Linux, device drivers, or embedded OS environments
• Familiarity with lab equipment or debug tools (JTAG, logic analyzers, packet analyzers)
• Debug experience with: DDR5, USB
  3.0, SGMII, PCIe Gen3, USB
  2.0, eMMC, SPI, MDIO, I2C, UART.

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 power starts with you.

The starting salary range posted for…