Analog/Mixed-Signal IC Design Engineer, Acacia (Hybrid)
Cisco SystemsJob Title
Analog/Mixed-Signal IC Design Engineer, Acacia (Hybrid)
Role Summary
Join the Acacia mixed-signal IC design team to architect, design, layout, measure and productize ultra-deep-submicron CMOS analog/mixed-signal circuits for high-speed optical transceivers (100G–1.6T+).
You will collaborate with digital/DSP, system, package and module teams, lead a large block on complex chips, and help move designs from conception to production.
Experience Level
Senior — role expects substantial industry experience; see Education Requirements for formal degree/experience equivalencies.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include hands-on analog/mixed-signal IC design and delivery, leadership of design blocks, and cross-functional collaboration.
- Architect, design, simulate, and layout high-speed AMS circuits and blocks.
- Perform lab measurements, characterization, and production validation.
- Lead a large block of a complex ASIC: define requirements, track deliverables, and mentor team members.
- Participate in peer reviews and establish robust design methodology from concept through production.
- Collaborate with packaging and hardware teams to meet signal and power integrity targets.
- Support design-for-manufacturability analyses, including PVT characterization, EM, self-heating, and IR drop considerations.
Requirements
Must-have technical experience; candidates should meet several of these areas and demonstrate practical measurement and design skills.
- Experience designing, simulating and measuring high-speed ICs in at least three areas such as high-speed serial links (SERDES), modeling for link/system simulations, high-performance output drivers, PLLs, clock distribution, opamps/programmable gain amplifiers, or equalization techniques.
- Proven ability to take complex analog/mixed-signal designs to production, including verification and validation.
- Experience with lab validation and test setup construction, including ESD practices and measurement methodologies.
- Strong system-level collaboration skills with digital/DSP, package, and module teams to meet performance and integrity requirements.
- Familiarity with layout considerations for high-frequency designs: floorplanning, power/ground routing, and passive placement.
- Tool experience: Cadence Virtuoso, Spectre/APS/SpectreX, AMS mixed-signal simulations, layout verification (Virtuoso, Calibre), EMX, and Matlab.
Nice-to-have (preferred): experience with electrical transceiver/backplane/cable applications, FinFET/GAA processes, and advanced DfM/characterization workflows.
Education Requirements
Bachelor's degree plus 8 years of related experience, Master's degree plus 6 years, or PhD plus 3 years (degree-equivalent practical experience accepted). Degree in engineering, physical sciences, or a related technical field is typical.
About the Company
Company: Cisco Systems
Headquarters: San Jose, CA, United States
Cisco Systems is a global technology company that designs and sells networking hardware, telecommunications equipment, software, and services. It provides enterprise and service-provider networking, security, collaboration, and optical communications solutions (including Acacia Communications technologies for high-speed optical interconnects).
