ASIC Verification Engineer - Acacia

Job Title

ASIC Verification Engineer - Acacia

Role Summary

Senior technical lead responsible for verification of next-generation coherent optical ASICs (100G–1.6T). The role works within the Acacia team at Cisco, focusing on verification strategy, testbench development, and driving design quality for complex ASIC projects.

This is a hybrid role requiring three days per week onsite at Cisco’s Maynard, MA office.

Experience Level

Senior-level (technical lead). Typical background: extensive ASIC verification experience; candidates often have 8+ years in ASIC or equivalent technical verification roles.

Responsibilities

Accountable for planning, executing, and leading verification activities for complex ASIC designs.

• Lead and develop detailed verification test plans and testbenches.
• Apply advanced verification techniques and methodologies to complex designs.
• Supervise and coordinate execution of test plans across the team.
• Review verification code, testbench architecture, and coverage metrics.
• Provide technical leadership and mentor team members on verification methods.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to adopt new test technologies and processes.
• Operate independently to create verification solutions in a fast-paced environment.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience; preferred items listed separately.

• Proven experience with modern ASIC verification methodologies and tools.
• Strong experience with SystemVerilog and UVM.
• Experience with SystemC.
• Proficiency in C++ and general scripting/programming for verification flows.
• Knowledge of object-oriented verification methodologies and testbench architecture.
• Experience developing comprehensive testbenches and coverage-driven verification.

Nice-to-have

• Experience with in-house IP development and leading ASIC technical teams.
• Familiarity with DSP algorithms and modulation techniques (e.g., QAM).
• Experience with C++ templates and advanced C++ usage.
• Lab silicon validation experience.
• Experience with formal verification tools (e.g., Jasper, VCFormal).
• Track record of process or tooling innovations that improved verification efficiency.

Education Requirements

Degree and experience combinations accepted: Bachelor's degree plus 8 years related experience, Master's plus 6 years, or PhD plus 3 years, or equivalent related work experience. Specific fields not stated in the posting; Cisco accepts equivalent practical experience in lieu of formal degree requirements.

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).