Senior Analog/Mixed-Signal IC Design Engineer - Acacia (Hybrid)

Job Title

Senior Analog/Mixed-Signal IC Design Engineer - Acacia (Hybrid)

Role Summary

Member of the Mixed-Signal IC design group responsible for architecting, designing, laying out, measuring and productizing ultra-deep-submicron CMOS analog and mixed-signal circuits for optical transceivers used in data center and telecom networks.

The role leads large blocks on complex chips, mentors engineers, and coordinates with digital/DSP, system, package and module teams to deliver production-ready ASICs.

Experience Level

Senior. Experience guidance aligns with Cisco's minimum qualifications (see Education Requirements) and typically requires many years of hands-on analog/mixed-signal IC design and verification experience on high-speed circuits.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include design leadership, hands-on circuit work, and cross-discipline collaboration.

• Architect, design, lay out, measure and productize deep-submicron CMOS analog/mixed-signal ICs for optical transceivers.
• Lead a large block on a complex chip, set design methodology and drive deliverables from conception to production.
• Mentor and review work of team members; participate in peer design reviews.
• Collaborate with packaging and hardware teams to meet signal and power integrity requirements.
• Develop high-speed AMS circuits (serial links, data converters, clocking, equalization) and ensure manufacturability and testability.

Requirements

Must-have technical capabilities and practical experience; listed as concise bullets. See Education Requirements for degree and formal experience equivalencies.

• Proven design, simulation and measurement experience with high-speed ICs in at least three of the following areas: high-speed serial links (SERDES), data converters, voltage regulators, output drivers, phase-locked loops (PLLs), clock transmission/propagation, op amps, programmable gain amplifiers, and equalization.
• Hands-on experience with layout and measurement of high-frequency circuits and high-speed signals.
• Experience in floorplanning for mixed-signal chips (power/ground, digital/analog routing) and designing for manufacturability.
• Practical lab experience with ESD practices and characterization/measurement of AMS circuits.
• Strong collaboration skills to work with digital/DSP, package, system and module teams; ability to lead design reviews.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with electrical transceiver applications (backplane and cable communications) and photonic transceiver products.
• Experience with FinFET technology and custom transistor layouts.
• High-frequency layout experience including passive components (inductors, transformers, transmission lines).
• Familiarity with Cadence Virtuoso, Spectre/APS/SpectreX, MATLAB, and EMX; experience with mixed-signal simulations in AMS.

Education Requirements

Degree and experience equivalency: BSEE with 12+ years of relevant experience, MS in Electrical Engineering (or related) with 8+ years, or PhD with 5+ years — or equivalent practical experience. Fields referenced include Electrical/Electronics Engineering or related technical fields.

Company Context

Acacia (part of Cisco) designs optical transceivers and high-speed mixed-signal ASICs for 100G–1T fiber-optic markets; the team focuses on high-speed analog and mixed-signal designs integrated into transceiver systems.

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).