Please note this posting is to advertise potential job opportunities. This exact role may not be open today but could open in the near future. When you apply, a Cisco representative may contact you directly if a relevant position opens.

Applications accepted until further notice.

Meet the Team

At Cisco, we are known for developing ground-breaking products at an incredible pace. As part of the Optics team, you will work alongside engineers dedicated to the design, development, and application of advanced optical systems and devices. We focus on technologies that transmit light over optical fiber to achieve higher capacity, lower power consumption, and greater efficiency.

Our team is responsible for the transceivers and components that serve as the backbone of network connectivity. From data centers to campus networks, our work is essential to supporting the growing demands of hybrid work environments. You will be joining a collaborative group that values innovation, technical curiosity, and the shared goal of ensuring high-speed, reliable data transmission across the globe.

Your Impact

As an Optics Engineering Co-op, you will bridge the gap between hardware and software, taking on assignments that challenge your current capabilities while providing real-world experience. You are an engineer at heart—someone who thrives in a lab environment, enjoys the intersection of hardware and software, and possesses the drive to understand complex systems by testing their limits.

In this role, you will:

• Support Design Verification: Assist in DVT for coherent transceivers to ensure they meet optical specifications across various operating conditions.

• Develop Calibration & Test Procedures: Help create methods to ensure consistent transceiver performance, accounting for factors like temperature, aging, and power levels.

• Innovate with Software: Create scripts and software solutions for transmitter/receiver control loops and performance monitoring, specifically regarding power levels and GSNR/OSNR/SNR estimation.

• We are looking for someone with strong interpersonal and organizational skills who is eager to be challenged. If you enjoy "breaking" systems to understand how they work and are passionate about engineering, you will find a home here.

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a graduate degree program in physics, electrical engineering, or a related field.

• Proficiency in Python and a fundamental understanding of optics.

• Must be able to be onsite in Maynard, MA, five days a week.

Why Cisco? 

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. 

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:

Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks.  Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.

U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco’s policies:

• 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees

• 1 paid day off for employee’s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco

• Non-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees

• Exempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)

• 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next

• Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members

• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer

For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policies.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

• .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;

• 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;

• 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and

• Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area:

$44,000.00 - $185,000.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$44,000.00 - $185,000.00

* For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.