Cisco
Senior Director, Hardware - Mechanical & Thermal Eng -> Hyper Scale Systems (AI Networking)
San Jose, California, US · Director · Full-time
Sponsorship not specified$285k-$391kDetected 1 day ago
AlgorithmsMachine LearningComplianceSupply ChainMechanical DesignElectrical EngineeringHardware DesignCiscoResearchLeadershipCollaborationPublic SpeakingTolerance Analysis
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odds of building a lasting career here
64Sponsors, lottery-bound
Cap-exempt (no lottery)0
Sponsors this role100
Entry-level history0
PERM / green-card track0
Lottery odds (Level IV)94
Fits your clock70
Sponsors, but it's cap-subject — you still face the weighted lottery (~61% per draw at Level IV). Good if you win; have a cap-exempt backup on your list.
Lottery odds assume a STEM candidate.
Personalize to your clock →Employer immigration record
from this employer's Department of Labor filings
Green-card filing pattern in this occupation
Context, not a finding about this posting: of this employer's 551 green-card filings in this occupation, 100% were for a worker who already held the job.
Green-card follow-through: 93%
Of 517 labor certifications old enough to have been used, 34 expired without the employer filing the next step. Median time from filing to decision: 485 days.100% of their filings were for a worker who already held the job.Only certifications past the 180-day window are counted — recent ones cannot have expired yet.
Files H-1B transfers
363 transfer filings in the last year, covering 1371 workers. Median labor-condition decision: 7 days. An employer that already files transfers is one that can take over an existing H-1B.
Sourced from Department of Labor LCA, PERM and prevailing-wage disclosure data. Employer matching is by name, so figures may be split across an employer's legal entities. Absence of a filing means none appears in our copy of the data, not that none exists.
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About the role
- You will shape next-generation package, board, and system technologies by driving simulation, experimental validation, and multi-functional optimization.
Responsibilities
- As the Senior Director of Mechanical and Thermal Engineering, you will lead a specialized, multi-disciplinary engineering organization dedicated to the research, design, and optimization of mechanical and thermal systems across the networking sector.
- Working closely with Silicon Design, Supply Chain, Electrical Design, Manufacturing, and Quality Assurance, your contributions will directly influence product reliability, performance, and manufacturability across active programs while establishing long-term technology roadmaps and industry leadership.
- Manage, mentor, and develop a high-performing organization of engineering managers, senior engineers, and technicians, fostering a collaborative, transparent, and innovative culture.
- Structure the team to support varied engagement models and multi-functional demands.
- Lead the design and optimization of mechanical enclosures, sheet metal, cooling systems, tolerance analysis, material selection, and Design-for-Reliability (DFR) to improve performance and efficiency in networking applications.
- Develop and scale engineering standards across multiple product lines, including employing AI/ML tools, algorithms, and computational optimization to accelerate mechanical and thermal design workflows.
- Ensure all hardware designs strictly align with relevant IEEE standards, industry regulations, safety requirements, and standards, maintaining uncompromised quality and superior user experience.
- Drive deep design reviews of mechanical enclosures, sheet metal fabrication, high-speed connector integration, tolerance analysis, and partner with technical collaborators on granular structural and thermal simulations.
- Establish seamless data transfer and collaboration workflows between STEAM and partner teams-including Product Development, Silicon Design, Electrical Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and QA-to drive innovation, efficiency, and design reliability.
- Develop and execute strategic business and technology plans for the mechanical and thermal engineering department, authoring multi-year technology roadmaps for next-generation thermal, mechanical, and packaging solutions.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field or equivalent practical work experience.
- 14+ years of professional engineering experience in mechanical and thermal engineering within microelectronics, networking, telecommunications, or hardware systems.
- 5+ years of direct technical leadership experience managing multidisciplinary engineering teams (including managing engineers, engineering managers, or technical staff).
Nice to have
- Master's degree or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field or equivalent work experience in the hardware industry.
- Deep experience with high-speed connectors, sheet metal fabrication, ruggedized enclosures, high-density cabling, ejector mechanisms, and large form-factor rack-level systems.
- Comprehensive understanding of evolving industry trends, IEEE standards, thermal test methodologies, and regulatory compliance standards across enterprise and service provider networking platforms.
- 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.
- Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:
- U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco's policies:
Compensation
- The starting salary range posted for this position is $284,700.00 to $390,900.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benef
Company info
- At Cisco, we're revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era - and beyond.
- These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.
- We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.
- Synthesize complex technical updates, engineering tradeoffs, and critical needs into clear, actionable presentations for executive leadership, and engage directly with select customers when critical issues or architecture reviews arise.
This listing is sourced directly from Cisco's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.