Senior Thermal Engineering Technical Leader

The application window is expected to close on: 03/18/2026 Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received. Meet the Team We are the Service Provider (SP) Mechanical and Thermal team responsible for the design of Cisco’s best high-performance, provider class routers, the Cisco 8000 series. The Cisco 8000 series utilizes Cisco’s revolutionary Silicon One ASIC that delivers unmatched performance and density with feature-rich functionality. We are transforming the industry and building a new internet for AI networks and the 5G era, providing a unified, programmable silicon architecture that is the foundation of all Cisco's future routing products. Our devices are designed to be universally adaptable across service providers and web-scale markets, designed for fixed and modular platforms. Our devices deliver high speed without sacrificing programmability, buffering, power efficiency, scale, or feature flexibility. You'll be part of our group driving our game-changing next-generation network devices built with Cisco Silicon One™. Your Impact Design and develop thermal solutions (air cooled or liquid cooled) for systems with high-power ASICs and high-density optical transceivers. Develop detailed package, board, and system level simulations using Computational Fluid Dynamic tools such as Flotherm or Icepak to simulate and analyze thermal solutions. Collaborate with Distinguished Engineers and Hardware leads on system architectures and cooling. Manage or perform thermal testing (including airflow, acoustic, thermocouple testing, modules, and/or platform level validations) to validate simulation models. Lead and mentor other thermal engineers in the group. Investigate and implement new innovative thermal technologies. Collaborate with mechanical engineers and other cross-functional teams to identify risks, derive tradeoffs and deliver objective, data-driven solutions. Develop test plans and test reports and present simulations reports to project team and management. Minimum Qualifications: Bachelors in Mechanical or Thermal Engineering + 12 years of related experience, or Masters in Mechanical or Thermal Engineering + 8 years of related experience, or PhD in Mechanical or Thermal Engineering + 5 years of related experience. 5+ years of experience in design, simulation, and testing of thermal solutions for electronic devices and systems. Preferred Qualifications: 5+ years of relevant experience in the thermal design of telecom, compute, or networking equipment. Expert in use of Computational Fluid Dynamic analysis tools such as Flotherm or Icepak. Extensive knowledge and experience with advanced air-cooling technologies (vapor chamber and remote heat sinks, thermal interface materials, fans/fan trays). Experience with designing liquid cooling and/or immersion cooling systems. Experience with performing other analysis such as Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and Data Center cooling simulations. Basic proficiency with 3D MCAD modeling tools such as PTC's Creo or NX. Strong knowledge of optical transceiver module types, form factors, and requirements. 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 wit ... (truncated, view full listing at source)