Software Engineering Technical Leader, Control Systems - Acacia (Onsite)

About this role

The application window is expected to close on: 09/25/2026 Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received .

This position is required to be onsite in Maynard, MA and in office three days a week. 

Meet the Team Acacia (part of Cisco) is a market leader in high-speed coherent optical transceivers, pioneering the development of coherent pluggable transceivers. Acacia’s coherent products are deployed by all hyperscalers to connect their Data Centers over distances from a few kilometers to thousands of kilometers and even in submarine networks. The emergence of AI has drastically increased the demand for Acacia’s coherent transceivers. Acacia’s coherent transceivers are also being used in space applications and is eventually expected to be used inside data centers as interconnect speeds continue to increase. Acacia is also entering the PAM4 Client market and is expected to be a key provider of PAM4 solutions, including a 1.6T PAM4 DSP.

Your Impact You will be a key member of Acacia’s Software team responsible for embedded CPU code development to configure and manage our products. You will lead the architecture and design of complex optical sub-systems that go into future Acacia SOCs; collaborate with Chip, DSP and Optics architects to drive innovation in Acacia’s products. You will interface with the wider cross-functional engineering team to architect the system software, develop algorithms, contribute to code development, and participate in system bring up and debug.  You will work with Acacia’s Hardware, ASIC, Optical, and DSP teams in the engineering organization and the PLM team. You will collaborate with the Product engineering and Quality teams to ensure smooth transition of our products to Manufacturing. This role will also involve customer interface for technical discussions related to Acacia SW architecture and design with our customers. • You are enthusiastic about architecting embedded firmware solutions and driving requirements for future platforms. You enjoy contributing and collaborating with the wider cross-functional engineering teams to develop efficient, compact algorithms for embedded CPUs. You are great at low-level RTOS debug and systems bring up in the lab.

• You are capable in figuring out complex systems specifications from standards bodies and a strong mentor for junior colleagues.

• You don't hesitate to point out how we can be more effective as a team, and you are open to similar suggestions by your team members.

• Your interpersonal and communication skills allow effortless collaboration within and across teams and to steer development in a positive direction.

• You are able to work from high level system design to low level driver development.  

Minimum requirements • Bachelor's degree and 10+ years of relevant experience or Master's degree and 8+ years (Electronics/Electrical Engineering or Computer Science or equivalent) of relevant experience in the telecommunications industry.

• 8+ years of experience with C++ and C.

• 8+ years of experience with embedded firmware development (both control and data path). 

• Demonstrated experience with programming on bare metal and RTOS running on embedded CPUs and microcontrollers.

• Demonstrated experience with control systems.  

Preferred Requirements • Experience with ARM processors.

• Experience leading software/firmware teams and driving cross-functional requirements across other engineering and product teams.

• Embedded systems firmware architecture, design and development for Optical transceivers, and High-speed Mixed-signal components.

• Experience working within a team environment developing complex control-plane code in a multi-processor/multithreaded environment.

• Experience with developing/debugging software state machines.

• Proficient in writing compact highly efficient code to control HW components.

• Experience with a revision control system and defect tracking systems (Perforce™, GIT, Bugzilla, JIRA).

• Experience with collaborative code review tools (such as Jira Crucible®).

• Comfortable with UNIX-style command-line development (make, shell programming, Python).

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:

The starting salary range posted for this position is $166,300.00 to $238,300.00 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 benefits. 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 covera

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