Manufacturing Engineer I (Full Time) - United States

Meet the Team

The Cisco-Acacia Component Operations Team supports the development and manufacturing of advanced optical transceivers and subsystems. You'll join a collaborative team of mechanical, optical, process, and quality engineers in Maynard, MA, working closely with product development teams and global contract manufacturing partners.

In this hybrid role, you'll work alongside experienced technical leaders who will provide mentorship and guidance as you develop your manufacturing engineering skills and contribute to new product introductions and process improvements.

Your Impact

As an Associate Manufacturing Engineer, you'll help bring innovative optical products from development into high-volume manufacturing. You'll collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams and global manufacturing partners to establish, optimize, and scale reliable, efficient manufacturing processes.

Your contributions will include:

• Supporting Design for Manufacturability (DFM) reviews and process optimization initiatives, including experiments to improve assembly yield, cycle time, and process capability.
• Developing and maintaining manufacturing documentation, including standard operating procedures (SOPs), assembly instructions, inspection criteria, and rework processes.
• Participating in root cause investigations and corrective actions to address manufacturing issues, improve product quality, and prevent recurring failures.
• Supporting the design, procurement, and qualification of manufacturing fixtures, assembly aids, and production tooling.
• Reviewing engineering and process changes through established change control systems and collaborating with quality, reliability, test, and manufacturing teams to support successful production ramps.

Minimum Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree (completed within the past 3 years or expected to be completed within the next 12 months).
• Qualifying education and work experience should be in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Familiarity with 3D CAD modeling software (SolidWorks preferred) and basic mechanical assembly tools, fasteners, torque tools, and optical microscopes.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, with strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrated initiative, curiosity, and structured problem-solving skills, with the ability to independently learn new technical concepts, collaborate across teams, and adapt to changing priorities. Willingness to occasionally participate in off-hours calls with global manufacturing partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous co-op or internship experience, particularly in electronics, precision mechanical, hardware, or optical manufacturing environments.
• Exposure to manufacturing and quality methodologies such as Statistical Process Control (SPC), Gauge R&R, Design of Experiments (DOE), or Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA).
• Familiarity with optical fiber handling and routing, fusion splicing, precision dispensing or epoxies, surface mount technology, or other precision assembly processes.
• Experience with AI tools, coding assistants, or analytical tools to accelerate independent learning, explore unfamiliar engineering concepts, and validate technical calculations, documentation, or data analyses.
• Experience with hands-on troubleshooting, technical documentation, process improvement, or engineering change management.

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.

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:

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

* 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.