Associate Applications Engineer I (Co-op) - United States

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

Acacia, a Cisco company, leads the industry in silicon-based high-speed optical interconnects for service providers and cloud networks. Our team consists of cross-functional experts dedicated to solving the future of challenges in next-generation optical connectivity. We foster an inclusive culture that values purposeful work and global impact. Joining us means contributing to the foundational technology that defines the future of the networks of tomorrow.

Your Impact

You will work at the intersection of customer needs and technical innovation, recreating real-world environments to troubleshoot and verify application issues. You will develop creative workaround solutions for product limitations and assist in the seamless integration of our modules into customer networks. This role allows you to engage with the world’s leading service providers while managing system features through custom Python scripting to support the future of the internet.

In this role, you will:

- Recreate real-world application environments to verify and troubleshoot customer issues.
- Develop creative workaround solutions to address product limitations or bugs.
- Collaborate with team members to build Python scripts that manage system features.
- Integrate Acacia’s products into complex systems and networks for our customers.

Minimum Qualifications

- Currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program (Associate's or Bachelor's)

-Qualifying education should be in Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

-Expected to continue enrollment in degree program following completion of the internship.

- Previous experience with signal analysis, electronic design, or system integration in an academic, project, or professional capacity.
- Proficiency in Python programming for automation or system management.

Preferred Qualifications

- Knowledge of optical communication concepts or Digital Signal Processing (DSP) applications.
- Experience utilizing electronic test equipment such as multimeters or signal generators.
- Familiarity with the end-to-end hardware/software integration and troubleshooting process.
- Understanding of modern physical layer networking technologies.
- Experience with technical communication and fostering cross-functional team collaborationTBD

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.