H-1B Visa Engineering Leader Jobs
Engineering Leader roles qualify for H-1B visa sponsorship as specialty occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or a related technical field. Employers filing your H-1B must certify a prevailing wage through the DOL before your petition reaches USCIS. Most large technology, manufacturing, and infrastructure employers sponsor these roles annually.
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The application window is expected to close on: 08/20/2026. Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Meet the Team
Acacia, a Cisco company, is a market leader in high-speed coherent optical transceivers and a pioneer in coherent pluggable transceiver technology. Its coherent solutions are deployed by every major hyperscale cloud provider, enabling data center interconnects spanning from a few kilometers to thousands of kilometers, as well as long-haul and submarine networks.
The rapid growth of AI infrastructure has significantly increased demand for Acacia’s coherent transceivers. Beyond terrestrial networking, Acacia’s technology is also being adopted for space applications and is expected to play an increasing role within data centers as interconnect speeds continue to scale.
In addition to its leadership in coherent optics, Acacia is expanding into the PAM4 client optics market and is well positioned to become a leading provider of PAM4 solutions, including next-generation 1.6T PAM4 DSPs.
Your Impact
As a Senior Photonics Packaging Engineer on the Acacia Packaging Engineering team, you will join a multidisciplinary group of optical, mechanical, electrical, and manufacturing engineers focused on developing next-generation optical communication products. In this role, you will work closely with Acacia's Silicon Photonics (PIC) development team to drive new product designs and collaborate with Product Engineering and Quality teams to ensure seamless transfer into manufacturing. You will play a critical role in the design, development, qualification, and production ramp of advanced transceivers that leverage silicon photonics and groundbreaking DSP technology. The position also involves resolving technical challenges encountered during prototyping, product qualification, and high-volume manufacturing while driving solutions that deliver exceptional performance, reliability, cost efficiency, scalability, and manufacturability.
Additional responsibilities include:
- Lead technical ownership of optical transceiver assembly process development, with a focus on silicon photonics packaging using advanced manufacturing technologies.
- Develop high-volume, highly automated, and cost-effective manufacturing processes that meet performance, scalability, reliability, and cost objectives.
- Drive the development and optimization of 2D/2.5D/3D wafer-level packaging processes, including flip-chip wafer-level bonding, Cu pillar (CuP), C3/C4 bumping, and Through-Silicon Via (TSV) integration.
- Design and implement Design of Experiments (DOE) to optimize process capability, throughput, yield, and operating windows, while leading technology transfer to manufacturing and contract manufacturers through comprehensive documentation and operational handoff.
- Serve as the in-house technical expert for wafer-level packaging and mechanical assembly automation equipment, including software integration and electronic hardware interfaces.
- Partner cross-functionally with design, test, reliability, and manufacturing teams to improve product manufacturability, testability, quality, and production readiness.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or a related field with 12+ years of experience, or Masters + 8 years of related experience, or PhD + 5 years of related experience.
- 8+ years of experience in back-end wafer processing, with expertise in materials characterization, failure analysis, IC packaging materials, and semiconductor packaging manufacturing processes.
- Experience managing overseas contract manufacturers, leading cross-functional teams to resolve manufacturing issues, and delivering consistent results in high-volume production environments.
Preferred Qualifications
- Knowledge of silicon photonics (SiPh/PIC) packaging, including mechanical, thermal, optical, and RF design considerations.
- Experience in the design, development, and manufacturing of silicon photonics optoelectronic multi-chip module (OE-MCM) packaging.
- Expertise in transceiver optical assembly processes, including free-space optics and fiber-optic assembly techniques, with a focus on scalable manufacturing solutions.
- Experience in leading cross-functional, multidisciplinary teams in fast-paced, collaborative development environments.
- Familiarity with the operating principles of photonic devices used in coherent optical communication systems is an advantage.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate across technical and business teams.
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 $191,400.00 to $281,400.00 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 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:
$191,400.00 - $323,600.00
Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:
$176,100.00 - $287,900.00
- 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.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding H-1B Visa Sponsorship in Engineering Leader
Document your technical leadership scope clearly
Your H-1B petition lives or dies on proving specialty occupation. Gather performance reviews, org charts, and project briefs that show you directed engineering decisions requiring a specific degree field, not just managed headcount.
Target employers with cap-exempt filing history
Universities, nonprofit research institutions, and government-affiliated entities are cap-exempt, meaning your H-1B bypasses the lottery entirely. Engineering leadership roles at these organizations can be filed any time of year without waiting for April registration.
Search verified H-1B sponsors on Migrate Mate
Filter Engineering Leader openings by employers with active LCA filing history using Migrate Mate. This surfaces companies that have already certified prevailing wages for leadership-level engineering roles, not just firms that claim they sponsor.
Negotiate offer timing around the H-1B cap calendar
USCIS opens H-1B registration in March for an October 1 start date. If you're selected in the lottery, your employment can't begin before October 1 unless your employer is cap-exempt. Build that constraint into your offer negotiation.
Verify your SOC code matches a qualifying occupation
Your employer's LCA must list a Standard Occupational Classification code that maps to a genuine specialty occupation. Pull your role's O*NET profile to confirm the listed education requirement is a specific technical degree, not a general business credential.
Request premium processing if your start date is tight
USCIS offers premium processing for an additional fee, guaranteeing a decision within 15 business days. For Engineering Leader roles with a hard onboarding date or a client project start, this is often the only way to eliminate timeline uncertainty.
H-1B Visa Engineering Leader: Frequently Asked Questions
Does an Engineering Leader role qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Yes, provided the position requires at least a bachelor's degree in a specific technical field such as computer science, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering. The key is that the degree must be directly related to the job duties. A broadly defined management role that accepts any degree may not qualify, so the job description and offer letter need to specify the required field clearly.
How do I find employers who actually sponsor H-1B visas for Engineering Leader roles?
Use Migrate Mate to browse Engineering Leader openings filtered by employers with verified LCA filing history. An LCA on file means the employer has already certified a prevailing wage for a role at that level with the DOL. This is a more reliable signal than a job posting that mentions sponsorship, since the DOL disclosure data reflects actual filings.
Will my current H-1B employer's petition count against the cap if I switch companies?
Not necessarily. If you're transferring to a new cap-subject employer, your new employer files an H-1B transfer petition, which is cap-exempt as long as you've already been counted against the cap and your status remains valid. You can start working for the new employer as soon as USCIS receives the transfer petition, without waiting for approval.
What prevailing wage level typically applies to Engineering Leader roles under the H-1B?
Engineering Leader roles generally fall at Level III or Level IV in the DOL's prevailing wage system, which corresponds to experienced or fully competent workers with supervisory or leadership responsibilities. Your employer determines the correct level based on job duties and uses the OFLC Wage Search to confirm the wage floor before filing the LCA. The certified wage becomes the minimum your employer must pay.
Can I be laid off and still maintain H-1B status while searching for a new Engineering Leader role?
USCIS provides a 60-day grace period after involuntary termination for H-1B holders to find a new sponsoring employer, file a change of status, or depart the country. During this window, a new employer can file an H-1B transfer petition and you can begin work once USCIS receives it. Acting quickly is essential since the 60 days runs from your last day of employment, not from when your petition is filed.