Business Development Manager

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 258,000 - 333,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. in Ottawa, Ontario seeks a Business Development Manager to lead offset, industrial participation, localization, and local-content initiatives.

You will coordinate across Sales, Government Affairs, Legal, and Finance to drive compliant, competitive programs while engaging with government authorities. The role requires strategic BD leadership, cross-functional coordination, and governance; you will partner with industry, academia, and SMEs to expand Cisco's Canadian industrial

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading strategic business development and government engagement initiatives.
• Demonstrated expertise in negotiation and influencing within government and industrial participation contexts.
• Strong knowledge of global offset and localization policies and compliance requirements.
• Experience managing financial governance, audit processes, and offset lifecycle management.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and deliver measurable business and compliance outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead identification, development, negotiation, and execution of offset and localization strategies to grow business.
• Co-create compliant IP and local content plans with Sales, Legal, and Finance to meet goals.
• Partner with government offset authorities to navigate eligibility, credit multipliers, and milestones.
• Coordinate end-to-end offset lifecycle from project identification to reporting and audits.
• Integrate Canadian technology SMEs, Indigenous businesses, and universities into Cisco's supply chain ecosystem.
• Support Country Digitization Acceleration and NetAcad programs with cross-functional partners.

Skills

Strategic BD

Negotiation

Government engagement

Cross-functional leadership

Program management

Financial governance

Stakeholder management

Policy awareness

Job description

Business Development Manager – Offsets, Industrial Participation, Industrial Cooperation, and Local Content

The application window is expected to close on: 10/11/2026.

Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Most Preferred Additional: Toronto, Canada

What You'll Do

• Lead the identification, development, negotiation, and execution of offset, industrial participation (IP), industrial cooperation (IC), localization, and local content strategies supporting business growth and contract competitiveness.
• Co-create compliant and competitive Industrial Participation and ITB Value Proposition plans by teaming up with Sales, Government Affairs, Legal, and Finance to ensure all goals are met.
• Partner with government offset authorities (ISED, PSPC, DND) to navigate project eligibility, credit multiplier agreements, and annual fulfillment milestones together.
• Coordinate the end-to-end offset lifecycle, bringing together stakeholders for project identification, investment qualification, credit banking, audit validation, and statutory reporting.
• Facilitate the integration of Canadian technology SMEs, Indigenous businesses, and university research hubs into a shared Cisco supply chain and delivery ecosystem.
• Participate in Cisco Canada’s Country Digitization Acceleration steerco investments and NetAcad workforce training programs with cross-functional partners to collectively generate verified offset credits.
• Establish and maintain auditable standards for industrial transactions, ensuring all teams remain aligned on compliance and revenue recognition best practices.
• Champion the development and execution of offset, industrial participation, and local content obligations, working alongside business units to ensure commitments are measurable and transparent.
• Jointly monitor policy changes to collectively assess and mitigate impacts on ongoing and future programs.
• Foster collaborative partnerships with local industry, SMEs, academia, innovation hubs, training organizations, and strategic investors to grow capability through shared technology transfer, skills development, and joint ventures.
• Co-create pathways for sustainable in-country industrial growth by aligning Cisco’s resources with local partner objectives.
• Cultivate a collaborative environment and provide mentorship to cross-functional teams involved in offset and industrial participation initiatives.
• Drive process improvements, governance frameworks, and operational efficiencies to streamline how we work together.
• Design, Co-design and influence tools, dashboards, and reporting mechanisms to ensure leadership has shared visibility into our collective progress and KPIs.
• Partner across the business to deliver training and awareness initiatives regarding offset and localization requirements.

Who You Are

• A strategic business development leader with strong government and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experienced negotiator with deep knowledge of global offset and localization policies.
• Financially and commercially savvy, with strong program and project management capabilities.
• Skilled in cross-functional leadership, risk management, and governance.
• An effective communicator and presenter, comfortable operating in complex international environments.
• Passionate about building sustainable local industrial ecosystems and fostering partnerships with diverse stakeholders.
• Able to lead teams through change, driving operational rigor and accountability.

Minimum Qualifications

• Proven experience leading strategic business development and government engagement initiatives.
• Demonstrated expertise in negotiation and influencing within government and industrial participation contexts.
• Strong knowledge of global offset and localization policies and compliance requirements.
• Experience managing financial governance, audit processes, and offset lifecycle management.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and deliver measurable business and compliance outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in aerospace & defense, security & cybersecurity, ICT & telecommunications, energy & infrastructure, transportation & rail, advanced manufacturing, or government procurement sectors.
• Track record of successful partnership development with local industry, SMEs, academia, and innovation hubs.
• Familiarity with Country Digitization Acceleration and workforce training programs such as NetAcad.
• Proven ability to develop operational tools, dashboards, and KPIs for leadership visibility and governance.
• Experience driving sustainable industrial growth initiatives aligned with national economic development priorities.

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 $181,700.00 to $233,900.00 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: $198,500.00 - $324,100.00 Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $180,200.00 - $278,600.00

* 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.

Cisconians power the future.

We make impact as a team, innovating fast and fearlessly to create meaningful solutions on a large scale.

The depth and breadth of our technology doesn't just benefit our customers – it also means limitless opportunities for us to experiment and learn.

We understand the power each of our unique backgrounds bring when we work together.

Because of that, we have a global network of thinkers, doers, experts, and curious creators who help one another do their life’s best work.