Customer Program Manager

Cisco; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems is seeking a senior Program Manager in London to own the end-to-end lifecycle of strategic customer programs. You will drive scope, budget, and quality, acting as a bridge between customer goals and Cisco delivery objectives.

You will lead cross-functional teams, manage budgets and forecasting, and foster partnerships with IT and CXO leaders. A PMP and advanced certifications are highly valued.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years of relevant experience, or Master’s with 6+ years, or PhD with 3+ years, or equivalent professional experience.
• Proven experience leading large-scale, cross-functional programs within a global, technology-driven environment.
• PMP (Project Management Professional) certification.
• Demonstrable expertise in financial management (forecasting, P&L, budget execution) and delivery governance in an enterprise context.

Responsibilities

• Lead large-scale, complex programs across the full project lifecycle and define the roadmap.
• Execute the delivery plan and monitor performance to align workstreams with delivery standards and customer outcomes.
• Maintain governance over financial health, budgeting, forecasting, and revenue/margin reporting.
• Engage IT and CXO-level stakeholders; expand footprints and manage vendor/partner relationships.
• Champion AI-enabled delivery improvements and mentor teams to institutionalize best practices.

Skills

Program management

Stakeholder management

Financial forecasting

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree + 8+ years

Master’s degree + 6+ years

PhD + 3+ years

PMP certification

Tools

SOW drafting

Contract governance

Job description

Meet the Team

The Project/Program Management team serves as the architectural foundation for our customer success stories, operating at the critical nexus of Cisco’s advanced technology and the evolving business requirements of our enterprise clients. We are a team of expert practitioners dedicated to operational excellence, driving complex, high-value transformations that deliver measurable results and long-term value for our global customers.

Your Impact

This role is the primary driver of the end-to-end lifecycle for our most strategic customer-facing programs. You will be accountable for orchestrating the entire engagement—from initiation through to closure—ensuring that scope, financial health, and quality standards are met while acting as a vital link between the customer’s business goals and Cisco’s strategic delivery objectives. You will be instrumental in driving continuous improvement through AI-enabled tools and methodologies, ensuring that every project is a catalyst for deeper customer partnerships and sustained growth.

Your Impact

Strategic Delivery & Lifecycle Management: Lead large-scale, complex programs across the full project lifecycle. You will define the roadmap, execute the delivery plan, and monitor performance to ensure that all workstreams are synchronized with Cisco’s delivery standards and the customer's desired business outcomes.

Operational & Financial Governance: Maintain absolute rigor over financial health by managing budget execution, conducting accurate forecasting, and ensuring transparent revenue and margin reporting. You are responsible for ensuring that all delivery data is accurately reflected in Cisco systems, maintaining compliance with internal governance and external contractual requirements.

Stakeholder Influence & Relationship Building: Serve as a trusted advisor to high-value leaders, including IT and CXO-level stakeholders. You will cultivate deep, enduring customer relationships, expand footprint through identified opportunities, and act as a bridge between the customer and internal Cisco teams (SDMs, CXMs, and Sales) to ensure unified messaging and execution.

Contractual & Partner Coordination: Navigate the complexities of partner management by sourcing bids, reviewing performance, and ensuring that Statements of Work (SOW) and Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) are strictly aligned with project delivery and financial plans. You will collaborate with SDMs to ensure partner selection and performance meet our high standards for service delivery.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Champion the modernisation of delivery through the application of AI and automation tools. You will lead retrospective initiatives, share knowledge across engagements, and mentor project teams to ensure that lessons learned are institutionalized as best practices.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree with 6+ years, or PhD with 3+ years, or equivalent relevant professional experience.

Proven experience leading large-scale, cross-functional programs within a global, technology-driven environment.

PMP (Project Management Professional) certification.

Demonstrable expertise in financial management (forecasting, P&L, budget execution) and delivery governance in an enterprise context.

Preferred Qualifications

Additional advanced certifications in Program Management or Agile methodologies.

CPMAI (Cognitive Project Management for AI) certification.

Industry-recognized technical certifications (e.g., CCST, CCNP, or cloud-specific credentials).

Experience in contract negotiation, SOW drafting, and managing complex vendor/partner relationships.

Demonstrated history of using AI-driven analytics to improve project health, risk detection, and automated reporting.

Track record of providing mentorship, coaching, and influencing organizational norms in a large-scale services business.

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.

Cisco is an Aff… and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

Cisco will consider for employment, on a case by case basis, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.