Engineering Program Manager

Cisco Systems, Inc; Vimercate; On-site; EUR 57,000 - 74,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. in Italy is seeking a Senior Hardware Program Manager to lead complex product development programs, coordinating engineering, supply chain, and support functions to deliver results on time and within budget.

You will manage plans, schedules, and budgets, conduct reviews with senior leaders, and mitigate risks to ensure high-quality hardware releases. Strong English communication is essential for international collaboration.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in project management for hardware-based product development programs.
• End-to-end hardware product lifecycles from concept gate to manufacturing release and First Customer Shipment.
• Experience developing and managing critical-path schedules, multi-phase development, program budgets, and formal risk registers.

Responsibilities

• Lead sophisticated hardware product development programs and sustaining lifecycles independently with minimal mentorship.
• Prepare program plans, schedules, and budgets by coordinating Engineering, Supply Chain, and support functions.
• Conduct program reviews and present status to Program Core Teams and Senior Management.
• Identify risks early and implement proactive mitigation to protect schedules, quality, and budget.
• Direct accurate budget planning and spend management following Cisco governance processes.

Skills

Project management

Hardware development

English proficiency

Job description

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received

Meet the Team

Optical engineers at Cisco design and build the next generation of high-capacity optical communication systems, subsystems, and transmission components. By delivering ground breaking, power-efficient optical transport platforms, our team builds the essential network backbone connecting modern cloud data centers and enterprise infrastructure worldwide. Operating as a dedicated Center of Excellence, our agile engineering team blends deep technical mastery with an open, high-trust, and collaborative environment focused on continuous photonic innovation. What makes our team exciting is having direct access to innovative optical laboratories, working with industry-leading partners to turn breakthrough optical designs into deployed, world-class products.

Your Impact

Manage sophisticated hardware product development programs and sustaining lifecycles independently with minimal mentorship to drive predictable execution across our product portfolio. Prepare program plans, schedules, and budgets by working closely with teams from Engineering, Supply Chain, and support functions to align all project work. Conduct program reviews to provide and present accurate program status and progress reports directly to Program Core Teams and Senior Management. Identify program risks early and devise proactive mitigation plans to avoid or minimize schedule, quality, and budget impacts, ensuring all committed results are met. Direct accurate budget planning and spend management while ensuring every program rigorously adheres to Cisco's governance processes.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in project management for hardware-based product development programs.
• Demonstrated track record of managing end-to-end hardware product lifecycles, from concept gate contribute through prototyping and manufacturing release to First Customer Shipment.
• Experience developing and managing critical-path project schedules, multi-phase development, program budgets, and formal risk registers for complex hardware systems.
• Professional working proficiency in English (written and spoken) for international technical collaboration

Preferred Qualifications

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or any other formal program management credential.
• Direct technical program management or engineering background within the Telecom, Optical Networking, or High-Speed Datacenter Systems industry (e.g., DWDM, transceivers, linecards, routers/switches) is desired.
• Knowledge about Cisco/ISO/TL9000 processes.
• Experience influencing leadership, aligning partner priorities across time zones, and building consensus without authority.

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.

The starting salary range posted for this position is €56,900.00 to €74,100.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position, 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.

For non-sales roles, employees may also be 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.

* 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.