Benefits Consultant

Cisco Systems, Inc; United States; Remote; USD 109,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a senior benefits professional to own leave, disability, and accommodation programs across the US, ensuring compliant, high-quality employee experiences.

You will analyze program data, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and leverage AI tools to optimize processes and productivity within a large, multinational tech environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience in HR, business, or related field.
• 5+ years in benefits administration with focus on leave, disability, and accommodations.
• Knowledge of FMLA, ADA, ERISA, HIPAA, and state/local leave laws.
• Vendor management experience with external partners.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and MS Office.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end administration of leave programs (FMLA, ADA, disability, workers’ compensation) with compliance to laws.
• Partner with employees and vendors to provide differentiated support and advocacy.
• Provide guidance on benefit plan interpretation and respond to inquiries.
• Collaborate with senior management, IT, payroll, and change management to improve service delivery.
• Lead change management and communications for benefits offerings and update intranet/resources.

Skills

Vendor management

Excel proficiency

HRIS (Workday)

Data analysis

Policy & compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or related field

Tools

Workday

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/25/2026

This role is open to candidates in all US locations except for NYC metro and the San Jose Bay metro.

Meet the Team

The Global Benefits team at Cisco is dedicated to empowering our employees by providing comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive benefits programs.

As a member of our U.S. Benefits team, you will join a group of passionate professionals focused on operational excellence and employee advocacy.

We thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and seek individuals with a growth mindset who are eager to adapt, innovate, and prioritize data-driven decision-making to support the well‑being of our global workforce.

Your Impact

In this role, you will serve as a subject matter expert for leave, disability, and accommodations programs, ensuring operational excellence, compliance, and a superior employee experience. You will partner in driving team strategies and support the overall benefit experience addressing our diverse workforce. By anticipating challenges, leveraging emerging technologies, and solving complex problems, you will maintain oversight of program compliance in complex arrangements and foster a culture of high‑level service.

What You’ll Do

• Program Administration & Compliance: Manage the end-to-end administration of leave programs (including FMLA, ADA, disability, workers’ compensation) while ensuring strict adherence to current and changing regional, local, and federal laws.
• Employee Support & Advocacy: Monitor and partner in employee support, delivering differentiated experiences through concierge and external vendor coordination for issues, escalations, and care needs.
• Expert Guidance: Resolve complex issues and provide clear guidance to employees on benefit plan interpretation, maintaining deep subject matter expertise to respond effectively to inquiries.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate frequently with senior management, IT, payroll, and change management teams within our complex, matrixed global organization to resolve process gaps and improve service delivery. Support LOA-related workflows, including offboarding and reasonable accommodations.
• Change Management & Communication: Conduct comprehensive change management initiatives for significant alterations to benefits offerings. Support benefits communication efforts by drafting and promoting related programs, including updating internal resources such as intranet pages, benefits guides, support platforms, and annual state communications.
• Data-Driven Optimization & AI Integration: Analyze leave, disability, and accommodation data to identify trends and improve program effectiveness. Proactively leverage AI tools to enhance productivity, drive content engagement, and streamline process improvements.
• Financial & Audit Oversight: Maintain program budgets, review and approve vendor invoices, and investigate/resolve discrepancies to ensure accurate and timely payments. Maintain rigorous oversight of business reporting and internal controls, ensuring data integrity and financial accuracy for all leave and sick leave programs. Manage auditing requirements related to disability program processes.
• Program Management: Assume responsibility for other related benefit programs as required, such as life, disability, and/or survivor support.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of experience in benefits administration, with a specialized focus on leave, disability, and accommodations.
• In-depth knowledge of FMLA, ADA, ERISA, HIPAA, and regional/state‑specific leave laws.
• Proven ability to manage relationships with third‑party vendors and external partners.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (e.g., VLOOKUP, pivot tables) and the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Visio).
• Ability to quickly learn and efficiently use various online vendor portals and benefits administration systems.
• Proficiency in HRIS systems (such as Workday) and case management tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional certification (e.g., CEBS, PHR, or SHRM‑CP).
• Experience managing benefits programs in a large, multinational technology organization.
• Demonstrated success in leading process improvement initiatives for complex HR programs.
• Experience with disability plans and coordination with workers’ compensation programs.
• Demonstrated application of AI technologies to optimize HR workflows and improve operational efficiency.

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 $109,100.00 to $138,400.00 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: $131,300.00 - $191,600.00 Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $117,000.00 - $170,600.00.

Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non‑exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.

Company Culture

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.