Business Analyst, Cisco Partner Incentive - Hybrid

Cisco Systems, Inc; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 116,000 - 151,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a data and business-analytics professional to bridge strategic outcomes with complex data. You will drive operational excellence, build strong business-and-IT partnerships, and translate problems into actionable requirements.

You will model processes, generate cross-functional analyses, identify trends, and optimize data-driven workflows to support Cisco's partner and incentive programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Data Science/Engineering, IT, or related field; 5+ years in Business/IT Consulting or analytics
• Experience analyzing, delivering, or optimizing workflows across multiple core business domains such as Order Management, Incentive Compensation, or Sales Performance Management
• Hands-on experience with end-to-end process and data mapping, decomposing business problems, and driving process improvement
• Experience delivering projects within Agile frameworks (Scrum/Kanban/SAFe) including user stories and backlogs
• Proven ability conducting quantitative data analysis and defining functional requirements with cross-functional partners

Responsibilities

• Model internal processes, rules, and data flows to develop solid value cases
• Generate complex reports and analyses from cross-functional sources to inform decisions
• Identify patterns in data and communicate insights to partners
• Translate business problems into clear use cases and requirements
• Identify opportunities for process improvement through data-driven analysis
• Foster cross-functional alignment between product teams and leadership

Skills

Business process analysis

Data analysis

Agile methodologies

Stakeholder collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or related field

Tools

Varicent

Xactly

Anaplan

CallidusCloud

Salesforce

Business Objects

Excel

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/28/2026

The preferred location for this position is North Carolina, operating under a hybrid work model, though we are open to flexible, US-based hybrid arrangements for the right candidate.

Meet the Team

The Partner Incentive Team drives business capabilities, engagement and enablement for Cisco Partners across planning, rules definition, rebate calculation and reporting. Our team integrates expertise in CRM architecture, data governance, partner/distribution compensation, and AI-driven automation. We focus on delivering value for Cisco’s partners and distributors with speed and excellence. Using Agile and hybrid methodologies, we support transformational initiatives and optimize the business (OTB) to ensure our partners’ automation requirements are met with precision.

Your Impact

You will act as a bridge between strategic business outcomes and complex data, drive operational excellence, and build strong relationships with business and IT partners to advance shared strategic goals. You will be responsible for:

• Process & Data Analysis: Assist business functions by modeling internal processes, rules, and data flows to develop solid value cases for critical initiatives.
• Data Intelligence: Generate complex reports and analyses from cross-functional sources to substantiate business decisions and provide actionable recommendations.
• Trend Synthesis: Identify patterns within datasets, pinpoint key drivers (product, sentiment, segment, etc.), and communicate synthesized results to partners.
• Requirements Definition: Partner with Business Stakeholders and SMEs to translate business problems into clear use cases and requirements.
• Operational Optimization: Identify and implement opportunities for process improvement through rigorous analysis of business drivers and current practices.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Foster alignment between product teams and leadership, ensuring multi-functional needs are understood, communicated, and addressed.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Data Science/Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience), plus 5+ years of professional experience in Business/IT Consulting, Data Management, or Business/Functional Analytics.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing, delivering, or optimizing workflows across at least two core business capability domains (e.g., Order Management, Incentive Compensation, Sales Performance Management, Distribution Compensation, or Business Reporting).
• Hands-on experience applying business operations disciplines, including end-to-end process and data mapping, business problem decomposition, process improvement, change management, and risk identification.
• Practical experience delivering projects within Agile frameworks (e.g., Scrum, Kanban, SAFe), including user story creation, backlog prioritization, or sprint execution.
• Proven experience conducting quantitative data analysis, data interrogation/elicitation, and defining functional requirements in collaboration with cross-functional business and IT partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in enterprise business process design and governance, with fluency in multiple technology domains (network/infrastructure, data, applications/middleware).

• Professional certification or hands-on experience with enterprise SPM or incentive compensation tools (e.g., Varicent, Xactly, Anaplan, CallidusCloud, or Salesforce).

• In-depth expertise in data analysis, including usage of reporting tools (e.g., Business Objects) and advanced Excel features.

• Proven track record of driving organizational change, managing multi-project portfolios, and successfully executing complex business transformations across diverse cross-functional teams.

• Practical experience exploring and implementing AI tools, automated workflows, or intelligent productivity practices to streamline business operations.

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 $116,300.00 to $150,900.00 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:

$116,300.00 - $173,500.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$101,900.00 - $154,400.00

* 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.