Business Development Manager, AI

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 199,000 - 274,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Business Development Manager - AI Partnerships in the United States to drive strategic AI partnerships and expand Cisco's presence in the AI ecosystem.

You will collaborate across product groups to align partnership strategies with Cisco’s strengths and oversee governance, ROI analysis, and partner enablement. You will identify growth opportunities with startups, hyperscalers, semiconductors, and ecosystem partners, crafting compelling joint value propositions

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Product Management, Technical Marketing, Partnerships, or related roles.
• Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of relevant experience, or equivalent.
• Experience analyzing market data and sales metrics to inform strategic decisions.
• Experience driving partnerships or GTM initiatives or in cloud infrastructure / AI/ML.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strategic AI partnerships with startups, hyperscalers, semiconductors, and ecosystem players.
• Collaborate with Cisco product groups to align partnership strategies with core strengths and enable go-to-market plans.
• Manage program governance, ROI analysis, and metrics reporting to accelerate growth.
• Identify growth opportunities and articulate Cisco's positioning within the AI ecosystem.

Skills

Product Management

Technical Marketing

Partnerships

Go-to-market

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/06/2026

Meet the Team Join our dynamic team focusing on developing and supporting technology partnerships that enhance Cisco's product portfolio.

As part of Cisco's Business Development and Partnerships Team, we focus on fostering strategic partnerships that enhance Cisco’s presence in the AI ecosystem.

Collaborating across Cisco’s businesses, we aim to position Cisco as a leader in enabling AI-driven solutions while delivering transformative value to our partners and customers.

Your Impact As the Business Development Manager - AI Partnerships, you will play a pivotal role in building, maintaining, and advancing Cisco’s presence in the AI ecosystem.

You’ll build and maintain strategic partnerships, identify growth opportunities, and align Cisco’s strengths with the needs of the AI landscape.

Your work will directly contribute to the development of innovative solutions that address emerging market demands in an evolving space.

Collaborate with product groups to align AI partnership strategies with Cisco’s core strengths and develop and execute partner support plans for innovation, enablement, marketing, and co-selling.

Provide insights into emerging AI and market trends, articulate Cisco’s positioning within the ecosystem, and develop creative solutions for localized initiatives.

Identifying, evaluating and supporting AI-focused partnership opportunities with key players in the industry, including startups, Hyperscalers, semiconductors and ecosystem partners.

Build and nurture relationships with technical and business partners across the AI ecosystem while working cross-functionally with Cisco’s product, engineering, sales, marketing, and legal teams to ensure successful partnership outcomes.

Manage all aspects of the program, including governance, business planning, return on investment analysis, and metrics reporting, while identifying areas for enhancement and implementing solutions to accelerate growth.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in Product Management, Technical Marketing, Partnerships, or a related role.
• Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing market data and sales metrics to inform strategic decision-making.
• Experience driving partnerships and/or leading go-to-market initiatives OR experience in cloud infrastructure, semiconductors, or Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning.
• Experience managing the end-to-end product lifecycle for consumer or enterprise offerings.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to influence senior executives and collaborate across cross-functional, matrixed teams.
• Experience navigating ambiguity and thriving in a fast-paced, dynamic, and rapidly evolving environment.
• Demonstrated ability to develop strategic business plans, drive execution, and deliver measurable outcomes.
• Passion for AI-driven innovation, with a strong understanding of AI trends, technologies, and key players.
• Broad understanding of Cisco’s products, services, and partner ecosystem, with the ability to accelerate joint sales activities with strategic partners.

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 $198,500.00 to $273,800.00 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.