Corporate Development Director

Cisco Systems, Inc; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 244,000 - 313,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) match

Paid parental leave

Paid time off

Volunteer time off

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Director of Corporate Development to lead Build/Buy/Invest/Partner decisions and drive inorganic growth across Cybersecurity, Observability, and Data.

You will collaborate with senior leadership, manage end-to-end transactions, and guide cross-functional teams through due diligence, negotiation, and post-deal integration. The role emphasizes financial modeling, strategic business cases, and executive communication to enable value realization and risk mitigation

Qualifications

• 10+ years in corporate development, M&A, investment banking, private equity, or VC with a focus on data, cloud, cybersecurity, observability, or AI.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, engineering, or related quantitative field.
• Proven record of leading end-to-end deals and guiding cross-functional teams.
• Mentor and develop deal associates and managers.

Responsibilities

• Refine and drive M&A and investment strategy using market trends and competitive landscapes.
• Source and screen high-potential acquisition, investment, and partnership targets.
• Build networks with VCs, founders, bankers, and industry contacts for deal flow.
• Manage full lifecycle of transactions from outreach to closing and integration.

Skills

M&A experience

Corporate development

Investment sourcing

Cross-functional leadership

Financial modeling

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Excel

Bloomberg Terminal

PowerPoint

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 12/20/2025

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

Location:Hybrid – San Francisco or San Jose, CA

About the Team

The Corporate Development and Cisco Investments Group is a tight-knit influential and trusted team at Cisco. Our group has completed over 250+ acquisitions and invested in hundreds of companies, driving Cisco’s innovation and growth agenda. We partner closely with Cisco’s senior leadership and responsible for driving mergers and acquisitions, venture investments, joint ventures and other special projects.

Your Impact

As Director, Corporate Development, you will be trusted advisor to Cisco’s senior leadership on Build / Buy / Invest / Partner decisions and drive inorganic initiatives in tight partnership with business units and cross-functional / cross geography teams. You will proactively identify, evaluate, and lead execution of complex M&A, investment, and partnership opportunities—particularly across Cybersecurity, Observability, and Data.

What You Will Be Doing

• Jointly refine and drive Cisco’s M&A and investment strategy by analyzing market trends, competitive landscapes, and disruptive business models.
• Proactively source, identify, and rigorously screen high-potential acquisition, investment, and partnership targets using proprietary research and data-driven insights.
• Build and maintain a robust network of VCs, founders, investment bankers, and industry contacts to ensure a consistent pipeline and access to market intelligence.
• Own the full lifecycle of global and cross-border transactions—from initial outreach, business case development, and financial modeling through multi-stage due diligence, negotiation, and final closing.
• Develop and present comprehensive financial models, valuation analyses, and strategic business cases to executive leadership, clearly articulating risks, returns, and impacts.
• Lead complex negotiations and creatively structure deals, balancing risk while achieving win-win outcomes for Cisco and its partners.
• Establish partnerships with executives and teams across Cisco’s business units. Lead cross-functional teams through due diligence and ensure seamless transitions from deal execution to post-deal integration and value realization.
• Oversee internal review and approval processes with C-level executives and Board members; communicate strategies and recommendations with clarity and influence.

Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years in corporate development, M&A, investment banking, private equity, or venture capital, with a strong focus on Data, Cloud, Cybersecurity, Observability, or AI. Minimum 5 years in a direct transactional role leading end-to-end deals.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, engineering, or a related quantitative field required.
• Demonstrated record of leading, executing, and closing multiple high-impact M&A transactions that have advanced business strategy and delivered results.
• Proven experience quarterbacking and steering cross-functional teams in driving complex projects and influencing Senior Executives without direct authority.
• Proven ability to mentor and develop deal associates and managers.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or advanced degree (JD, CFA) from a premier institution
• Understanding of the technology landscape, including emerging trends in Data, Cloud, AI, Cybersecurity, and Observability.
• Strong network within the investment community (VCs, founders, bankers) and ability to develop proprietary deal flow.
• Executive presence with excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to articulate complex concepts to diverse audiences.
• Ability to operate effectively in global, cross-cultural teams.
• Demonstrated sustained high performance and resilience in demanding situations.

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 $244,200.00 to $312,500.00 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 ofunused sick timecarried forwardfrom one calendar yearto 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:

• 0.75% 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:

$244,200.00 - $375,900.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$217,400.00 - $318,100.00

* 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.