Engineering Program Manager

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; North Carolina; On-site; USD 133,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a senior program manager to coordinate multi-team engineering initiatives, govern risk, and drive improvements in security and operational workflows.

The role requires strong leadership, threat modeling experience, and ability to report to stakeholders with clarity. You will mentor teams and contribute to scalable, secure platforms across the organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree required with 7+ years PM experience in tech projects.
• Experience leading technical projects involving multiple teams.
• Experience setting project goals, timelines, metrics, responsibilities, and dependencies.
• Experience identifying risks, managing escalations, and keeping stakeholders informed.
• Hands-on experience with security scanning tools (SAST/DAST/SCA) and vulnerability management.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate multiple high-stakes projects in parallel to align engineering execution with strategic goals.
• Manage end-to-end program lifecycle: schedule, scope, resources, dependencies.
• Implement governance and reporting structures for informed decision-making.
• Drive process maturity by identifying risks and re-engineering workflows.
• Mentor team members to foster technical excellence and resilience.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Threat modeling

Risk identification

Escalation management

Security awareness

Communication

Cloud environment experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, computer science, information systems, or related field

Master’s degree in related field

Tools

SAST/DAST/SCA tools

SIEM platforms

Tenable

Wiz

Engineering workflow tools

Case-management systems

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/29/2026

Meet the Team CX Engineering – Workflow and Intellectual Capital designs, builds, and operates the platforms, automation, and knowledge capabilities that power Cisco’s global technical-support experience. Our portfolio spans case management, troubleshooting, AI capabilities, automation platforms, intellectual capital, security and compliance, and supporting infrastructure. We partner across product, engineering, operations, security, and service delivery to transform complex support needs into secure, scalable solutions—from discovery through production and operationalization. Our globally distributed team combines product and program leadership, architects, engineers, and change and release professionals around a common commitment to measurable customer and business outcomes. Joining this team helps shape how AI, automation, and modern engineering workflows improve engineer productivity and customer and partner experiences at Cisco scale.

Your Impact

Coordinate multiple high-stakes projects in parallel to align engineering execution with our broader organizational strategic goals.

Manage the end-to-end program lifecycle, including schedule, scope, and resource allocation, to ensure high-quality delivery across complex interdependencies.

Implement robust program governance and stakeholder reporting structures to drive informed decision-making and transparency.

Drive organizational change and process maturity by identifying risks, managing escalations, and re-engineering workflows to maximize team productivity.

Mentor and upskill team members to foster a culture of technical excellence and operational resilience.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, computer science, information systems, or a related field, plus 7 years of project or program management experience; or a master’s degree plus 4 years of experience.
• Experience leading technical projects involving multiple teams.
• Experience setting project goals, timelines, metrics, responsibilities, and key dependencies.
• Experience identifying risks, managing escalations, and keeping stakeholders informed.
• Experience conducting threat modeling, identifying and prioritizing vulnerabilities, and maintaining asset inventories for applications, infrastructure, or cloud environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands‑on experience using one or more security scanning tools—including SAST, DAST, or SCA—to identify findings, assess results, and document remediation actions.
• One or more of the following certifications: PgMP, PMP, PMI-CPMAI, SAFe, Scrum, or ITIL.
• A cybersecurity certification, such as CISSP, CompTIA Security+, CEH, or SSCP, and experience supporting vulnerability‑management activities across multiple technology teams.
• Experience implementing AI, automation, or agentic‑AI capabilities in an operational or service‑delivery workflow, with documented improvements to efficiency, quality, or user experience.
• Hands‑on experience with one or more of the following: SIEM platforms, log analysis, DLP, Tenable, Wiz, engineering workflow tools, or case‑management systems.
• Experience leading cross‑functional risk‑management or process‑improvement initiatives with defined actions, owners, timelines, and outcomes.

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 $132,800.00 to $185,100.00 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: $154,900.00 - $259,100.00
• Non‑Metro New York state & Washington state: $136,500.00 - $228,300.00
• * 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.