Executive Assistant, SVP, Engineering - AI Software & Platform (Hybrid)

Cisco Systems, Inc.; Milpitas (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking an experienced Executive Assistant to support the Senior Vice President. This hybrid role requires coordinating complex calendars, international travel, and executive communications with a high degree of discretion.

You will partner with Cisco's AISWP team and other executives to ensure seamless scheduling, meeting logistics, and efficient information flow. The candidate should bring at least 7 years of admin experience, including VP-level support, and mastery of

Qualifications

• 7+ years experience in administrative environment, with a minimum of 2 years supporting at the VP level or above.
• Expert level knowledge of Windows desktop computer applications: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience in calendar management, planning meetings and coordinating travel.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to connect with all levels of Executive/Senior staff and clients.
• Ability to navigate web and email at high competency knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Calendar Management: manage SVP's calendar and daily schedule, prioritize conflicting meetings, track action items and ensure completion.
• Event Speaking Engagement Coordination: maintain SVP engagement list and coordinate content with communications team.
• Meeting Planning and Organization: assemble agendas, handle location and tech needs, prepare briefing documents and post-meeting items.
• Travel Briefing Preparation: create travel packs for international trips with event info and logistics.
• Correspondence/Approvals: act as proxy for communications, filter routine matters, mentor admins on problem solving.
• Travel and Expense Management: arrange global travel for SVP and manage Cisco expenses.
• Special Projects: provide analytical support, research issues, compile data and reports.
• Confidentiality: handle highly confidential matters professionally.
• Mentor new Executive Admins and admins across the organization.

Skills

Calendar management

Travel coordination

Executive communication

Problem solving

Multitasking

Discretion

Education

BA/BS or equivalent experience

Tools

Windows

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/24/2026

This is a hybrid role with three days per week at Cisco's San Jose office.

Meet the Team

Cisco's AI Software & Platform (AISWP) team is the engine driving our transformation into an AI-native company. We are a central organization of researchers, ML engineers, and distributed systems experts dedicated to building the models, platforms, and products that integrate AI into every facet of the Cisco portfolio. Our platform-including Cisco Cloud Control, Canvas, and Studio-is already live, providing a unified agentic surface for our global customer base. We aren't just adopting AI; we are defining how enterprise networking and security infrastructure evolve to handle the unique challenges of agentic workflows at a worldwide scale.

Your Impact

You will be extremely forward-thinking with a professional and approachable demeanor in all interactions; possess outstanding communication skills with all levels of staff, executives, customers, vendors; and good judgment.

• Calendar Management: Management of SVP's calendar and daily schedule to include prioritizing conflicting meeting requests, supervising action items and commitments of executive and following-up to ensure completion. This will require outstanding organization skills, prioritizing multiple priorities and keeping a lively executive on track and on schedule.
• Event Speaking Engagement Coordination: Responsible for a running list of SVP's engagements and works closely with communications team to ensure content needs are understood and set in motion so the SVP is prepared for each engagement.
• Meeting Planning and Organization: Assisting Senior VP in planning and organizing meetings by taking ownership for assembling the agenda, location, accommodating technology requirements based upon participant needs, and all other meeting logistics. May further prepare meeting briefing documents by taking and disseminating notes and formulating post meeting action item list.
• Travel Briefing Preparation: Creating travel packs for international trips. This work includes combining all event information in addition to coordinated logistics of travel and also customer/team asks.
• Correspondence/Approvals: Supporting SVP by acting as proxy for communications and approvals as authorized. Answering general questions as crucial, referring (filtering) routine matters to appropriate parties, and following up to ensure proper disposition. Taking initiative to resolve issues within specified policies and guidelines, and providing mentorship to administrative community members on problem solving. Resolving when executive action is required and supplying a recommendation where appropriate.
• Travel and Expense Management: Responsible for making in-depth global travel arrangements for SVP and handling Cisco expenses.
• Special Projects: Providing analytical support to assist executive on special projects. Researching issues, analyzing problems, compiling data, and preparing reports.
• Confidentiality: Candidate will deal expertly with highly critical and confidential matters and materials.
• Mentor new Executive Administrative Assistants and other administrators. Participates in a cross-functional EA network and will lead the organization's community of Admins.

In addition to general administrative duties of an EA, daily tasks are carried out at a higher level of complexity. Specifically, the critical behaviors of this role are:

• Self-motivated and proactive around needs of the SVP and the Organization
• Able to work with limited direction and have a take-charge demeanor
• Able to operate successfully with limited direction and ambiguity
• Use tact, subtlety and a practical knowledge of company policies, practices and procedures
• Responsiveness to all levels of inquiry
• Challenge 'the way we've always done it' and provide a deeper more innovative way of doing things
• Keep the big picture in mind when making independent decisions that affect the SVP's calendar
• The ability to exercise critical and independent judgment when it comes to the SVP's calendar and time
• Organized and efficient with their own time
• Able to think creatively and calmly when it comes to quick and unplanned changes in schedule
• Earn administrative community respect and have the ability to work with and through others as needed

You take initiative, can handle a full desk with ease and thrive in a lively environment. You have high-energy with a passion for thinking bigger and broader than the role itself. This position requires strong interpersonal skills, independent judgment, utmost integrity and ability to balance both strategic and tactical actions. You have outstanding attention to detail and the ability to handle confidential information. You enjoy a collaborative environment, are committed to improvement, solve problems and make decisions. You have proven ability to multitask and work in a focused manner. You are comfortable working without instruction on routine tasks and very little instruction on new projects.

Minimum Qualifications

• 7+ years experience in administrative environment, with a minimum of 2 years supporting at the VP level or above.
• Expert level knowledge of Windows desktop computer applications: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience in calendar management, planning meetings and coordinating travel.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to connect with all levels of Executive/Senior staff and clients.
• Ability to navigate web and email at high competency knowledge.

Preferred Qualifications

• BA/BS or equivalent experience
• Past work experience in the high-tech industry

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 $125,700.00 to $159,200.00 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.

• 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:

• .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:

$125,700.00 - $191,500.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$109,600.00 - $170,500.00

* 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.