Head of Public Relations, AI Software & Platform

Cisco Systems; San Jose (CA); Remote; USD 196,000 - 249,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems is seeking a Head of PR for AI Software + Platform to strengthen the company’s reputation as critical infrastructure for the AI era. You will lead launches for major product innovations, position Cisco Cloud Control as industry standard, and work with AI Threat Intelligence and Security Research to bring new insights to market.

You’ll act as a founding communications leader within a startup-velocity team, translating product vision into external stories that resonate with

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in public relations or communications.
• Strong domain knowledge of enterprise B2B technologies including networking, SaaS, cybersecurity, and AI.
• Ability to synthesize market trends and media narratives into strategic recommendations.
• Thrives in fast-moving environments with bias toward action.
• Proven track record building trust with C-level and senior product leadership.
• Expertise managing external PR and agency partners.

Responsibilities

• Own launch and positioning strategy for Cisco Cloud Control and platform innovations.
• Build and nurture relationships with top-tier media covering AI, enterprise networking, security and SaaS.
• Serve as trusted advisor to product, product marketing, and leadership.
• Develop narratives connecting product innovation to industry transformation.
• Collaborate with regional communications teams and cross-functional partners.
• Lead end-to-end communications campaigns with timelines, vendors, and multi-channel delivery.

Skills

Public relations

Media relations

Executive leadership

Storytelling

Strategic thinking

Job description

Meet the Team

The application window is expected to close on: 10/29/2026

Remote United States

Global Communications is a team of more than 150 best-in-class communications professionals. Our mission is to protect and improve Cisco's reputation through innovative and thought-provoking storytelling, execution excellence and transparency. The PR team is responsible for leading Cisco's corporate and technology PR programs, as well as crafting and delivering clear and compelling narratives that grab the attention of media and influencers.

Your Impact

As Head of PR for AI Software + Platform, you’ll strengthen Cisco’s reputation as critical infrastructure for the AI era and position Cisco Cloud Control as the industry standard for AI-native IT operations. In partnership with the broader Product PR team, you’ll lead launches for major product innovations, keep Cisco visible in the fast-moving AI news cycle, and work closely with the AI Threat Intelligence and Security Research team to bring new research and security innovations to market—reinforcing Cisco’s role as a trusted voice in AI security.

In this role, you'll operate like a founding communications leader within a startup-velocity team that sits at the center of Cisco’s AI product and platform strategy. You’ll translate our product vision and platform strategy into compelling external stories that resonate with both enterprise C-suite and practitioner audiences. You'll serve as a trusted advisor to communications leadership, product marketing, and product management—trying new approaches, challenging assumptions, and bringing sharp editorial judgment. You'll move at speed, understand how to mobilize stakeholders to be able to seize fast-moving windows of opportunity, and build differentiated narratives that capture Cisco's unique position as the critical infrastructure for the AI era.

Key Responsibilities

• Launch & Positioning Strategy: Own positioning development and go-to-market communications for Cisco Cloud Control and platform innovations. Work closely with product marketing and product management to shape launch narratives, messaging architecture, and media strategy. Move quickly, iterate based on competitive and market signals, and land differentiated positioning.

• Media Relations: Proactively build and nurture relationships with top-tier business, technology, trade and new media covering AI, enterprise networking, security and SaaS. Pitch stories with conviction, secure high-impact coverage, and drive message pull-through.

• Strategic Counsel: Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to product, product marketing, and executive leadership. Bring external market perspective (competitive moves, media sentiment, industry trends) to internal decision-making.

• Thought Leadership & Narrative Building: Develop narratives that connect product innovation to broader industry transformation. Focus on securing profiles and transformation storytelling.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Build strong partnerships with regional communications teams. Balance centralized strategy with local market nuance.

• Partner and Customer Storytelling: Deeply understand the value of partner and customer storytelling, and work hard to create storytelling leverage through these valuable extended networks.

• Execution at Scale: Own end-to-end communications campaign execution—from strategy through measurement. Manage timelines, vendor relationships, and multi-channel delivery. Leverage AI tools and automation to accelerate workflows without sacrificing quality or editorial judgment.

Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in public relations or communications.

• Strong domain knowledge of relevant enterprise B2B technologies including networking, SaaS platforms, cybersecurity, open source, and AI.

• Proven ability to synthesize competitive landscape, industry trends, analyst sentiment, and media narratives into sharp, strategic recommendations and storytelling.

• Demonstrated ability to navigate complexity and thrive in fast-moving environments where priorities shift quickly. Bias toward action and iterating in real time based on internal and external feedback.

• Strong track record building trust with C-level and senior product leadership. Ability to be a thought partner, not just an executor. Proven skill at managing up, across, and down in matrixed environments.

• Demonstrated expertise managing external PR and agency partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background at a high-growth tech company, startup, or early-stage venture-backed business—where you've worn multiple hats, moved fast, and navigated rapid pivots.

• Strong use of AI in day-to-day operations with a hunger to always be learning more; early-adopter mentality.

• Well-networked with a finger on the pulse of daily news cycles and a strong sense of who carries narrative influence.

• Extreme bias for action and willingness to be scrappy.

• Active on X.

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 $196,300.00 to $248,700.00 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:

$196,300.00 - $286,000.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$174,200.00 - $253,900.00

• 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.

Cisco is an Affirative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

Cisco will consider for employment, on a case by case basis, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.