Leader, Strategy & Planning - US Commercial Central

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; North Carolina; On-site; USD 155,000 - 227,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) matching

Restricted stock units

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Strategy & Planning Leader for US Commercial to drive the Area's strategic programs, revenue initiatives, and operational excellence.

You will partner with the AVP and SLT to shape annual plans, manage investments, and ensure alignment with field sales and systems engineering teams across Cisco Americas. The role emphasizes data-driven insights, cross-functional influence, and rapid execution in a high-growth environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in sales operations, business strategy, program management, or field sales leadership.
• Strong understanding of commercial GTM motions, partner ecosystems, and value-based selling.
• Strong quantitative skills with the ability to translate complex datasets into actionable solutions.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic and operational rhythm for the Area, partnering with senior leaders.
• Shape, execute, and govern annual strategic plans and revenue growth initiatives.
• Synthesize pipeline, bookings, and market intelligence into executive insights with measurable roadmaps.
• Align headcount, budgets, and investments with theater growth priorities.
• Streamline sales processes and drive field productivity and deal velocity.
• Serve as liaison between Area SLT and cross-functional stakeholders.

Skills

Sales operations

Business strategy

Program management

Field sales leadership

GTM motions

Data analysis

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/08/2026 Prefer to have candidate located in Central Region, potentially East or Mountain Region.

Meet the Team

As a Strategy & Planning Leader in US Commercial (USC), you will serve as a core member of the Area Senior Leadership Team (SLT) in direct partnership with the Area Sales Vice President (AVP) and Systems Engineering Director (SED). In this role, you will operate as a strategic Chief of Staff, operational co-pilot, and transformation lead—driving go-to-market execution, revenue acceleration, and operational excellence. Your Impact Reporting directly to the US Commercial Senior Director of Strategy & Planning, you will lead the strategic and operational rhythm for your Area. You will interact daily with field sales teams, systems engineering leaders, sales operations, finance partners, and executive stakeholders across Cisco Americas. You'll be part of a high-impact Strategy & Planning community dedicated to empowering our sellers and driving measurable business growth.

Agility & Velocity

Thrive in a fast-and-furious sales environment—navigating evolving market dynamics, shifting deal priorities, and high-tempo quarterly cadences with exceptional adaptability and composure.

Strategic Co-Pilot

Partner with the Area AVP and SLT to shape, execute, and govern annual strategic plans, revenue growth initiatives, and key go-to-market motions.

Data-Driven Insights & Action

Synthesize complex pipeline, bookings, and market intelligence data into clear executive insights, establishing strategic roadmaps with measurable accountability.

Resource & Investment Governance

Collaborate with Sales, Systems Engineering, and Sales Finance leadership to align headcount, budgets, and strategic investments with theater growth priorities.

Operational Excellence & Automation

Continuously streamline sales processes, eliminate friction, and implement automation to drive field productivity and deal velocity.

Cross-Functional Influence

Serve as the primary liaison between the Area SLT and extended stakeholders—including Americas Strategy & Planning, Finance, Global Marketing, CX, HR, and Partner organizations.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of validated experience in sales operations, business strategy, program management, or field sales leadership.
• Strong understanding of commercial GTM motions, partner ecosystems, and value-based selling.
• Strong quantitative skills with a track record of translating messy operational challenges and large datasets into crisp, actionable business solutions.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• You are an energetic, outcome-oriented leader who excels in high-growth, fast-paced sales environments.
• You possess the unique ability to pivot from high-level strategic planning to detailed operational execution without missing a beat.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a rapid, demanding sales environment.
• Super flexible, comfortable with ambiguity, and able to lead through rapid change and shifting business priorities.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the confidence to influence senior executives, drive consensus, and align cross-functional teams.
• Proactive self-starter with meticulous attention to detail, strong follow-through, and a passion for helping sales teams win.

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 $155,500.00 to $226,800.00 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.