PR Manager, Brand Sponsorships

Cisco Systems, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 135,000 - 171,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a PR Manager for Brand and Sponsorships to architect and execute a comprehensive PR strategy for our global brand partnerships.

You will lead as the primary communications partner for sports, cultural, and entertainment sponsorships, translating brand priorities into compelling narratives that amplify Cisco's value proposition and market positioning. You will collaborate with senior leaders, marketing, and agencies to drive high-impact campaigns, measure outcomes,

Qualifications

• 8-10+ years of experience in public relations, communications, or brand management.
• Proven track record of managing high‑profile brand partnerships, sponsorships, or large‑scale integrated marketing/PR programs.
• Strong strategic counsel skills; ability to advise senior leaders on reputation management and stakeholder engagement.
• Deep expertise in crafting compelling narratives for diverse audiences, with a portfolio of blogs, press releases, and thought leadership content.
• Experience managing complex agency relationships and project timelines with a focus on measurable outcomes.
• Ability to work cross‑functional in a matrixed environment, navigating competing stakeholder priorities to drive cohesive, high‑impact outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Strategic storytelling & discovery: Develop and own communication strategies for Cisco's key brand and sponsorship portfolio.
• Cross-functional collaboration & stakeholder management: Serve as a primary communications partner to the global Brand and Sponsorship teams.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner across marketing and communications to ensure brand consistency and drive integrated campaigns.
• Media relations: Build relationships with top-tier media and pitch stories to secure high-impact coverage.
• Campaign management: Lead end-to-end campaign execution for brand-led initiatives and sponsorships.
• Strategic counsel: Advise product marketing and leadership on market trends and reputational risk.

Skills

Brand storytelling

Strategic counsel

Media relations

Cross-functional leadership

Agency management

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 11/08/2026

Meet the Team

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‑provocative 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 the PR Manager for Brand and Sponsorships, you will be responsible for building and executing a comprehensive PR strategy for our global brand partnerships. You will act as the key communications lead for high‑visibility sports, cultural, and entertainment sponsorships, ensuring these investments drive measurable impact on our brand equity and market positioning. You will operate at the intersection of brand strategy, integrated marketing, and corporate communications, ensuring our global partnerships are not just seen, but felt by our customers and partners. By evolving these relationships and connecting the dots between our marketing and public relations functions, you will craft larger, more impactful stories that resonate across the global landscape and position Cisco at the center of culture and innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Storytelling & Discovery: Develop and own communication strategies for Cisco's key brand and sponsorship portfolio. Translate brand priorities into compelling narratives for our audiences. Identify opportunities to position our partnerships and customers as core to Cisco's value proposition, while also uncovering "white-space" storytelling opportunities that amplify our brand presence.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Management: Serve as a primary communications partner to the global Brand and Sponsorship teams. Provide strategic counsel to senior leadership on reputation, messaging, and stakeholder engagement. Build and nurture strong, long‑term relationships with Cisco's customers and internal business partners to ensure alignment on brand vision.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Partner effectively across the wider marketing and communications organization to ensure brand consistency and drive high‑impact, integrated campaigns. You will play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between marketing and public relations to tell larger, more impactful stories that elevate Cisco's global reputation.
• Media Relations: Proactively build and nurture relationships with top‑tier business, lifestyle, sports, and entertainment media. Pitch stories with conviction to secure high‑impact coverage that expands our reach beyond traditional tech audiences, driving message pull‑through for our global partnership initiatives.
• Campaign Management: Lead end‑to‑end campaign execution for brand‑led initiatives and sponsorships. Manage timelines, agency partners, and multi‑channel delivery, ensuring editorial rigor and adherence to Cisco's brand standards and partnerships standards. Influence global communication strategies by surfacing market trends and advocating for underrepresented priorities across the communications organization.
• Strategic Counsel: Serve as a trusted advisor to product marketing and executive leadership. Bring external market perspective-including media sentiment, competitive moves, and industry trends-into internal decision‑making processes to proactively mitigate reputational risks.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8-10+ years of experience in public relations, communications, or brand management.
• Proven track record of managing high‑profile brand partnerships, sponsorships, or large‑scale integrated marketing/PR programs.
• Strong strategic counsel skills; ability to advise senior leaders on reputation management and stakeholder engagement.
• Deep expertise in crafting compelling narratives for diverse audiences, with a portfolio of blogs, press releases, and thought leadership content.
• Experience managing complex agency relationships and project timelines with a focus on measurable outcomes.
• Ability to work cross‑functional in a matrixed environment, navigating competing stakeholder priorities to drive cohesive, high‑impact outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in sports or entertainment marketing and its intersection with corporate reputation.
• Background in identifying and managing crisis and issues‑based communications to protect brand equity.
• Strong understanding of current PR measurement tools and the ability to influence global strategies through data‑driven insights.

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 $135,100.00 to $171,400.00 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:

• .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:

$165,200.00 - $240,900.00

Non‑Metro New York state & Washington state:

$145,200.00 - $211,700.00

* 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.