Principal Corporate Counsel: Security Governance and Operations

Cisco Systems, Inc; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 206,000 - 299,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a senior legal advisor within the Security and Trust Organization to provide expert guidance on governance, compliance, and operations related to cybersecurity.

The role partners with diverse internal and external stakeholders to shape policies, standards, and trust across Cisco’s AI adoption and deployment frameworks. You will help Cisco and customers navigate complex legal landscapes, review security contracts, and drive governance programs that strengthen trust

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent with active admission to practice law and 7+ years of experience.
• Demonstrated mastery of security and resilience laws.
• Experience giving legal counsel on security governance, operations, compliance and trust.
• Understanding of information security requirements, policies, governance and operations.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal advice on cybersecurity governance and compliance.
• Lead coordination with legal, outside counsel, and stakeholders in cybersecurity matters.
• Advise on risks around trust, product testing, customer trust, RFPs and contracts.
• Oversee governance, policies, standards, controls, and operations in secured environments.
• Review and negotiate enterprise and product security contract escalations.
• Support development and improvement of security governance and position of trust.

Skills

Security governance

Legal counsel

Policy development

Regulatory compliance

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 11/21/2026

“Members of the Legal organization at select locations will generally be expected to follow a hybrid work model, which includes two days of in‑office attendance each week, with limited exceptions.”

Meet the Team

In this role, you will be a key legal advisor and partner focused on governance, compliance and operations within Cisco's Security and Trust Organization. You will play a critical role in helping Cisco and its partners and customers by providing expert legal analysis and guidance on security policies, standards and procedures that underpin the foundational trust in Cisco. This position offers the opportunity to collaborate with diverse internal and external stakeholders, develop corporate policies and processes, and contribute to cross‑collaborative initiatives related to security and trust in how Cisco adopts and deploys AI. Your work will directly impact Cisco's ability to maintain trust and navigate complex legal landscapes in the cybersecurity domain.

Your Impact

• Provide legal advice and support to Cisco's Security and Trust Organization on cybersecurity governance and compliance issues, as well as provide legal operational leadership.
• Lead coordination for advising other members of the legal department, outside counsel, communication teams, and other internal and external stakeholders in the cybersecurity area.
• Assist in leading legal advice around the risks associated with trust and compliance, including product testing and certifications, customer trust issues, RFPs and contract escalations.
• Advise on governance and operations, including policies, standards and procedures, controls in boundaried environment and cleared facilities.
• Review and negotiate enterprise and product security contract escalations.
• Support the development, implementation, and improvement of security governance, policies, standards, and position of trust.

Minimum Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent post‑undergraduate degree, and active, tested admission to practice law and 7+ years' experience.
• Demonstrated mastery of security and resilience laws.
• Current meaningful background providing legal counsel on security governance, operations, compliance and trust.
• Proven understanding of the meaning of information security requirements and policies, and security governance and operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strategic approach to identifying and addressing legal and security challenges.
• Strong problem‑solving skills with the ability to analyze complex issues and propose effective solutions.
• Clear communicator, able to convey complex legal and technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Exposure to working with security teams.
• Experience in establishing governance frameworks for security aspects of the enterprise information technology environments, ensuring compliance with emerging security and resilience regulations and ethical guidelines.

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 $192,300.00 to $243,900.00 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

• 0.75% 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

$225,000.00 - $336,300.00

Non-Metro New York State & Washington State

$205,600.00 - $298,900.00

• 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.