Program Manager

Cisco Systems, Inc; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

401(k) matching

Paid parental leave

Paid time off

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Program Manager to lead programs across the Software Security organization within Cisco’s Security & Trust Organization.

You will build structure where needed, translate priorities into actionable plans, and run cadences, reviews, and reporting for senior leadership. You will design decision structures, manage scope and resources, and partner with teams to drive timely, data-driven outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent plus 5+ years of PM experience, or Master's with 3+ years.
• Experience running meeting cadences, business reviews, and reporting cycles in a fast-moving org.
• Strong background in process improvement and workflow implementation.
• Strong written and verbal communicator, able to tailor content for cross-team and executive readouts.
• Project management certification (e.g., PMP) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Plan, run, and monitor programs across their full life cycle within Software Security.
• Design and run decision-making structures with the right stakeholders present.
• Lead communication and change management to adopt new ways of working.
• Stay ahead of risks, issues, and interdependencies; provide tailored reporting.
• Leverage AI tools to streamline reporting and surface data-driven insights for faster decisions.

Skills

Meeting cadences

Process improvement

Communication

Program management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Master's degree

Tools

Asana

MS Project

Power BI

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 11/01/2026

The application window is expected to close on: 10/15/2026

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

About the Role

We're hiring a Program Manager to help us run a strong operating cadence and lead program and portfolio work across the Software Security organization inside Cisco’s Security & Trust Organization. Are you someone who builds structure where there isn't any and turns a messy set of priorities into a plan people actually follow? Read on!

This role assists in supporting the rhythm of the business across Software Security (meeting cadences, business reviews, reporting cycles), brings strong process improvement and workflow implementation skills, and communicates just as well in a working session with peers as in a readout to senior leadership.

We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and experiences who bring strong process instincts to the role!

What You'll Do

Day to day, this role plans, runs, and monitors programs across their full life cycle within the Software Security organization, managing scope, schedule, and resources as priorities shift and new requirements come up. We need someone to design and run decision‑making structures so decisions get made with the right people in the room, and to keep leaders and teams informed with reporting tailored to who's reading it. This person leads the communication and change management that helps new ways of working take hold, and stays ahead of risks, issues, and interdependencies before they turn into real problems. They also lean on approved AI tools to streamline reporting workflows, analyze program performance metrics, summarize complex cross‑functional data, and surface data‑driven insights that speed up decision‑making across the portfolio. We're looking for someone who builds partnerships across teams to earn support and continuously improves our processes and workflows. Some weeks that means redesigning a broken process, other weeks it means briefing an executive on program status. We need someone ready for both.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience plus 5+ years of related project/program management experience, or a Master's degree plus 3+ years of related experience.
• Demonstrated experience running meeting cadences, business reviews, and reporting cycles for a fast-moving organization.
• Strong background in process improvement and workflow implementation, with a track record of designing and improving operating processes.
• Strong written and verbal communicator, able to tailor style and content from cross‑team collaboration to executive level readouts.
• Project management certification (e.g., PMP or equivalent) preferred at this level.

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP, PgMP, or PROSCI change management certification.
• Lean, Six Sigma, or other formal process‑improvement training.
• Hands‑on fluency with program and workflow tooling, such as Asana, MS Project, or Power BI.
• Experience in security, particularly application or software security, is a plus.
• Proficiency using AI tools to streamline reporting, analyze data, and support decision‑making.
• Experience building and scaling team capability through coaching, upskilling, or mentoring.

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 $111,100.00 to $147,500.00 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:

$134,500.00 - $202,600.00

Non‑Metro New York state & Washington state:

$119,200.00 - $200,800.00

* 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.