Risk Manager, Third Party Risk Management

Cisco; Milwaukee (WI); Hybrid; USD 111,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Job summary

Cisco's Global Procurement Services (GPS) team seeks a seasoned professional to lead third-party risk programs and partner with internal teams to safeguard Cisco financially and reputationally.

You will build risk frameworks, conduct vendor assessments, and drive remediation with measurable metrics, aligning with Cisco standards across regions. The role requires strong judgment, independence, and the ability to influence cross-functionally.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience leading third party risk management programs.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Experience in global roles, prioritizing multiple stakeholders and influencing diverse audiences at all levels.
• Experience implementing initiatives in a sophisticated global environment.
• Strong judgment and discretion in guiding collaborators on standard methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the subject matter advisor for third party risk with high influence on GPS’s approach to supplier risk.
• Build, implement, supervise and assess risk frameworks for onboarding and lifecycle of suppliers.
• Conduct vendor risk assessments and tier suppliers by inherent and residual risk.
• Build and implement remediation plans where risk is identified.
• Implement metrics to drive risk scoring and target setting for risk reductions.
• Advise collaborators on risk-aware decisions through thoughtful risk management programs.

Skills

Third party risk management

Vendor risk assessments

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Ariba / SAP risk modules

Microsoft Office

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/24/2026

Members of the Finance 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.

Must reside in the Raleigh or Atlanta areas for consideration

Meet the Team

Global Procurement Services (GPS) is responsible for the enterprise-wide procurement of all Cisco indirect goods, services, and labor. GPS is a key partner to all regional, global and strategic Cisco businesses and performs sourcing, contracting, supplier management, and buying activities. GPS is a key partner to all regional, global and strategic Cisco businesses and performs sourcing, contracting, supplier management, and buying activities. The successful candidate will partner with key internal collaborators in GPS and across the enterprise to drive and ensure our supplier risk is reduced and protect Cisco financially as well as our brand. The team is responsible for providing information that will enable our collaborators to make risk-aware decisions through more hard-working risk management programs and methodologies—driving business performance and better outcomes.

Your Impact

As a member of the GPS Value Protection team, you will partner with key internal collaborators in GPS and across the enterprise to drive and ensure our third-party risk is reduced and supervised.

In This Role, You Will

• Serve as the subject matter advisor for third party (supplier) risk with high levels of influence on evolving GPS’s approach to supplier risk
• Build, implement, supervise and assess risk frameworks to adapt to changing risk environments, both at supplier onboarding and during the supplier life cycle
• Conduct vendor risk assessments and tier supplier by inherent and residual risk.
• Build and implement remediation plans where risk is identified
• Implement effective metrics to drive overall risk scoring and target setting for risk reductions
• Advise our collaborators on making risk-aware decisions through more thoughtful risk management programs and methodologies—driving business performance and better outcomes.
• Consult with collaborators regarding standard methodologies related to third party risk

You’ll help to implement and operate our end-to-end supplier risk program. You are a person who:

• Is a critical thinker who strives to tackle sophisticated problems and is capable of driving long-lasting change
• Naturally establishes links and quickly gains the trust of others
• Enjoys a fast pace and encourages ambiguity
• Has a strong desire to craft and lead the success of Cisco’s supplier risk program
• Works independently with only minimal direct supervision and can lead cross-functional teams to complete projects and major initiatives using judgment, experience, and leadership skills

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience leading third party risk management programs required
• Bachelors in related field required
• Advanced degree in related field preferred
• Experience in global roles, prioritizing multiple stakeholder, and influencing diverse audiences at all levels
• Experience in implementing critical initiatives in a sophisticated global environment
• Ability to be essential and use strong judgment and discretion in guiding collaborators on standard methodologies
• Preferred experience in finance or data analytics and operational improvement experience (agile, six sigma, etc)
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications
• Experience using Ariba/Smart Buy/SAP risk modules

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 $110,600.00 to $145,000.00 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

$133,200.00 - $200,700.00

Non-Metro New York State & Washington State

$120,900.00 - $182,200.00

• 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.