Silicon NPI Business Process Manager

Cisco Systems, Inc; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Silicon NPI Business Process Manager for Silicon One to standardize and scale how Cisco brings pioneering networking silicon from tape-out through production ramp.

You will design, deploy, and govern end-to-end operational processes across prototype planning, supplier forecasting, and phase-gate readiness, while embedding RACI frameworks across engineering, sourcing, and manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Experience leading NPI supply chain planning across prototypes to production.
• Proven ability to design and implement SOPs and CTB methodologies.
• Expertise in phase-gate governance and multi-functional alignment.
• Experience in building executive dashboards and metrics.
• Strong collaboration with Silicon Design, Sourcing and Manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Define prototype build planning and supplier forecast governance.
• Establish RACI matrices and decision swimlanes across functions.
• Lead phase-gate criteria for supply chain readiness and SCPM playbooks.
• Create readiness dashboards and reports for executive reviews.
• Drive digital transformation by integrating workflows in ERP/APS systems.

Skills

NPI program management

RACI governance & ownership

SOP design & implementation

Supply chain readiness

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Kinaxis RapidResponse

Oracle/SAP

Power BI

JIRA/Confluence

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/28/2026

Your Impact

As the Silicon NPI Business Process Manager for Silicon One, you will be the chief operational architect responsible for standardizing and scaling how Cisco brings pioneering networking silicon from tape-out through production ramp.

Silicon One represents Cisco's flagship routing and switching silicon architecture. In this role, you will design, deploy, and govern end-to-end operational processes across prototype lot planning, supplier forecasting, supply commits, and phase-gate readiness. A central pillar of your scope will be establishing multi-functional clarity by building, embedding, and actively maintaining RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) frameworks across Silicon Engineering, Product Management, Sourcing, and Manufacturing Operations. Rather than running a single product line, you will establish the institutional framework, playbooks, governance swimlanes, and automated dashboards that empower a team of Supply Chain Program Managers (SCPMs) to implement flawless, predictable new product introductions.

Key Responsibilities

1. Prototype & NPI Build Planning & Supplier Forecast Governance

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Design, implement, and govern SOPs for prototype build planning (engineering samples, EVT, DVT, PVT, and qualification lots) across all Silicon One programs.
• Supplier Forecasting: Establish a unified mechanism for translating engineering build demand into rolling supplier forecasts (foundry wafer starts, OSAT packaging substrates, probe, and final test).
• Closed-Loop Commits: Build and manage closed-loop supply commit processes with external manufacturing partners and foundries to guarantee material availability against aggressive development schedules.
• Clear-to-Build (CTB): Standardize Clear-to-Build methodologies, risk-buy policies, and prototype lot prioritization frameworks across multi-project environments.

2. Multi-functional RACI Architecture & Governance

• RACI Matrices: Architect and maintain comprehensive RACI matrices across the entire pre-production lifecycle, clearly delineating decision rights, achievement sign-offs, and deliverable ownership between SCPMs, Silicon Design Engineering, Sourcing, Product Ops, and Manufacturing.
• Decision Swimlanes: Establish and govern formal blocking issue paths and decision-making swimlanes for critical NPI inflection points (e.g., ECOs, late tape-out shifts, wafer scrap excursions, split-lot trade-offs, and allocation conflicts).
• Governance Audits: Periodically audit, refresh, and align RACI boundaries as organizational structures evolve, ensuring zero ambiguity in multi-functional accountability during fast-paced launch cycles.

3. Supply Chain Readiness Phase-Gate Management & SCPM Enablement

• Phase-Gate Criteria: Define, standardize, and govern phase-gate criteria specific to supply chain readiness for Silicon One products.
• SCPM Toolkits & Playbooks: Build standardized toolkits, playbooks, RACI-aligned checklist sign-offs, and templates that enable peer SCPMs to drive operational readiness and landmark exit approvals with minimal administrative friction.
• Multi-functional Alignment: Partner with Product Management, Silicon Design Engineering, Quality, Sourcing, and Manufacturing Operations to ensure alignment at each achievement gate.
• Continuous Improvement: Institutionalize post-launch retrospectives and continuous improvement loops to capture lessons learned and refine phase-gate rigor.

4. Readiness Metrics, Executive Dashboards & Analytics

• Executive Dashboard Suite: Design, automate, and publish the official Silicon One NPI Readiness Dashboard suite, tracking program health, achievement attainment, wafer cycle-time velocity, and supply commit integrity.
• Metric Governance: Establish and track leading and lagging operational benchmarks, including Achievement & Build Schedule Consistency (%), Clear-to-Build (CTB) Lead-Time Health, Foundry & OSAT Commit-to-Request Accuracy, Yield Ramp Velocity vs. Plan, Handoff Readiness Index, and RACI Sign-off Compliance.
• Executive Readiness Reviews: Synthesize multi-program operational data into executive-level summaries for leadership reviews and business unit executives.

5. Tooling Evolution & Digital Transformation

• Digital Transformation: Drive the digitization of NPI planning by evaluating, automating, and integrating workflows within enterprise ERP/APS systems (e.g., Kinaxis RapidResponse, Oracle/SAP, Power BI, JIRA/Confluence).
• Exception-Based Management: Eliminate manual spreadsheet tracking across SCPM teams by building scalable, automated exception-management mechanisms.

Meet the Team

• Silicon One SCPMs: You will be their operational lead, providing the RACI frameworks, tools, processes, and governance that