Strategy & Operations Controller

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 178,000 - 234,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. in the United States is seeking a Strategy & Operations Controller to lead the Corporate Controllers Group (CCG) planning, budgeting, and execution.

You will own the CCG budget, guide requisitions, and build programs to develop people while turning data into actionable insights for leaders. You will drive talent development, succession planning, and the modernization of finance processes, partnering with People & Communities and other finance teams to ensure alignment

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in finance operations, financial analysis, or process improvement with 5+ years in a management or leadership role.
• Experience with financial planning, analytics, or business intelligence tools; Proficiency with Microsoft Office and enterprise systems.
• Experience supporting or leading talent development initiatives.
• Validated ability to influence and collaborate in a cross-functional, matrix organization with excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the CCG budget, including allocating quarterly commits to each team and tracking performance against plan.
• Coach team leaders on managing their budgets and forecasting accurately.
• Run the requisition approval process, ensuring hiring decisions align with CCG’s budget strategy.
• Build reporting and insights that give leadership clear visibility into spend, headcount, and trends.
• Design and run talent development programs tied to career growth and CCG’s business needs.
• Lead succession planning to protect leadership continuity and critical capabilities.
• Develop training on emerging finance technologies and professional skills.
• Partner with P&C on recruiting strategies that attract and retain top talent.
• Support engagement and retention initiatives, and help foster a culture of continuous learning and collaboration.

Skills

Financial planning

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Accounting/Business Administration

MBA or Master’s degree (preferred)

CPA/CFA/CIA/FP&A (preferred)

Tools

Microsoft Office

BI/Analytics tools

Enterprise systems

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/29/2026 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.

Meet the team

The Strategy and Operations team is a growing, high-impact group that ensures the Corporate Controllers Group's (CCG) vision and organizational goals are executed. We partner across every CCG function and with key business partners, including People & Communities (P&C), IT, and other finance teams, to keep the organization aligned, well-resourced, and moving in the same direction.

Your impact

As Strategy & Operations Controller, you’ll shape how CCG plans, spends, and grows. You’ll own the CCG budget, guide the requisition process, build programs that develop our people, and support initiatives that modernize how our finance organization works. You’ll turn data into insights that help leaders make better decisions, and you’ll help build a high-performing, engaged team.

What you’ll do

Budget and resource management

• Own the CCG budget, including allocating quarterly commits to each team and tracking performance against plan
• Coach team leaders on managing their budgets and forecasting accurately
• Run the requisition approval process, ensuring hiring decisions align with CCG’s budget strategy
• Build reporting and insights that give leadership clear visibility into spend, headcount, and trends

Talent and organizational health

• Design and run talent development programs tied to career growth and CCG’s business needs
• Lead succession planning to protect leadership continuity and critical capabilities
• Develop training on emerging finance technologies and professional skills
• Partner with P&C on recruiting strategies that attract and retain top talent
• Support engagement and retention initiatives, and help foster a culture of continuous learning and collaboration

Strategy and transformation

• Support initiatives that modernize CCG’s ways of working and drive operational efficiency
• Partner with finance leadership to translate CCG’s goals into clear priorities and measurable outcomes

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field
• 10+ years of progressive experience in finance operations, financial analysis, or process improvement with 5+ years in a management or leadership role
• Experience with financial planning, analytics, or business intelligence tools; Proficiency with Microsoft Office and enterprise systems
• Experience supporting or leading talent development initiatives
• Validated ability to influence and collaborate in a cross-functional, matrix organization with excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred qualifications

• MBA or master’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, or a related field
• CPA, CFA, CIA, or FP&A certification
• Background in budget management
• Experience in a large multinational technology company or Fortune 500 organization
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to turn data into recommendations

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 $178,300.00 to $233,900.00 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: .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: $178,300.00 - $269,000.00
• Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $158,700.00 - $243,800.00

* 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.

Cisconians power the future. We make impact as a team, innovating fast and fearlessly to create meaningful solutions on a large scale. The depth and breadth of our technology doesn't just benefit our customers – it also means limitless opportunities for us to experiment and learn. We understand the power each of our unique backgrounds bring when we work together. Because of that, we have a global network of thinkers, doers, experts, and curious creators who help one another do their life’s best work.