Strategy & Planning Director

Cisco Systems; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 286,000 - 364,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco is seeking a senior leader to join our Portfolio Strategy team. You will engage directly with C-suite executives at leading organizations, delivering strategic messaging and connecting Cisco’s vision to real-world technical solutions for our largest customers as they embrace AI and next-generation infrastructure.

Travel is required. The role requires 15+ years in a senior strategy role within a global enterprise tech company and a Bachelor's degree.

Qualifications

• 15+ years experience in a senior strategy role in a global enterprise tech company
• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of skills and experience

Responsibilities

• Build and nurture trusted relationships with Cisco’s executive leadership and C-suite leaders at top customer organizations.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, sales, and partner teams to identify high-value opportunities.
• Tailor Cisco’s strategic messaging for executive stakeholders with practical alignment to technical implementation.
• Provide strategic and technical guidance, including technology roadmaps, solution architectures, and implementation plans.

Education

Bachelor's Degree or equivalent

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/08/2026

Meet the Team

Cisco is seeking a senior leader to join our Portfolio Strategy team. In this pivotal role, you will engage directly with C-suite executives at leading organizations, delivering strategic messaging and connecting Cisco’s vision to real-world technical solutions for our largest customers as they embrace AI and next-generation infrastructure. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong track record of executive influence, deep expertise in enterprise technology, and outstanding communication skills. Travel is required. Join us and make an impact on Cisco’s most influential team!

Your Impact

As a senior member of the Portfolio Strategy team, this role has a significant impact by building and nurturing trusted relationships with Cisco’s executive leadership and C-suite leaders at top customer organizations. By collaborating cross-functionally with product, sales, and partner teams, the position plays a key role in identifying and shaping high-value opportunities among Cisco’s largest customers. The role is instrumental in delivering and tailoring Cisco’s strategic messaging for executive stakeholders, ensuring practical alignment with technical implementation. Additionally, by providing both strategic and technical guidance—including technology roadmaps, solution architectures, and implementation plans, the position helps customer executives translate Cisco’s portfolio into actionable business and technology strategies, driving meaningful outcomes for both Cisco and its clients.

Minimum Qualifications

• 15+ years experience in a senior strategy role in a global enterprise tech company
• Bachelors Degree or equivalent combination of skills and experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience engaging and influencing C-suite leaders in large, complex organizations.
• Strong collaboration skills within senior technical teams.
• Deep expertise in enterprise technology, digital transformation, and translating vision into technical strategy.
• Exceptional executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Willingness and ability to travel as needed.

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 $286,200.00 to $364,400.00 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:

$286,200.00 - $416,900.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$253,000.00 - $386,900.00

• 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.

Cisco is an Affciative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

Cisco will consider for employment, on a case by case basis, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.