Strategy & Planning, Lead

Cisco; Alpharetta (GA); On-site; USD 156,000 - 227,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco is seeking a Strategy & Planning Lead for its GTM Strategy & Operations team in the United States. You will lead strategic projects, translate business questions into analyses, and develop GTM frameworks to guide sales strategy across the CRO organization.

You will build relationships with senior executives, deliver executive-ready analyses, and present actionable insights. The role blends quantitative work with compelling executive storytelling.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or 4+ years professional work experience.
• 7+ years of professional experience in GTM strategy, business operations, sales operations, strategic planning, or management consulting.
• 3+ years of hands-on professional experience using Microsoft Excel to build financial or business models, and Microsoft PowerPoint to create slide decks delivered to leadership.
• 3+ years of professional experience leading cross-functional strategic projects from initial scoping to final deliverable presentation.
• 2+ years of professional experience delivering verbal presentations or written communications and reports directly to vice-president-level leadership or corporate officers.
• 3+ years of professional experience performing quantitative data analysis and translating data sets into strategic recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Independently lead strategic GTM projects end-to-end - from problem framing and analysis through executive-ready recommendations - requiring minimal day-to-day direction.
• Build and manage relationships with senior executives and cross-functional leaders, serving as a trusted strategic partner to the CRO organization.
• Develop and apply GTM frameworks and models to evaluate market opportunities, sales strategy options, and business performance.
• Conduct deep quantitative and qualitative analyses, synthesizing sales, pipeline, and business data into clear, actionable executive insights.
• Build and deliver polished, executive-ready presentations and business models (Excel, PowerPoint) for CRO and senior leadership reviews.
• Partner cross-functionally with sales, marketing, finance, product, and operations to align GTM priorities and drive execution against strategic plans.
• Own analysis, reporting, and materials for recurring strategic planning cycles and executive business reviews.

Skills

Strategic GTM

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Quantitative analysis

Executive storytelling

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA (preferred)

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

SQL

Salesforce (SFDC)

Tableau

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/21/2026

Meet the Team

The GTM Strategy & Operations team for Splunk is the strategic engine behind Splunk's go-to-market motion, partnering directly with the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) organization to shape sales strategy, planning, and executive decision-making. We translate market dynamics, business performance, and sales data into the frameworks and recommendations that guide how Splunk goes to market.

The team operates at the intersection of strategy, analytics, and operations - developing GTM frameworks, running independent analyses, and delivering executive-ready recommendations that directly influence CRO-level priorities and investment decisions.

Our team members are trusted advisors to senior leadership: independent, analytically rigorous, and comfortable owning ambiguous problems end-to-end. We value clear thinking, sharp executive communication, and a collaborative approach to solving cross-functional business challenges.

Your Impact

As the Strategy & Planning Lead on the GTM Strategy & Operations team, you will lead strategic projects supporting Splunk's CRO organization largely independently, with light guidance from your manager. You will build direct, trusted relationships with senior executives, translate ambiguous business questions into structured analyses, and develop the GTM frameworks that shape strategic decisions across the sales organization.

You bring strong analytical rigor, executive presence, and a track record of owning complex strategic work from framing through recommendation - and you're comfortable moving between deep quantitative analysis and polished executive storytelling.

• Independently lead strategic GTM projects end-to-end - from problem framing and analysis through executive-ready recommendations - requiring minimal day-to-day direction.
• Build and manage relationships with senior executives and cross-functional leaders, serving as a trusted strategic partner to the CRO organization.
• Develop and apply GTM frameworks and models to evaluate market opportunities, sales strategy options, and business performance.
• Conduct deep quantitative and qualitative analyses, synthesizing sales, pipeline, and business data into clear, actionable executive insights.
• Build and deliver polished, executive-ready presentations and business models (Excel, PowerPoint) for CRO and senior leadership reviews.
• Partner cross-functionally with sales, marketing, finance, product, and, operations to align GTM priorities and drive execution against strategic plans.
• Own analysis, reporting, and materials for recurring strategic planning cycles and executive business reviews.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, or a minimum of 4 years of professional work experience.
• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in Global Transformation Management (GTM) strategy, business operations, sales operations, strategic planning, or management consulting.
• Minimum of 3 years of hands‑on professional experience using Microsoft Excel to build financial or business models, and Microsoft PowerPoint to create slide decks delivered to leadership.
• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience leading cross‑functional strategic projects from initial scoping to final deliverable presentation.
• Minimum of 2 years of professional experience delivering verbal presentations or written communications and reports directly to vice‑president‑level leadership or corporate officers.
• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience performing quantitative data analysis and translating data sets into strategic recommendations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Possession of an advanced degree (such as an MBA) from an accredited institution.
• Experience utilizing SQL, Salesforce (SFDC), and/or Tableau for data extraction and analysis.
• Experience developing Global Transformation Management (GTM) or strategic planning frameworks used to guide executive decision‑making.
• Prior professional background in management consulting, corporate strategy, or sales/business operations.
• Professional experience managing stakeholder relationships at the C‑suite or executive level.
• Familiarity with enterprise B2B software business models, sales motions, or Cisco/Splunk GTM frameworks.

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 $155,500.00 to $226,800.00 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.

• 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

$198,500.00 - $324,100.00

Non-Metro New York State & Washington State

$180,200.00 - $278,600.00

• 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.