Strategy & Planning Manager

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 149,000 - 208,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Strategy & Planning Program Manager for the Product AI Operations team in the US. You will translate high‑level AI strategy into structured, governed programs, leading cross‑functional initiatives across product, engineering, IT, legal, and finance to drive alignment and measurable outcomes.

You will build scalable operating cadences, risk/dependency frameworks, and executive dashboards, enabling timely decisions and unblocking AI priorities at senior levels.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience in a related field.
• 6+ years leading strategic programs or enterprise operations in tech.
• 4+ years managing large cross-functional initiatives across matrixed teams.
• Experience creating integrated execution plans, milestones, and risk frameworks.
• Experience delivering governance presentations and senior leadership reporting.

Responsibilities

• Translate enterprise AI strategy into governed operational programs.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives across Product, Engineering, IT, Legal, and Finance.
• Establish integrated execution plans, milestone roadmaps, and decision rights.
• Develop governance templates, risk management, and scalable operating cadences.

Skills

Strategic program leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder management

Executive governance reporting

Program execution planning

Change management

PM certification (PMP, PMI-ACP, Agile,

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Computer Science, Operations

Tools

Tableau

Power BI

Workflow automation platforms

Job description

Meet the Team

The Product AI Operations team partners with leaders across Product, Engineering, IT, Security, Legal, Finance, Procurement, and Operations to deliver the organization’s most meaningful AI priorities. We build the operating mechanisms that make AI execution more predictable, scalable, and repeatable: coordinated plans, decision forums, shared metrics, risk and dependency management, operating cadences, and concise leadership reporting.

Your Impact

As a Strategy & Planning Program Manager on the Product AI Operations team, you will serve as the connective execution layer translating high‑level enterprise AI strategy into structured, governed, and predictable operational programs. You will lead complex, cross‑functional initiatives across Product, Engineering, IT, Legal, and Finance, establishing integrated execution plans, milestone roadmaps, and clear decision rights to drive seamless alignment across organizational boundaries. You will build and scale durable operating cadences, risk and dependency management frameworks, and shared metrics to eliminate coordination friction and improve execution repeatability. You will deliver concise, decision‑oriented reporting and executive visibility to senior leadership to enable timely decision‑making and proactively unblock critical AI priorities. Additionally, you will institutionalize reusable templates, governance playbooks, and scalable practices to continuously elevate organizational operational maturity and ensure measurable business outcomes.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Computer Science, Operations, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• 6+ years of professional experience leading strategic programs, business operations, business planning, or product/go-to-market operations in an enterprise technology environment.
• 4+ years of hands‑on experience managing large, cross‑functional initiatives across matrixed stakeholder groups (such as Product, Engineering, IT, Finance, and Legal).
• Demonstrated experience establishing integrated program execution plans, operating cadences, milestone roadmaps, and risk/dependency management frameworks.
• Experience developing executive‑level governance presentations, program status dashboards, or management reporting for senior leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with enterprise AI technologies, platforms, workflows, or cloud operating models.
• Experience leading operational or governance programs spanning product management, engineering enablement, and go‑to‑market execution.
• Formal program management certification (such as PMP, PMI‑ACP, Agile, Scrum, or Lean Six Sigma).
• Experience utilizing program and portfolio management tools, data visualization dashboards (e.g., Tableau, Power BI), or workflow automation platforms.
• Strong stakeholder alignment and change management skills with a proven track record of driving cross‑functional decisions without direct authority.

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 $148,800.00 to $208,200.00 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.

Benefits and Compensation

• 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: $148,800.00 - $238,300.00 Non‑Metro New York state & Washington state: $143,600.00 - $211,900.00.
• * 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.

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.