Strategy & Planning Manager

Cisco; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 173,000 - 232,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco is seeking a Senior Strategy professional to drive enterprise-wide initiatives in Corporate Strategy & Planning. You will define problems, build analytical frameworks, and present actionable recommendations to senior leadership, drawing on deep experience in finance, technology strategy, and cross-functional collaboration.

The role emphasizes translating complex analytics into strategic business value, evaluating technology investments, and guiding decisions across product, engineering,

Qualifications

• MBA or equivalent advanced degree in business, finance, economics, or a related field.
• 6+ years of professional experience in business strategy, corporate planning, finance, or technology product strategy.
• 2+ years of post-MBA experience in management consulting, corporate strategy, corporate development, investment banking, private equity, or strategic business functions in the technology or semiconductor industry.
• Experience evaluating complex enterprise technologies and translating technical capabilities into business value.
• Experience developing and evaluating financial models, including P&L, DCF, ROI, scenario analysis, to support strategic decision-making.
• Experience synthesizing complex analyses into clear recommendations and presenting findings to senior executives.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic workstreams from problem definition through research, analysis, and development of recommendations for senior leadership.
• Structure ambiguous business questions and assess scenarios, trade-offs, and potential investments to support informed decision-making.
• Apply analytical and technology fluency to synthesize information and develop defensible recommendations for enterprise-level decisions.
• Collaborate with leaders across Corporate Strategy, Product Management, Engineering, Finance, and other orgs to drive cross-functional initiatives.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Financial modeling

Executive communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Industry knowledge: tech/semiconductor

Education

MBA or equivalent advanced degree

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 11/05/2026

Meet the Team

Our Corporate Strategy & Planning team serves as an internal strategy consulting function, helping Cisco leaders evaluate complex business and strategic questions and translate analysis into actionable recommendations. The team works across the organization on priorities that may include AI and emerging technologies, market and competitive strategy, business and investment decisions, long-term growth, M&A and ecosystem opportunities, and business transformation. This is an opportunity to work on high-impact, enterprise-level questions, rapidly develop expertise across new topics, and influence strategic decisions across Cisco.

Your Impact

Operating in a matrix environment, you will work across a range of strategic projects and partner with leaders across Corporate Strategy, Product Management, Engineering, Finance, Supply Chain, Go-to-Market, Corporate Development, and other organizations. Lead strategic workstreams from problem definition through research, analysis, and development of recommendations for senior leadership. Structure ambiguous business questions, evaluate internal and external data, develop business cases and strategic frameworks, and assess scenarios, trade-offs, and potential investments to support informed decision-making. Apply analytical and technology fluency to synthesize complex information, identify key insights, and develop clear, defensible recommendations that inform enterprise-level business decisions.

Minimum Qualifications

• MBA or equivalent advanced degree in business, finance, economics, or a related field, with 6+ years of professional experience in business strategy, corporate planning, finance, or technology product strategy.
• 2+ years of post-MBA experience in management consulting, corporate strategy, corporate development, investment banking, private equity, or strategic business functions in the technology or semiconductor industry.
• Experience evaluating complex enterprise technologies, including cloud architectures, AI infrastructure, optical networking, or silicon, and translating technical capabilities into business or commercial value.
• Experience developing and evaluating financial models and business cases, including P&L, discounted cash flow (DCF), ROI, scenario analysis, or comparable financial analyses, to support strategic decision-making.
• Experience synthesizing complex analyses into clear recommendations and presenting findings to senior executives and cross-functional stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives involving multiple stakeholder groups.
• Experience in the technology, semiconductor, networking, cloud, AI, or enterprise technology industry.
• Experience in corporate strategy, corporate development, M&A, competitive strategy, or a related strategic function.
• Experience operating effectively in an unstructured, team-oriented environment with demonstrated progression toward increased scope and responsibility.

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 $173,400.00 to $231,800.00 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 sto