Strategy & Planning Manager - Bay Area

Cisco; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 230,000 - 330,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

401(k) with Cisco matching

Paid parental leave

Disability coverage

Life insurance

Restricted stock units

Job summary

Cisco is seeking a Strategy & Planning Leader for Hyperscale & AI to partner with the VP of Engineering and align engineering strategies with sales, marketing, and product initiatives.

You will drive KPI-driven planning, optimize performance across the SE team, and mentor leaders to enable long-term success while shaping a culture of high performance.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in strategy, operations, program management, or pre-sales engineering.
• Bachelor’s degree in a technical or business-related field.
• Proficiency in Salesforce, data analysis, and modern AI-driven productivity platforms.
• Experience in defining KPIs, monitoring performance, and executing strategic planning in large organizations.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning & Growth: Develop and implement comprehensive strategies for the SE team to support HAI growth objectives, aligning goals with broader sales, marketing, and product strategies.
• Strategic Alignment & Execution: Create and execute operational strategies that support SE and Architecture team objectives; identify potential risks, develop mitigation plans, and present insights to leadership.
• Performance Monitoring & Improvement: Define success metrics and track progress against strategic objectives; monitor KPIs to assess the effectiveness of pre-sales strategies and initiatives.
• Data Analysis & Corrective Action: Analyze performance metrics to identify areas for improvement and implement corrective actions; establish a framework for continuous feedback and iteration.
• Cross-functional Coordination: Act as a central point of coordination between the HAI Sales Engineering team, Americas SE leadership, Global SE, Sales, and Marketing to ensure alignment on goals and deliverables.
• Professional Development & Mentorship: Identify skill needs and implement training programs to support the SE team; mentor and guide team leaders to enhance strategic thinking and technical capabilities.
• Culture & Advocacy: Foster a high-performance culture of inspiration and recognition, serving as the primary advocate for the HAI SE community to ensure our impact and requirements are represented within the broader Americas and Global SE organizations.

Skills

Strategy

Operations

Program management

Pre-sales engineering

Data analysis

AI productivity tools

Salesforce

Education

Bachelor’s degree in technical or business-related field

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/22/2026

SE Strategy & Planning Leader – Hyperscale & AI (HAI)

Candidate required to live in or relocate to the Bay Area

Meet the Team

The SE HAI community is a high-performing, dynamic group of professionals dedicated to driving innovation and technical excellence across our most critical customer segments. As the company’s highest-selling segment in recent years, we operate in a unique, fast-paced market where we co-define next-generation products directly with our customers. We serve as the strategic backbone of our sales organization, ensuring our engineers are empowered with the tools and insights needed to navigate state-of-the-art industry trends. Our culture is defined by a "Win As One" mentality, where cross-functional collaboration, recognition, and accountability drive our collective success in an ever-evolving market. Joining this team offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of our operational strategy while working alongside industry leaders committed to excellence, growth, and customer success.

Your Impact

Partner with the VP of Engineering to translate complex business objectives into actionable engineering strategies that support HAI growth. Act as the operational heartbeat of the organization, driving efficiency through data-driven decision-making and cross-functional orchestration. Foster a high-performance culture of inspiration and recognition, ensuring our Solutions Engineering team remains enabled, engaged, and empowered to deliver their best work. Bridge the gap between high-level sales priorities and day-to-day engineering execution to maximize the impact of our SEs across all customer initiatives. Utilize critical thinking and innovation to drive continuous improvement, ensuring the team is always positioned for long-term success.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning & Growth: Develop and implement comprehensive strategies for the SE team to support HAI growth objectives, aligning goals with broader sales, marketing, and product strategies.
• Strategic Alignment & Execution: Create and execute operational strategies that support SE and Architecture team objectives; identify potential risks, develop mitigation plans, and present insights to leadership.
• Performance Monitoring & Improvement: Define success metrics and track progress against strategic objectives; monitor KPIs to assess the effectiveness of pre-sales strategies and initiatives.
• Data Analysis & Corrective Action: Analyze performance metrics to identify areas for improvement and implement corrective actions; establish a framework for continuous feedback and iteration.
• Cross-functional Coordination: Act as a central point of coordination between the HAI Sales Engineering team, Americas SE leadership, Global SE, Sales, and Marketing to ensure alignment on goals and deliverables.
• Professional Development & Mentorship: Identify skill needs and implement training programs to support the SE team; mentor and guide team leaders to enhance strategic thinking and technical capabilities.
• Culture & Advocacy: Foster a high-performance culture of inspiration and recognition, serving as the primary advocate for the HAI SE community to ensure our impact and requirements are represented within the broader Americas and Global SE organizations.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in strategy, operations, program management, or pre-sales engineering.
• Bachelor’s degree in a technical or business-related field.
• Proficiency in Salesforce, data analysis, and modern AI-driven productivity platforms.
• Experience in defining KPIs, monitoring performance, and executing strategic planning in large organizations.

Preferred Qualifications

• AI tools knowledge.
• Field experience as a Solutions Engineer (SE) with an understanding of HAI or SP business landscape and portfolio.
• Leadership in fostering a high-performance culture through mentorship, team recognition, and professional development.
• Experience in cross-functional collaboration, specifically in aligning engineering teams with global sales and marketing objectives.
• Critical thinking skills with a proven track record of driving innovation and change management in complex environments.
• Executive presence with superior verbal and written communication skills for high-level storytelling and presentations.

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 $198,500.00 to $273,800.00 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.

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.