Customer Program Manager

About the role

The Customer Program Manager leads complex, customer-facing programs across Cisco technologies and services, translating customer priorities into coordinated execution and measurable business outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead customer projects and programs across Cisco technologies and services from initiation through closure.
• Translate customer priorities into program strategies, roadmaps, delivery plans, milestones, and measurable business outcomes.
• Manage scope, schedule, budget, quality, financial performance, customer satisfaction, risks, dependencies, and change.
• Cook up internal and external stakeholders and present program performance, financials, risks, recommendations, and decision points to executive audiences.
• Establish program governance, communications, escalation, risk-management, and change-control practices; identify issues early and lead mitigation and recovery planning.
• Manage forecasting, invoicing, revenue, cost, margin, and accurate reporting across Cisco Systems.
• Apply Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid delivery methods based on program and customer needs while maintaining Cisco delivery, financial, contractual, documentation, and operational standards.
• Coach project and program managers and promote consistent delivery practices, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement.
• Apply approved AI, analytics, and automation tools to improve planning, reporting, forecasting, risk detection, communications, and program closeout.
• Identify opportunities to reduce manual effort and improve productivity, quality, cycle time, and delivery outcomes through practical use of AI and automation.
• Validate AI-assisted outputs and automation for accuracy, relevance, customer context, appropriate controls, and traceability.
• Maintain human accountability for customer commitments, financial actions, approvals, and decisions informed by AI.

  Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years of relevant experience, Master’s degree with 6+ years, doctoral degree with 3+ years, or equivalent relevant work experience.
  • Current Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute or a comparable recognized project management certification.
  • Progressive project or program-management experience delivering complex, customer-facing engagements within Professional Services, management consulting, systems integration, or comparable enterprise services environments.
  • Demonstrated practical experience applying AI, automation, AI-enabled workflows, or agents beyond basic conversational or chatbot use, including at least one example with measurable or clearly defined business or operational impact.
  • Strong executive and customer-facing communication, presentation, facilitation, negotiation, and problem-solving skills, with demonstrated ability to think on your feet and navigate ambiguity.
  • Experience within leading management consulting, technology consulting, systems integration, or enterprise Professional Services organizations.
  • Experience applying AI-enabled tools, automation, or agents to project management, PMO, service-delivery, or operational processes, with demonstrated ability to articulate the resulting business value.
  • Working knowledge of Cisco architectures, technologies, business processes, operational tools, and service-delivery practices.
  • PMI-CPMAI, PgMP, Agile, Scrum, ITIL, change-management, financial-management, Cisco technical, or other relevant professional certifications.

  Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years of relevant experience, Master’s degree with 6+ years, doctoral degree with 3+ years, or equivalent relevant work experience.
  • Current Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute or a comparable recognized project management certification.
  • Progressive project or program-management experience delivering complex, customer-facing engagements within Professional Services, management consulting, systems integration, or comparable enterprise services environments.
  • Demonstrated practical experience applying AI, automation, AI-enabled workflows, or agents beyond basic conversational or chatbot use, including at least one example with measurable or clearly defined business or operational impact.
  • Strong executive and customer-facing communication, presentation, facilitation, negotiation, and problem-solving skills, with demonstrated ability to think on your feet and navigate ambiguity.
  • Experience within leading management consulting, technology consulting, systems integration, or enterprise Professional Services organizations.
  • Experience applying AI-enabled tools, automation, or agents to project management, PMO, service-delivery, or operational processes, with demonstrated ability to articulate the resulting business value.
  • Working knowledge of Cisco architectures, technologies, business processes, operational tools, and service-delivery practices.
  • PMI-CPMAI, PgMP, Agile, Scrum, ITIL, change-management, financial-management, Cisco technical, or other relevant professional certifications.

  Skills

  • Strategic, operational, financial, and technical judgment.
  • Building trusted stakeholder relationships.
  • Navigating ambiguity and risk.
  • Using data, automation, and approved AI tools to improve delivery while protecting sensitive information and maintaining human accountability.
  • Applying AI-enabled workflows, automation, agents, or similar capabilities to solve business problems and produce measurable improvements in productivity, quality, speed, or delivery outcomes.

  Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
  • A 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution.
  • Paid parental leave.
  • Short and long-term disability coverage.
  • Basic life insurance.
  • Flexible vacation time off program.
  • Volunteer time off.
  • Annual bonuses for quota-based sales roles.
  • Performance-based incentive pay for quota-based sales roles.
  • Time off to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members.

  Pay

  The starting salary range posted for this position is $130,200.00 to $180,500.00 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.

  Schedule

  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.
  • 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 a 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.