Principal Product Management Engineer

This is a hybrid role based in Milpitas, requiring in-office presence at least 3 days per week.

About the Team

We are a small and agile unit (agile in the sense of moving precisely and timely, not necessarily “Agile” as project management—although we do that too!). We strongly rely on the interactions of our various teams to achieve success. You’ll join an exciting team as we define the direction of our product lines, operating in a “You build it, you run it” mode where everyone actively participates in maintaining and improving our software.

About the Role

Cisco is seeking a highly experienced and strategic Senior Principal Product Manager to join our team. In this pivotal role, you will serve as a senior member of our product management organization, responsible for defining and managing the customer scope for our sophisticated engineered systems. You will bridge the gap between complex technical architecture and commercial viability, ensuring our SaaS offerings are robust, compliant, and aligned with our global buying programs.

Responsibilities

• Define and manage the end-to-end customer scope for engineered systems, ensuring solutions meet market demands while maintaining technical integrity.
• Orchestrate collaboration across engineering, product management, sales, legal, regulatory, and privacy teams to ensure seamless product delivery and organizational alignment.
• Act as a liaison to engage and coordinate with cross-Business Unit (BU) resources across Cisco, leveraging broader Cisco technologies and product portfolios to deliver cohesive SaaS solutions for Service Providers and Enterprises.
• Direct and oversee the creation of comprehensive documentation for operational and technical scope, tailored for SaaS offers and complex contracting requirements.
• Ensure product delivery and solution design are tightly integrated with Cisco’s buying programs and billing constructs to drive revenue and customer satisfaction.
• Operate with a high degree of independence, navigating complex constraints and ambiguous environments to deliver high-impact results.

Requirements

• 15 or more years of experience in service provider networks, mobility technologies, and industry standards.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering or a related discipline.
• Strong executive communication skills with the ability to influence customers, partners, analysts, and senior leadership.
• Proven ability to define long-term technology strategy and translate it into successful product roadmaps.

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep expertise in product management, solution architecture, or a related field within the networking and SaaS ecosystem.
• Demonstrated history of influencing networking standards and open-source communities.
• Experience navigating large, matrixed organizations to drive cross-functional collaboration.
• Proven ability to influence stakeholders and integrate disparate product offerings into a unified, market-ready solution.
• Established reputation as an industry thought leader, with participation in standards bodies, technical committees, patents, publications, or major industry conferences.

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, creating solutions that power how humans and technology work together across physical and digital worlds. Our solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across their entire digital footprint. Fueled by our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions, collaborating with empathy to make a global impact.

Pay

The starting salary range for this position is $233,900.00 to $330,400.00 for new hires in U.S. and 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 training. Below are the full salary ranges for specific locations:

• New York City Metro Area: $233,900.00 - $380,000.00
• Non-Metro New York State & Washington State: $220,900.00 - $344,300.00

For quota-based sales roles, the ranges include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) plan with Cisco matching contribution.
• Paid parental leave, short- and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance.
• Eligibility for grants of Cisco restricted stock units, vesting over time with continued employment.
• Paid time off:
  • 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees.
  • 1 paid day off for employee’s birthday, year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness.
  • Non-exempt employees: 16 days of paid vacation per full calendar year, accrued at 4.92 hours per pay period.
  • Exempt employees: Flexible vacation time off with no defined limit (subject to business availability).
  • 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, with up to 80 hours carried forward annually.
  • Additional paid time off for critical or emergency family issues.
  • Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year for volunteering.
• Annual bonuses for non-sales roles, subject to Cisco’s policies.
• For sales roles: Performance-based incentive pay split between quota and non-quota components, with no cap on incentive compensation for quota-based performance exceeding 100%.