Senior Director of Media Bureau

About the role

The PR team is responsible for leading Cisco's corporate and technology PR programs, as well as crafting and delivering clear and compelling narratives that grab the attention of media and influencers. This high-visibility role partners directly with senior leaders—including the President & Chief Product Officer—to shape how Cisco's story is told consistently and compellingly across our portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a center of excellence for executive communications supporting the President & CPO and aligning executives across key swim lanes—elevating their platforms and ensuring their voices reflect Cisco's innovation and leadership in the AI era.
• Build and run a best-in-class media function—including the news bureau, media training, and spokesperson development—raising readiness and consistency across the executive bench.
• Own the development and stewardship of Cisco's product and innovation story, FAQs, and cross-portfolio storytelling, ensuring a cohesive narrative that resonates across audiences and channels; partner closely with Corporate PR on financial messaging.
• Establish and govern editorial standards for major announcements and press releases, driving quality, consistency, and strategic alignment across the function.
• Lead key initiatives on measurement and insights, building the frameworks and analytics that demonstrate impact and continuously sharpen storytelling and program performance.
• Find innovative ways to use AI to derive signal in the market that can be translated into messaging and media opportunities.
• Lead and Inspire: Manage and mentor a talented team, fostering a culture of bold, proactive, and data-driven storytelling.

Minimum Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in public relations, communications, or related fields with a bias toward proactive storytelling.
• Proven track record of providing strategic communications counsel to C-suite executives and elevating executive platforms.
• Strong media relationships with top-tier business and technology reporters, plus experience building media training and spokesperson development programs.
• Demonstrated expertise in corporate narrative development, editorial governance, and communications measurement.
• Experience leading and scaling high-performing teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Track record of transforming and significantly elevating a brand.
• Experience launching or supporting integrated campaigns across multiple channels (earned, owned, paid, social, events).
• Experience building communications centers of excellence or shared-services models.

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

The starting salary range posted for this position is $278,400.00 to $352,700.00 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.

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
• 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
• 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
• Flexible vacation time off program for exempt employees, with no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)
• Up to 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
• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer
• Annual bonuses for non-sales roles, subject to Cisco’s policies
• Performance-based incentive pay for quota-based sales roles, subject to Cisco’s policies
• Time off program for Illinois employees, subject to Cisco’s policies