Strategy & Planning Director

Application window closes: 10/08/2026

About the role

Meet the Team Cisco is seeking a senior leader to join our Portfolio Strategy team. In this pivotal role, you will engage directly with C-suite executives at leading organizations, delivering strategic messaging and connecting Cisco’s vision to real-world technical solutions for our largest customers as they embrace AI and next-generation infrastructure. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong track record of executive influence, deep expertise in enterprise technology, and outstanding communication skills. Travel is required. Join us and make an impact on Cisco’s most influential team!

Responsibilities

As a senior member of the Portfolio Strategy team, this role has a significant impact by building and nurturing trusted relationships with Cisco’s executive leadership and C-suite leaders at top customer organizations. By collaborating cross-functionally with product, sales, and partner teams, the position plays a key role in identifying and shaping high-value opportunities among Cisco’s largest customers. The role is instrumental in delivering and tailoring Cisco’s strategic messaging for executive stakeholders, ensuring practical alignment with technical implementation. Additionally, by providing both strategic and technical guidance—including technology roadmaps, solution architectures, and implementation plans—the position helps customer executives translate Cisco’s portfolio into actionable business and technology strategies, driving meaningful outcomes for both Cisco and its clients.

Minimum Qualifications

• 15+ years experience in a senior strategy role in a global enterprise tech company
• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of skills and experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience engaging and influencing C-suite leaders in large, complex organizations.
• Strong collaboration skills within senior technical teams.
• Deep expertise in enterprise technology, digital transformation, and translating vision into technical strategy.
• Exceptional executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Willingness and ability to travel as needed.

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.

Pay

The starting salary range posted for this position is $286,200.00 to $364,400.00 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.

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.

The full salary range for certain locations is listed below:

• New York City Metro Area: $286,200.00 - $416,900.00
• Non-Metro New York State & Washington State: $253,000.00 - $386,900.00

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.

Benefits

• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan with Cisco matching contribution
• Paid parental leave
• Short and long-term disability coverage
• Basic life insurance
• Eligibility for grants of Cisco restricted stock units (vesting after continued employment)
• Paid time away:
  • 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: 16 days of paid vacation per full calendar year, accrued at 4.92 hours per pay period for full‑time employees
  • Exempt employees: flexible vacation time off program with no defined limit (subject to availability and business limitations)
  • 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, with up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward
  • Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer
• Annual bonuses for non‑sales roles (subject to Cisco’s policies)
• For sales roles: performance‑based incentive pay on top of base salary, split between quota and non‑quota components, with specific payout rates for quota attainment and potential payments for non‑quota‑based sales performance elements (see posting for details)