Leader, Strategy & Planning

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Meet the Team:

The Global Networking Sales (GNS) Strategy & Planning team is the engine room of Cisco’s multi-billion-dollar Networking business. We sit at the intersection of strategy, analytics, and execution, partnering with sales leadership, product development, marketing, and operations to define the future of our business. We don't just plan; we architect growth, optimize sales productivity, and foster a culture of high-performance cross-functional collaboration to solve the most complex challenges in the networking industry.

Your Impact:

As a Strategy and Planning Leader, you will serve as a primary catalyst for growth within the Cisco Networking Sales Organization. You will be in the driver’s seat of our global Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy, directly influencing how we bring new technologies to market, incentivize our sales force, and capture untapped market opportunities. By bridging the gap between high-level strategy and operational reality, you will empower our sales teams to win, shape executive decision-making, and leave a lasting mark on Cisco’s competitive trajectory through decisive leadership and vision.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead a team responsible for supporting cross-functional programs, including new product launches, global sales campaigns, and competitive programs in partnership with Networking Sales Acceleration, Marketing, Customers Success, Partner / Channel teams, and other Sales Strategy and Planning teams. 

• Team Leadership: Oversee and mentor a team of high-performing professionals; foster an inclusive, collaborative, and results-oriented culture.
• Strategic Program Leadership: Drive high-visibility, cross-functional programs, including new product launches, global sales campaigns, and competitive market initiatives in partnership with the Networking Sales Acceleration Team.
• Influence at Scale: Partner with sales and Business Unit leaders to formulate long-term priorities, leveraging data-driven insights to navigate emerging trends and competitive dynamics.
• Operationalize Ambition: Build robust governance frameworks, manage complex project lifecycles, and maintain accountability across global, cross-functional workstreams.
• Master the GTM Motion: Collaborate with Sales Acceleration and Analytics teams to identify high-propensity customer segments, design compelling sales incentives, and ensure our sales force is equipped with actionable, data-backed insights.
• Cultivate Expertise: Develop a deep, comprehensive understanding of the networking landscape, serving as a trusted, strategic advisor to executive leadership.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 8–10+ years of progressive experience in technology strategy, operations, or management consulting, with a proven track record of increasing leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience managing direct reports and leading high-performing teams.
• Proven ability to manage complex, global, cross-functional projects with a high degree of autonomy, influence, and accountability.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to distill complex data into compelling narratives for executive-level audiences.
• Strong analytical mindset with a deep command of business metrics and financial modeling.
• Proven success in navigating matrixed organizations and influencing stakeholders at all levels of the business.
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• MBA from a top-tier institution or equivalent professional experience.
• Demonstrated track record of solving unstructured, high-stakes business problems.
• Experience driving large-scale organizational change or process transformation within a global enterprise.

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. 

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.

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, 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.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area:

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

* 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.