Strategy & Planning Manager III (Full Time) - United States
Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Meet the Team
The Customer Strategy and Product Strategy + Planning team plays a pivotal role in crafting how Cisco and Splunk deliver outstanding value to our customers. We develop and align critical initiatives spanning customer engagement, market analysis, and product lifecycle planning. Partnering closely with cross functional teams across product, sales, marketing, and engineering, we integrate customer insights into product roadmaps and go-to-market strategies—ensuring our solutions meet evolving market needs and customer expectations.
A core focus of our team is articulating the "better together" story that connects Cisco's networking, security, and observability capabilities with Splunk's data platform to unlock differentiated outcomes for customers.
Your Impact
We are hiring a full-time Strategy Manager to drive high-visibility, cross-functional initiatives at the intersection of customer strategy, product growth, and the Cisco–Splunk integration. This role is for a structured thinker and strong communicator who thrives with solving ambiguous problems, aligning partners, and turning strategy into execution.
You will work directly with Splunk Leadership team and senior collaborators across Cisco and Splunk, synthesize sophisticated inputs into clear recommendations, and help build decisions that influence our portfolio strategy and customer experience.
Drive pivotal initiatives across customer journey mapping, competitive analysis, market sizing, and portfolio rationalization
Lead cross-functional programs end-to-end—defining scope, building project plans, leading participants, and delivering outcomes on time
Synthesize customer and market insights into actionable recommendations that advise product roadmaps and go-to-market strategy
Develop executive-ready communications, including narratives, cases, and board/leadership presentations
Facilitate strategic discussions that drive integration, innovation, and alignment across Cisco and Splunk portfolios
Provide business requirements and support technical teams in developing AI-led workflows to drive operational efficiencies in strategic program management
Minimum Qualifications
Recent MBA graduate (or graduating in 2026) from a top program, or equivalent graduate-level business degree
2+ years of pre-MBA experience in management consulting, investment banking, SaaS/tech strategy, corporate strategy, or a comparable analytical role
Demonstrated track record of leading multiple sophisticated, fast paced programs simultaneously in ambiguous environments
Excellent executive communication skills—both written and verbal—with consistent record to influence senior leaders
Strong proficiency with PowerPoint, Excel, and project management tools (e.g., Airtable, Smartsheet, Asana)
Experience operating in large, matrixed organizations requiring cross-functional collaboration
Preferred Qualifications
Prior experience in an internal strategy, management consulting, or BizOps / Chief of Staff role at a SaaS or enterprise tech company
Familiarity with the SaaS industry, enterprise software, or technology partnerships and ecosystems
Exposure to product strategy, GTM strategy, or customer success motions
Strong financial and quantitative analysis skills (market sizing, reason modeling, benchmark development)
Intellectual curiosity, structured problem-solving, and a bias toward action
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 applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:
The starting salary range posted for this position is $128,500.00 to $179,800.00 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. 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:
$128,500.00 - $206,700.00Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:
$125,200.00 - $183,100.00* 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.
** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.