This role is remote and can be worked anywhere within the United States.

Meet the Team

As the Communications Manager for Cisco’s Campus Networking Product Management organization, spanning Enterprise Switching, Wireless, Cisco Spaces, and Cameras, this role owns the communications strategy and end-to-end execution for how the team shows up internally, externally, and in high-visibility forums. The Communications Manager ensures our narrative is clear, compelling, and aligned with Cisco’s broader vision. This role reports to the Senior Director, Strategy & Planning (Chief of Staff to the SVP).

Your Impact

This role partners closely with the SVP/GM and the Chief of Staff to amplify leadership presence across public forums, industry events, and internal engagements. As a strategic communications partner, the Communications Manager advises the SVP/GM and Chief of Staff on messaging, translates agreed priorities into clear, consistent communications, and maintains continuity of message and momentum.

The Communications Manager owns end-to-end planning and execution for All Hands, leadership forums, internal events, and cross-functional showcases, including workback plans, stakeholder input, executive review, deadlines, and follow-through. The Communications Manager proactively manages the communications calendar, identifies risks and dependencies early, brings forward recommended solutions, and drives agreed actions through completion.

Ultimately, the Communications Manager creates alignment and engagement by ensuring that leaders and employees receive timely, accurate, and coordinated communications about the organization’s priorities, decisions, and progress. Key responsibilities of this role include:

• Own the annual and quarterly communications strategy and calendar across leadership, employee, product, customer, and external communications.
• Develop and edit executive and organizational communications, including presentations, talking points, All Hands content, leadership messages, announcements, email, and digital content.
• Partner across product, sales, marketing, operations, and other communications teams to gather input, reconcile feedback, align stakeholders, and drive content through final approval and delivery.
• Coordinate with Marketing and other cross-functional teams on public forums, industry events, media opportunities, and external communications.
• Define measures of communication effectiveness, track audience engagement, and use the findings to improve future communications.
• Serve as editorial lead for executive and organizational communications, ensuring accuracy, clarity, consistency, appropriate stakeholder review, and executive-ready quality.
• Manage the full communications portfolio, balancing high-visibility executive deliverables with communications that affect the broader organization.
• Create and manage workback plans for major communications and events, establish clear owners and review points, and escalate risks with recommended solutions.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors + 12 years of related experience, or Masters + 8 years of related experience, or PhD + 5 years of related experience in Communications, Marketing, Journalism, Public Relations, or related field.
• 7+ years of progressive experience developing and executing communications strategies, including experience supporting senior executives in a complex, matrixed organization.
• Previous writing, editing, and editorial judgment skills, with the ability to translate complex technical and business topics for diverse audiences.
• Led cross-functional communications programs across multiple partner teams, such as Engineering, Marketing, Public Relations, and Sales.
• Developed executive communications and content for large internal or external audiences.
• Managed multiple concurrent communications initiatives using clear workback plans, review cycles, and delivery milestones.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to influence leaders and navigate fast paced, matrixed environments.
• Familiarity with digital communication tools, content management systems, and modern marketing platforms.
• Experience communicating complex technology and product strategy in a business-to-business technology environment.
• Experience using engagement data and analytics tools, such as Qualtrics or Tableau, to evaluate and improve communication effectiveness.

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:

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.

Bachelor's plus 12 years, Master's plus 8, or PhD plus 5 years in communications, marketing, journalism, PR, or related field; 7+ years progressive communications strategy experience; strong writing and editorial skills; experience with executive communications and cross-functional programs.

Key Responsibilities

• developing communications strategy
• editing executive communications
• coordinating cross-functional teams

Skills & Tools

Qualtrics, Tableau, content management systems, marketing platforms

Job Details

• Category: Communications and Public Affairs
• Seniority: Senior Level
• Commitment: Full Time
• Workplace: Remote — United States or Milpitas or San Francisco
• Salary: USD 196,300 – 248,700 / year
• Languages: English

Benefits

• 401k matching
• Generous paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Generous parental leave

About Cisco

A global technology company that designs, manufactures, and sells networking and communications products and services. — Industry: Information Technology