Communications Manager

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

Meet the Team

You will join the dynamic Cisco Corporate Development team, a group dedicated to driving Cisco's long-term growth strategy through strategic venture capital investments and acquisitions. We aggressively source new opportunities, develop strategic perspectives on innovative market segments, and execute M&A transactions. This team plays a critical role in shaping Cisco's future, impacting our global presence and technological leadership. We are a driven and collaborative group, passionate about identifying and integrating groundbreaking innovations into Cisco's portfolio. Join us to be at the forefront of Cisco's strategic expansion and market evolution.

Your Impact

As a Communications Manager, you will be pivotal in shaping and amplifying the voice of Cisco's Corporate Development team, driving strategic narratives around venture capital investments and acquisitions. You will develop and execute a holistic communications and marketing strategy, crafting compelling content, presentations, and external channels to resonate with key audiences. This role demands a strategic advisor who can translate complex M&A and investment initiatives into clear, impactful stories, influencing perception and fostering brand narrative. You will lead the end-to-end content creation process, from ideation to delivery, ensuring message consistency and strategic alignment across all platforms. Your success will directly contribute to strengthening Cisco's market position and facilitating its long-term growth objectives.  Typical responsibilities in this role include:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy for Corporate Development, focusing on M&A and investment initiatives.

• Craft original and compelling content, including reports, blogs, presentations, press releases, and newsletters.

• Drive the Corporate Development story, honing messaging for M&A and Investments to resonate with key internal and external audiences across multiple channels.

• Collaborate closely with Cisco Executives, Corporate Development, Business Unit leadership, and PR to align and deliver messaging for company announcements and updates related to acquisitions and investments.

• Manage the perception of Corporate Development, fostering brand narrative through media relations and identifying high-impact executive speaking opportunities.

• Influence and align the brand narrative and messaging across the team, ensuring a compelling and consistent market voice.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in communications and marketing, preferably within a high-tech, Private Equity, or Venture Capital environment.

• Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related field.

• Demonstrated expertise in developing and executing comprehensive multi-channel communication and marketing strategies.

• Proven experience in communications, including crafting compelling presentations, , and written content.

• Experience in managing and influencing stakeholders across various organizational levels, including executives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced writing, editing, and presentation skills, with a portfolio showcasing executive-level content.

• Demonstrated ability to translate complex business and technical concepts into compelling, accessible narratives.

• Strong project management skills with the ability to lead high-profile, multi-stakeholder initiatives.

• Experience in media relations and managing external agencies or vendors.

• Master’s degree in Communications or a related field.

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.