Corporate Counsel: Incubation, Data, & AI Strategy

“Members of the Legal organization at select locations will generally be expected to follow a hybrid work model, which includes two days of in-office attendance each week, with limited exceptions.”

Meet the Team 

As Cisco leads in AI innovation—both within our product portfolio and across internal operations—the volume and complexity of AI-related procurement and strategic transactions have grown significantly. Our team is tasked with managing high-stakes deal negotiations, coordinating with leadership, and ensuring consistent protection of Cisco’s IP and data in an AI environment. We are seeking a seasoned counsel to join our team, provide deep institutional knowledge, and drive our FY27 AI acceleration goals by helping us drive and close Cisco’s high impact deals. 

Your Impact 

• Operational Excellence: You will manage a rapid pipeline of deal inquiries, accelerating business momentum while maintaining high-quality risk mitigation. 

• Contracting: Draft and negotiate complex AI procurement, SaaS, and data licensing agreements, and assist business leaders at all levels in navigating and negotiating complex AI deals. 

• Oversight: Lead negotiation process and quality control for contract lifecycle assisted by AI tools. 

• Thought Leadership: Stay current on benchmarking, contracting trends, and AI/Data regulations that affect our contracting positions and translate these into internal playbooks and guidelines. 

• Collaboration: Drive cross-functional initiatives related to contracts and data and AI strategy. 

• Strategic Guidance: You will translate complex regulatory and legal risks into practical advice for internal clients to help them understand our contractual terms, and the risks and mitigations associated with deviations. 

• Innovation Champion: You will leverage AI-powered analytics and legal tools to automate routine tasks, allowing you to focus on high-value legal strategy and complex negotiations. 

• Trusted Advisor: You will build strong relationships across the business, guiding on legal and contractual issues that may arise in executing product roadmaps and Go-to-Market strategies. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education: Juris Doctorate (JD) or equivalent from an accredited law school. 

• Admission: Admission to at least one U.S. state bar or relevant jurisdiction. 

• Experience: At least five years of relevant legal experience, preferably in technology transactions, software/SaaS, or AI/data-related matters. 

• Skills: Exceptional drafting, negotiation, and communication skills. High level of analytical and business judgment. 

Preferred Qualifications:  

• 1-2 years of experience with AI/ML legal issues 

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.