Principal Corporate Counsel

Principal Corporate Counsel, Environmental Sustainability Legal Team (EMEA)

Meet the Team 

The Regulatory Affairs team within Cisco’s Legal department is comprised of lawyers, operational specialists, program managers, engineers, and other experts focused on topics including privacy, global trade, cybersecurity, telecom, environmental sustainability, and various regulatory practice areas. The team’s charter is aligned with influencing, interpreting, and implementing evolving and existing regulations that impact Cisco’s business and interacting with external partners on these important topics. We partner with colleagues in Legal and functional teams across the company to drive impact.

Your Impact 

This team is seeking a highly experienced and motivated Principal Corporate Counsel to provide regulatory guidance across a broad spectrum of EMEA environmental, supply chain, and product focused regulations. You will work closely with a wide range of cross-functional teams, including Sustainability, Supply Chain, Customer Experience, Refresh, Legal, Government Affairs, Engineering, Workplace Resources and others. Your work will directly impact Cisco's ability to navigate increasingly complex legal landscapes in environmental sustainability and ensure unrestricted access to EMEA markets.

Your key areas of responsibility will include:

• Monitoring and interpreting applicable EMEA environmental sustainability regulations, standards, and directives, such as ROHS, REACH, WEEE, PFAS, EPR, ESPR, CSRD, and the EU Batteries Regulation

• Driving Cisco’s environmental compliance strategy and developing internal processes, policies, and procedures in furtherance of that compliance strategy

• Developing and providing training and updates to key stakeholders on regulatory requirements and developments

• Collaborating with cross-functional partners to integrate environmental sustainability compliance implementation requirements into product design and development processes

• Partnering with Cisco’s Government Affairs team to help influence existing and evolving regulations

• Participating and engaging with industry associations

• Partnering with colleagues in Legal to respond to regulators and enforcement agencies, as needed

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Qualified lawyer (LLB, JD, or equivalent) in any EU jurisdiction or the UK, with 7+ years’ post-qualification experience in sustainability or related regulatory compliance fields.

• In-depth knowledge of relevant environmental sustainability regulations.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills in English; additional European languages are an advantage.

• Proven track record to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams to develop, deliver, and guide effective, efficient regulatory compliance strategies and programs 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong experience working in or with multinational corporations, preferably in technology sector.

• Experience working with regulatory bodies and industry groups.

• Demonstrated proficiency in utilizing AI-powered tools or intelligence platforms to conduct risk assessments and enhance efficiency, accuracy, and the ability to predict and mitigate compliance risks. 

• Excellent skills in written/verbal communication, time management, quantitative/analytical and process documentation

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.