Responsibilities

• Executive Thought Leadership: Lead a center of excellence for executive communications supporting the President & CPO and aligning executives across key swim lanes—elevating their platforms and ensuring their voices reflect Cisco's innovation and leadership in the AI era.
• Media Excellence: Build and run a best-in-class media function—including the news bureau, media training, and spokesperson development—raising readiness and consistency across the executive bench.
• Narrative Architecture: Own the development and stewardship of Cisco's product and innovation story, FAQs, and cross-portfolio storytelling, ensuring a cohesive narrative that resonates across audiences and channels; partner closely with Corporate PR on financial messaging.
• Editorial Leadership: Establish and govern editorial standards for major announcements and press releases, driving quality, consistency, and strategic alignment across the function.
• Communications Effectiveness: Lead key initiatives on measurement and insights, building the frameworks and analytics that demonstrate impact and continuously sharpen storytelling and program performance.
• Lead with AI: Find innovative ways to use AI to derive signal in the market that can be translated into messaging and media opportunities
• Lead and Inspire: Manage and mentor a talented team, fostering a culture of bold, proactive, and data-driven storytelling.

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience in public relations, communications, or related fields with a bias toward proactive storytelling.
• Proven track record of providing strategic communications counsel to C-suite executives and elevating executive platforms.
• Strong media relationships with top-tier business and technology reporters, plus experience building media training and spokesperson development programs.
• Demonstrated expertise in corporate narrative development, editorial governance, and communications measurement.
• Experience leading and scaling high-performing teams.

Preferred

• Track record of transforming and significantly elevating a brand.
• Experience launching or supporting integrated campaigns across multiple channels (earned, owned, paid, social, events).
• Experience building communications centers of excellence or shared-services models.

Benefits

• 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
• $278,400.00 - $405,600.00