The Sales Operations Manager plays a pivotal role at Cisco Systems, Inc., serving as a key connector between customers, partners, and internal technical teams within Cisco’s AI and Automation Center. This position focuses on translating business needs into tangible technical requirements and advancing AI-driven improvements across internal operations and service delivery.
What You'll Do
- Act in a customer-facing capacity, gathering direct feedback from customers and partners and handling their needs with high empathy.
- Take external feedback and help solution, action, and successfully execute against it in a prioritized manner.
- Expertly translate ambiguous business needs and customer feedback into concrete, actionable IT and engineering requirements.
- Partner deeply with internal stakeholders, specifically Operations Product Managers and Engineering teams, to build and deploy solutions.
- Actively learn and champion the adoption of AI, LLMs, and emerging technologies to rethink traditional processes and improve service delivery.
- Take a highly pragmatic approach to operations, moving beyond understanding the business context to actively driving the tangible execution of how to fix a problem.
- Cut through the noise in a complex environment to identify and prioritize what truly matters most to the business and our partners.
- Bring intense curiosity and drive to the role, immersing yourself in the Cisco ecosystem to become a central operational hub.
What We're Looking For
- Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, OR Masters + 6 years of related experience
- Experience working with customers, partners or enterprise sales teams
Nice to Have
- Demonstrated passion for AI, automation, and continuous learning, with a track record of applying new technologies to solve complex operational problems.
- Proven ability to manage and influence complex partner relationships across highly matrixed, global organizations.
- Strong analytical background with the ability to translate ambiguous data into clear operational strategies.
Technical Stack
- AI
- LLMs
- emerging technologies
- data analysis
- process optimization
- strategic planning
Team & Environment
- dynamic, multi-disciplinary team
- developers, operations analysts, strategists, and data scientists who wear many hats
Benefits & Compensation
- Hybrid work model with onsite presence required 3 days per week in Atlanta, Austin, Raleigh (Research Triangle Park), or San Jose
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance for U.S. employees
- 401(k) with Cisco matching contribution
- Paid parental leave
- Short-term and long-term disability coverage
- Basic life insurance
- 10 paid holidays per calendar year
- 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees
- 1 paid day off for employee birthday
- Paid year-end break
- 4 paid personal wellness days determined by Cisco
- 16 days of paid vacation per calendar year for non-exempt employees (accrued at 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees)
- Exempt employees participate in Cisco's flexible vacation program with no defined limit (subject to availability and business restrictions)
- 80 hours of paid time off available at hire and each January, with up to 80 hours of unused time carried over annually
- Additional paid leave available for serious or urgent family-related issues
- 10 paid volunteer days per calendar year
- Annual bonuses for non-sales roles (subject to Cisco policies)
- Incentive compensation for sales participants based on performance, including quota-based and non-quota components
- Eligibility for restricted stock unit (RSU) awards that vest over defined employment periods
- Starting salary range: $130,000.00 to $163,800.00 (U.S. and Canada, excluding incentive compensation, equity, or benefits). Specific regional ranges: New York Metro ($143,000.00 - $207,200.00), Non-metro NY/WA ($135,000.00 - $195,700.00). Individual pay based on location, market conditions, skills, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and training.
- Eligible for restricted stock unit (RSU) awards that vest over time.
- Incentive compensation for sales roles: 0.75% of target incentive per 1% achievement up to 50% of quota; 1.5% per 1% between 50-75%; 1% per 1% between 75-100%; ≥1% per 1% above 100% with no cap. Non-quota sales performance components may pay 0% to 125% of target. No minimum performance threshold for sales payout.
Work Mode
- Onsite 3 days per week
- Locations: Atlanta, Austin, Raleigh (Research Triangle Park), San Jose
Cisco is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.
