Principal Product Management Engineer

The application window is expected to close on: 08/07/2026

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

***We are looking for candidates local to Milpitas as this is a hybrid role going into the office at least 3 days per week***

Meet the Team

We are a small and agile unit (agile in the sense of moving precisely and timely, not necessarily “Agile” as project management -- although we do that too!), and we strongly rely on the interactions of our various teams to achieve our success. We want you to be a part of an exciting team as we define the direction of our product lines. We operate in a “You build it, you run it” mode, where everyone is actively participating in maintaining and improving our software.

About the Role: Cisco is seeking a highly experienced and strategic Senior Principal Product Manager to join our team. In this pivotal role, you will serve as a senior member of our product management organization, responsible for defining and managing the customer scope for our sophisticated engineered systems. You will bridge the gap between complex technical architecture and commercial viability, ensuring our SaaS offerings are robust, compliant, and perfectly aligned with our global buying programs.

Your Impact

• Strategic Scope Management: Define and manage the end-to-end customer scope for engineered systems, ensuring our solutions meet market demands while maintaining technical integrity.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Orchestrate collaboration across engineering, product management, sales, legal, regulatory, and privacy teams to ensure seamless product delivery and organizational alignment.

• Cross-BU Synergy & Integration: Act as a liaison to engage and coordinate with cross-Business Unit (BU) resources across Cisco. Identify, leverage, and integrate broader Cisco technologies and product portfolios into our Provider Mobility SaaS solutions to deliver a cohesive, end-to-end value proposition for Service Providers and Enterprises.

• Operational Excellence: Direct and oversee the creation of comprehensive documentation for operational and technical scope, specifically tailored for all SaaS offers and complex contracting requirements.

• Commercial Alignment: Ensure that product delivery and solution design are tightly integrated with Cisco’s buying programs and billing constructs to drive revenue and customer satisfaction.

• Autonomous Execution: Operate with a high degree of independence, navigating complex constraints and ambiguous environments to deliver high-impact results for the business.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 15 or more years of experience in service provider networks, mobility technologies, and industry standards

• Bachelors or Masters in Engineering or related discipline

• Strong executive communication skills with the ability to influence customers, partners, analysts, and senior leadership.

• Proven ability to define long-term technology strategy and translate it into successful product roadmaps

Preferred Qualifications:

• Deep expertise in one or more of the following: product management, solution architecture, or a related field within the networking and SaaS ecosystem.

• Demonstrated history of influencing networking standards and open-source communities

• Experience in navigating large, matrixed organizations to drive cross-functional collaboration. Proven ability to influence stakeholders and integrate disparate product offerings into a unified, market-ready solution.

• Established reputation as an industry thought leader, with participation in standards bodies, technical committees, patents, publications, or major industry conferences

Why Cisco?

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.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:

The starting salary range posted for this position is $233,900.00 to $330,400.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits.

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:

$233,900.00 - $380,000.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$220,900.00 - $344,300.00

• 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.

Cisco is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

Cisco will consider for employment, on a case by case basis, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.