Senior Director, Engineering Program Management

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 08/14/2026Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received. Location: Anywhere in U.S. Meet the Team The Cisco AI Software & Platform Group incubates and delivers Generative AI based solutions to reinvent Cisco's existing Products and how customers interact with them. Our Group is also introducing new offerings that help customers roll out Generative AI at scale while doing so responsibly. Ultimately, we are doing so through internal platforms that unlock the benefits of this technology for Cisco teams and partners across our Security, Enterprise Networking, Collaboration and Splunk portfolios. Your Impact As the Senior Director of AI Technical Program Management, you will lead the team responsible for bringing Cisco’s most strategic AI programs from vision to market. You will build and lead a high-performing organization of Technical Program Managers who operate at the intersection of product, engineering, design, go-to-market, and business operations. This is not a traditional program management function. The team operates with speed, agility, and a willingness to challenge conventional ways of working. You will create an execution model that combines startup-like velocity with the coordination and rigor required to deliver complex, enterprise-scale programs across Cisco. A central part of this role will be bringing together teams from across Cisco—aligning priorities, clarifying ownership, resolving dependencies, and creating shared accountability for the successful delivery and adoption of Cisco’s AI portfolio. You will need to influence across organizational boundaries, navigate competing priorities, and help multi-functional teams work as one integrated organization. You will also modernize how technical programs are managed by incorporating AI tools and automation into planning, tracking, reporting, risk identification, and decision-making. The ideal candidate is already experimenting with AI-enabled ways of working and is excited to help define the next generation of technical program management. Responsibilities Drive Cisco’s AI software execution engine by translating strategic priorities into integrated, actionable delivery plans across the platform. Build and mentor a high-performing TPM organization, establishing leadership standards, career paths, and clear role definitions. Serve as a strategic advisor to AI leadership, providing objective insights into execution health, organizational dependencies, and critical tradeoffs. Design a durable operating model that bridges AI startup agility with enterprise-grade scale, quality, and rigorous program governance. Orchestrate complex, interdependent programs across engineering, product, GTM, and infrastructure to ensure seamless multi-functional delivery. Foster organizational alignment by establishing shared outcomes, clear decision rights, and trusted relationships across diverse business units. Leverage AI-enabled automation and modern agile practices to streamline program tracking, mitigate systemic risks, and accelerate decision velocity. Cultivate an execution culture of urgency and transparency, utilizing data-driven metrics to ensure the successful scaling of Cisco’s AI offerings. Minimum Qualifications BS/MS in Engineering/CS or equivalent with 12+ years of deep industry expertise in TPM, engineering operations, and technical leadership. Demonstrated mastery in building, scaling, and managing large-scale TPM organizations and senior leadership teams in matrixed environments. Proven success translating broad strategic objectives into integrated execution plans for complex, multi-functional technology stacks and AI-driven portfolios. High technical credibility to influence senior stakeholders across engineering, architecture, and security while resolving competing priorities without direct authority. Exceptional executive communication skills to synthesize complex technical tradeoffs and drive structure within ambiguous, fast-moving, and evolving programs. Preferred Qualifications Experience delivering AI/ML, cloud-native, platform, infrastructure, security, or enterprise software products at scale. Experience leading programs involving AI platforms, agentic systems, developer platforms, APIs, enterprise integrations, autonomous workflows, or complex distributed systems. Hands-on experience experimenting with AI tools to improve program planning, portfolio tracking, reporting, analysis, or team productivity. A strong interest in advancing AI-enabled program management practices and redefining how complex technical programs are operated. Experience working across product, engineering, design, go-to-market, customer experience, and business operations teams. Strong business and financial competence, with the ability to connect execution priorities to customer adoption, business impact, investment decisions, and long-term strategy. A track record of challenging established operating models, simplifying processes, and creating new ways of working that improve speed and accountability. 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 $284,700.00 to $390,900.00 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