Lead, Engineering Project and Program Management

Cisco

Senior Leader in Engineering Project Management guiding AI transformation in Security Business Group at Cisco. Leading complex engineering projects with cross-functional collaboration and strategic impact.

Posted 6/6/2026full-timeSan Jose • California, Illinois, North Carolina, Washington • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $191,400 - $281,400 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

CloudCyber SecurityPMP

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead end-to-end project and program management for large-scale, complex AI transformation engineering initiatives within the Security Business Group.
Collaborate with engineering, product management, architecture, and cross-functional teams to define project scope, objectives, and deliverables aligned with business goals.
Manage project schedules, budgets, risks, and resources to ensure on-time, within-budget, and high-quality delivery.
Identify and mitigate risks and issues proactively, developing contingency plans to maintain project momentum.
Drive coordination and communication across multiple teams and stakeholders, including partner and third-party resources when applicable.
Support contract change management processes and ensure compliance with Cisco’s policies and procedures.
Engage with senior leadership to provide project status, escalate critical issues, and align on strategic priorities.
Facilitate adoption of best practices, tools, and methodologies for project and program management within the Security Business Group.
Contribute to the strategic planning and execution of Cisco’s security product and solution roadmap, supporting innovation and market growth.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelors + 12 years of related experience, or Masters + 8 years of related experience, or PhD + 5 years of related experience
Experience leading engineering projects and programs in cybersecurity or related technology domains
Experience with security technologies, enterprise software, cloud services, and networking principles
Experience in project management methodologies, tools, and frameworks (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, PMP certification preferred)
Experience managing complex, cross-functional projects with multiple stakeholders and dependencies
Experience with AI foundation models, AI-driven software development or general AI concepts, like prompts, skills and harnesses.
Experience managing budgets, financials, and vendor/partner relationships.

Benefits

Comp & perks

medical, dental and vision insurance
a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution
paid parental leave
short and long-term disability coverage
basic life insurance
paid time away as described below: 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
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
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
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

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

project managementcybersecurityAI transformationbudget managementrisk managementAgileWaterfallAI foundation modelscloud servicesnetworking principles

Soft Skills

leadershipcommunicationcollaborationproblem-solvingstrategic planningstakeholder managementcontingency planningcoordinationinnovationbest practices adoption

Certifications

PMP certification