Description
The SE US Commercial community is a high-performing, dynamic group of professionals dedicated to driving innovation and technical excellence across our most critical Country. We operate in a unique, fast-paced market where we co-define next-generation products directly with our customers. We serve as the strategic backbone of our sales organization, ensuring our engineers are empowered with the tools and insights needed to navigate state-of-the-art industry trends.
Joining this team offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of our operational strategy while working alongside industry leaders committed to excellence, growth, and customer success.
As a Senior Operations Manager, Solutions Engineering, you will:
- Partner with the Senior Director of Engineering to translate complex business objectives into actionable engineering strategies that support US Commercial growth.
- Act as the operational heartbeat of the organization, driving efficiency through data-driven decision-making and cross-functional orchestration.
- Foster a high-performance culture of inspiration and recognition, ensuring our Solutions Engineering team remains enabled, engaged, and empowered to deliver their best work.
- Bridge the gap between high-level sales priorities and day-to-day engineering execution to maximize the impact of our SEs across all customer initiatives.
- Utilize critical thinking and innovation to drive continuous improvement, ensuring the team is always positioned for long-term success.
Key responsibilities include:
- Strategic Planning & Growth: Develop and implement comprehensive strategies for the SE team to support US Commercial growth objectives, aligning goals with broader sales, marketing, and product strategies.
- Strategic Alignment & Execution: Create and execute operational strategies that support SE and Architecture team objectives; identify potential risks, develop mitigation plans, and present insights to leadership.
- Performance Monitoring & Improvement: Define success metrics and track progress against strategic objectives; monitor KPIs to assess the effectiveness of pre-sales strategies and initiatives.
- Data Analysis & Corrective Action: Analyze performance metrics to identify areas for improvement and implement corrective actions; establish a framework for continuous feedback and iteration.
- Cross-functional Coordination: Act as a central point of coordination between the US Commercial Sales Engineering team, Americas SE leadership, Global SE, Sales, and Marketing to ensure alignment on goals and deliverables.
- Professional Development & Mentorship: Identify skill needs and implement training programs to support the SE team; mentor and guide team leaders to enhance strategic thinking and technical capabilities.
- Culture & Advocacy: Foster a high-performance culture of inspiration and recognition, serving as the primary advocate for the US Commercial SE community to ensure our impact and requirements are represented within the broader Americas and Global SE organizations.
The successful candidate will have:
- 5+ years of experience in strategy, operations, program management, or pre-sales engineering.
- Proven field experience as a Solutions Engineer (SE) with an understanding of US Commercial business/market landscape and portfolio.
- Bachelor’s degree in a technical or business-related field.
- Demonstrated proficiency in Salesforce, data analysis, and modern AI-driven productivity platforms.
- Proven experience in defining KPIs, monitoring performance, and executing strategic planning in large organizations.
- Strong critical thinking skills with a proven track record of driving innovation and change management in complex environments.
- Executive presence with superior verbal and written communication skills for high-level storytelling and presentations.
Preferred qualifications include:
- AI tools knowledge
- Based in US East/Central Coast
- Demonstrated leadership in fostering a high-performance culture through mentorship, team recognition, and professional development.
- Extensive experience in cross-functional collaboration, specifically in aligning engineering teams with global sales and marketing objectives.
At Cisco, we offer a range of benefits, including:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution
- Paid parental leave
- Short and long-term disability coverage
- Basic life insurance
- Paid time away, including 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
- Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer
Salary range: $155,500.00 to $226,800.00 per year