[Hiring] Public Relations Manager @Cisco

Role Description

As a PR Manager for Cisco’s networking portfolio, you will shape the narrative around Cisco’s networking reinvention in the AI era. You’ll operate at the center of our business, translating product innovations into high-impact stories that resonate with enterprise leaders and practitioner audiences, including network architects, engineers, and IT/OT teams. This role represents an opportunity to tell high-impact stories and connect the dots between networking infrastructure and customer outcomes that define the AI era.

In this role, you will own communications programs within our campus & branch and industrial networking portfolio, acting as a trusted advisor to business leadership. You’ll lead product announcements, work with our customers and partners to tell impactful stories, draft compelling messaging and other high-impact communications content, and work with media and influencers to advance Cisco’s narrative around Cisco’s enterprise connectivity platform. You’ll bridge the gap between technical product capabilities and the broader market shifts, ensuring Cisco’s networking story is consistent, compelling, and ahead of the competitive curve.

Key Responsibilities

• Storytelling & Discovery:
  • Lead the development of comprehensive storytelling strategies that unify product launches, customer success stories, and thought leadership.
  • Proactively identify market opportunities to position Cisco’s networking portfolio as the backbone of the AI era.
  • Translate technical roadmaps, architectures, workflows, and operational trade-offs into credible stories that connect to customer outcomes for business leaders and practitioner audiences.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Management:
  • Serve as the primary communications partner to senior networking leadership, providing strategic counsel on messaging, reputation, and global alignment.
  • Manage competing priorities across a matrixed environment, ensuring that PR goals are integrated with business, marketing, and analyst relations objectives.
• Media Relations:
  • Nurture high-level relationships with key technology and business media to drive consistent, high-impact coverage.
  • Serve as a trusted advisor to our spokespeople, coaching them on narrative delivery and ensuring our messaging remains sharp, influential, and aligned with market trends.
• Strategic Counsel:
  • Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to product, product marketing, and executive leadership.
  • Bring external market perspective (competitive moves, media sentiment, industry trends) to internal decision-making.
• Campaign Management:
  • Own end-to-end campaign execution for launches and strategic initiatives—from strategy through measurement.
  • Manage timelines, agency relationships, and multi-channel delivery, leveraging AI tools and automation to accelerate workflows without sacrificing editorial rigor.
  • Lead coordination with other communications functions, including analyst relations, employee communications, and digital communications.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in public relations, with a proven track record in enterprise technology communications.
• Demonstrated technical fluency in enterprise networking and AI, with the ability to engage credibly on areas such as campus and branch, wireless, routing and switching, security, and industrial networking.
• Proven ability to reach and earn trust with practitioner audiences through relevant technology media, technical content, customer stories, events, or practitioner communities.
• Demonstrated experience to act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership, influencing decision-making through market intelligence and communication strategy.
• Exceptional writing and editorial skills; ability to craft compelling bylines, reports, and messaging frameworks that capture market attention.
• Track record of building relationships with media and influencers; demonstrated ability to secure coverage in relevant publications.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills—proven ability to work effectively with product, marketing, and executive teams; skilled at managing up, across, and down in matrixed environments.
• Self-starter mentality—bias toward discovery and action; ability to identify storytelling opportunities and refine narrative direction with minimal direction.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate cross-functional tensions and resolve complex communication challenges within a large, matrixed organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience in managing agency relationships and driving cross-functional alignment across marketing, analyst relations, and employee communications.
• Deep familiarity with the networking landscape, including trends like intent-based networking, security, and AI-powered operations.
• Strong use of AI in day-to-day operations with a hunger to always be learning more; early-adopter mentality.

Benefits

• 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.
• 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.
• 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year for non-exempt employees.
• Flexible vacation time off program for exempt employees.
• 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter.
• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer.