Technical Hardware Program Manager jobs at Cisco

• You will play a critical role in overseeing the software release lifecycle, ensuring that software products are delivered efficiently, on time, and within scope
• This position requires a blend of software development expertise and program management skills to coordinate cross-functional teams and manage the complexities of software releases
• You’ll be the primary contact point between technical teams and stakeholders, providing regular updates on release status, issues, and resolutions.
• As a part of your job, you’ll also work on continuous Improvement: analyzing release processes and performance metrics to identify areas for improvement, and designing and implementing automation processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

• BSc/BA in Computer Science or related fields
• Previous experience with software development or QA automation
• Coding skills
• Experience in Jira or other bug-tracking tools

• Experience in release management
• Experience in project management
• Knowledge in Networking
• Experience in System Integration
  
• Experience working within cross-functional team
• Good data analytics skills

The application window is expected to close on: 9/10/2025

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

Your Impact

• Work closely with hardware design engineers, Product Operations, Component Engineering, and other cross-functional teams across Cisco to ensure Suppliers are aligned with Cisco’s Technology Roadmap.
• Develop the Sourcing Strategy with the cross-functional teams and execution.
• Lead and orchestrate the technology roadmap reviews between engineering and suppliers find technical solutions, collect required technology proposals from the suppliers, analyze the proposals between multiple suppliers, prepare the proposal and provide your recommendation to the Business Units and cross-functional teams.
• Negotiate the multi–Quarter Cost (New Product Introduction and Mass Production Cost), Quality, Capacity, Resiliency/ Non-China Manufacturing, Non-Reoccurring Expenses, Protect Cisco IP, work with legal to documenting the terms and conditions, negotiated and execute the agreements with the Suppliers and Mfg. Partners.
• Drive value engineering through ideation and execution.
• Drive second sourcing opportunities to enable healthy cost competitiveness and enable supply flexibility.
• Work side by side with the engineering teams on the New Product developments, removing the roadblocks, lead the meetings between suppliers and the engineering teams to move the projects forward.
• Point of escalation for all the supplier related issues. You will ensure suppliers are meeting the original development schedule given to Cisco. You will expedite the required raw materials for the NPI builds.
• Developing the supplier relationship to get the best value for Cisco business. You will be meeting with the suppliers in-person and virtual on regular basis to understand the development of the new products and industry sensing.
• Work closely with Supplier Commodity Managers sharing the NPI developments, preparing them for smooth transfer of the parts to the mass production release.
• Collaborate with the supply chain central operations on process and tool management

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of technical experience in Interconnect (e.g. cable and connector)
• 5+ years of cost negotiations, should cost modeling, and contract experience
• 5+ years of the manufacturing processes and procedures for Interconnects technologies

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in mechanical engineering or related field.
• Experience with technology/component risk rating and mitigation plan
• Expertise in supply chain operations.
• Understanding of AI architecture and applications
• Experience with high-density Twinax cables and, GPU systems, and rack-level integration, configured shipment, and deployment.
• Working knowledge of interconnect engineering and design principles with specific expertise in the areas of design for medium-scale production, DFM/DFA, sheet metal and injection molding, material properties/science, dimensional tolerance analysis, corrosion resistance, water/dust ingress protection, signal integrity, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics.
• Excellect communication, presentation and analitical skills.

In this dual-capacity role, you will not only define and drive the product vision but also manage programs and execution at scale — coordinating across multiple teams, vendors, and stakeholders to ensure successful enterprise adoption. This position requires a balance of technical expertise, leadership, product ownership, and program management skills.

Product Ownership

· Own and communicate the product vision and roadmap for AI Assistant tools, ensuring alignment with organizational and business goals.

· Define and prioritize the product backlog to maximize developer productivity and business outcomes.

· Collaborate with engineering teams to translate product features into technical requirements and ensure feasibility.

· Drive integrations of AI assistants with enterprise development environments, CI/CD pipelines, and security frameworks.

· Continuously assess tool performance, adoption, and ROI; iterate on features and workflows.

· Responsible for Leadership readouts across the enterprise.

Program Management

· Manage program-level execution across multiple teams, ensuring timely delivery of features and adoption milestones.

· Coordinate across engineering, operations, business units, and executive stakeholders to align priorities and dependencies.

· Partner with vendors (e.g., OpenAI, GitHub, Cursor, Windsurf) to manage licensing, contracts, escalations, and roadmap alignment.

· Track KPIs and success metrics; provide regular status reports and executive-level updates on adoption, usage, and outcomes.

· Identify risks, dependencies, and organizational blockers; implement mitigation strategies.

· Drive change management and communication plans to ensure smooth adoption across global teams.

· Ensure compliance with security, privacy, and governance requirements during AI adoption.

Required Skills & Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, information systems, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

· 7–10 years of experience in technical product or program management, with at least 3 years as a product owner in a technical environment.

· Strong understanding of Agile/Scrum methodologies and experience in backlog management.

· Proven track record in program management — managing cross-functional initiatives, vendors, and large-scale rollouts.

· Experience with AI/ML-based developer productivity tools (e.g., Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf) or similar intelligent assistants.

· Familiarity with software development lifecycles (SDLC), CI/CD pipelines, APIs, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).

· Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders.

· Strong organizational skills with experience managing multiple priorities and projects in a fast-paced environment.

Desired Skills & Qualifications

· Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), SAFe Product Owner/Manager (POPM), PMP, or equivalent certifications.

· Experience with developer workflow tools (e.g., GitHub, GitLab, VS Code, JetBrains IDEs).

· Familiarity with LLMs, prompt engineering, and AI-assisted development paradigms.

· Knowledge of compliance, governance, and privacy requirements for enterprise AI adoption.

· Experience leading distributed, global teams and managing large-scale vendor engagements.

Key Competencies

· Strategic Thinking – Ability to evaluate long-term enterprise adoption strategies while balancing near-term delivery.

· Leadership & Influence – Inspire, align, and guide cross-functional teams and stakeholders toward shared outcomes.

· Execution Excellence – Skilled at delivering large-scale initiatives on time, within scope, and with measurable impact.

· Problem Solving – Adept at resolving technical, operational, and organizational challenges effectively.

· Customer-Centric Mindset – Passion for enabling developers to be more productive and innovative through AI tools.