Director, Strategic Purpose Initiatives

Purpose Strategy Director

Role Overview

We are seeking a dynamic and strategic leader to join our team as a Purpose Strategy Director. This role will be instrumental in driving the cross-functional, strategic execution of key priorities across the People, Policy, and Purpose Office. The successful candidate will orchestrate efforts across multiple functions and senior leaders, lead strategy development for key priorities and work-streams, and demonstrate the connection between purpose and business impact.

About the People, Policy, and Purpose Organization:

By putting Cisco's purpose into practice, the People, Policy, and Purpose organization drives growth for Cisco's business, people, and communities. This organization includes teams across People & Communities, Sustainability, Social Impact, Digital Impact, Government Affairs, and more. The People, Policy, and Purpose organization plays a crucial role in integrating people and purpose priorities into business strategy and collaborating with communities and individuals to drive impactful change. A central strategy team is responsible for driving cross-functional collaboration and execution in pursuit of these priorities.

What You'll Do:
As a Purpose Strategy Director, you will lead the development and execution of strategic initiatives that drive our company's commitment to purpose. In this influential role, you will:

• Develop strategies to advance key priorities across talent, sustainability, digital development, and social impact in alignment with the company's business objectives and long-term goals.
• Demonstrate how purpose can drive business impact through successful strategy development, execution, and measurement.
• Drive execution of key priorities across the People, Policy, and Purpose Office and broader Cisco, including ensuring alignment with business strategy and objectives.
• Orchestrate across multiple functions and senior leaders to bring a connected purpose experience and drive impact in high-priority markets.
• Conduct internal and external gap analyses on global purpose and sustainability activities and integrate findings into strategic planning to ensure the company remains at the forefront of industry advancements.
• Lead design and planning workshops with executive stakeholders.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment and integration of purpose strategies into business operations.
• Lead the creation of strategic presentations and reports for executive leadership, articulating the impact and value of purpose initiatives.

Who You Are:
You are a strategic thinker with a passion for impact and a proven track record of leading transformative initiatives and managing dynamic teams.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A bachelor's degree in business or a related field from an accredited institution.
• 7 years' experience in corporate purpose, sustainability, management consulting, business or corporate strategy, with a focus on people leadership, and/or business development.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute high-impact strategies that drive organizational change, including orchestrating across multiple functional organizations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in business or a related field from an accredited institution.
• 10 years' experience with a focus on business strategy, leadership and/or business development, particularly in management consulting or strategy roles.
• Familiarity with key business metrics (e.g. revenue, bookings, pipeline, margin, ARR, etc.) and sales pipeline methodologies.
• Familiarity with standard strategy frameworks and methodologies (e.g. problem definition, decision trees, PESTEL, scenario planning, 2x2 matrices, etc).

• Exceptional communication and leadership skills, with experience influencing senior leaders and stakeholders.
• Proficiency in strategic planning tools and software, including PowerPoint and Excel. Familiarity in High Tech Networking Technologies and Cisco Products.

#WeAreCisco

#WeAreCisco where every individual brings their unique skills and perspectives together to pursue our purpose of powering an inclusive future for all.

Our passion is connection-we celebrate our employees' diverse set of backgrounds and focus on unlocking potential. Cisconians often experience one company, many careers where learning and development are encouraged and supported at every stage. Our technology, tools, and culture pioneered hybrid work trends, allowing all to not only give their best, but be their best.

We understand our outstanding opportunity to bring communities together and at the heart of that is our people. One-third of Cisconians collaborate in our 30 employee resource organizations, called Inclusive Communities, to connect, foster belonging, learn to be informed allies, and make a difference. Dedicated paid time off to volunteer-80 hours each year-allows us to give back to causes we are passionate about, and nearly 86% do!