Strategy and Planning Manager MBA (Intern) United States

Applications are accepted until further notice. 

Please note this posting is to advertise potential job opportunities. This exact role may not be open today but could open in the near future. When you apply, a Cisco representative may contact you directly if a relevant position opens. 

Who You’ll Work With 

We are Cisco's Acceleration Center (AC), an organization that achieves enterprise-wide success by performing across Cisco's key transformation objectives, which are: 

• Drive recurring revenue 
• Shift to software 
• Leverage the power of Cisco’s portfolio 
• Focus on the lifecycle experience 

The Acceleration Center's directive is to partner with the Executive Leadership Team, General Managers, and functional leaders to accelerate the company's overall strategy by enabling the success of cross-platform products, services and cross functional initiatives. You may function as in-house strategy consultants to help frame up problems or as cross-functional product managers to drive exciting enterprise-wide projects critical to the success of Cisco. The AC team also owns the change management required to get Business Units, Sales & Marketing, Finance, and ONEx ready to shift to the transformation objectives. 

What You’ll Do 

The role is a summer 2025 internship within Acceleration Center and will focus on supporting a cross functional project that is closely tied to Cisco’s immediate strategic priorities. You will work closely with senior Cisco leaders and gain experience as an in-house strategy consultant or product manager, while also getting first-hand experience in driving enterprise-wide programs. 

Sample past projects have included: 

• Building and testing different aspects for our next generation Offers 
• Finding opportunities for Cisco to improve its GTM capabilities in Cloud Marketplaces 
• Developing industry and competitive perspectives on standard processes 
• Supervising a pilot offer launch program and communicating recommendations to senior partners based on findings 

Who You Are 

You are a strategic leader and adept problem-solver, capable of navigating complex cross-functional projects from inception to successful completion. Your ability to swiftly and accurately analyze sophisticated data allows you to develop compelling strategic recommendations and implement them with precision. You excel at driving critical senior-level conversations, proactively addressing risks and roadblocks, and building consensus among cross-functional teams. Your strong interpersonal and communication skills, adaptability, creativity in problem-solving, and project management expertise make you a vital asset to the leadership team. With an ownership attitude, you take initiative and achieve impactful results, fostering a culture of high organizational performance through effective partnerships and collaboration. 

Minimum Qualifications 

• Recently completed or actively enrolled in an MBA program 
• Strong understanding of financial analysis and business strategy 
• Proficiency in data analysis, Excel, and PowerPoint; ability to develop metrics and KPIs for evaluating program results 
• Experience in using both quantitative and qualitative data for strategy development 
• Shown ability to manage and deliver high-impact projects on time and within scope 
• Familiarity with networking and cloud technologies; industry experience is a plus 
• Experience working with analytics and finance teams to build dashboards and track critical metrics 
• Experience in leading pilot programs and validating new offers 

Why Cisco 

#WeAreCisco, where each person is unique, but we bring our talents to work as a team and make a difference powering an inclusive future for all. 

We embrace digital, and help our customers implement change in their digital businesses. Some may think we’re “old” (40 years strong) and only about hardware, but we’re also a software company. And a security company. We even invented an intuitive network that adapts, predicts, learns and protects. No other company can do what we do – you can’t put us in a box! 

But “Digital Transformation” is an empty buzz phrase without a culture that allows for innovation, creativity, and yes, even failure (if you learn from it.)