Strategy, Operations and Investment Programme Lead - Higher Education

Meet the Team

The Cisco team is a safe and inclusive environment where hard-working people develop their skills and are recognized for the phenomenal things they do. We celebrate success, learn from our failures and trust each other. We embrace diversity of background and opinion in everything we do.

Cisco is a customer-centric company, and we pride ourselves on the value we give to our customers and the partnerships we nurture in our channel. Performance is measured by business outcomes achieved (which are the results achieved on role expectations and the positive impact made on the team), and how an individual executes based on our Guiding Principles (Think Really Big, Play to Win and Drive Durable Growth). We bring innovation and thought leadership, become our clients’ advocates within Cisco, and are creative in building partnerships to deliver the outcomes they need.

Your Impact

We are seeking a strategic and operationally-minded Business Development Manager to drive the Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) strategy within the Higher Education sector. In this role, you will be the bridge between strategic vision and operational execution, ensuring our investments in Higher Education are aligned with market needs and Cisco’s long-term growth objectives.

Your primary responsibility is to lead the CDA operational framework, manage the investment programme performance, and empower our sales teams to capture market share through tailored growth plans. You will act as a subject matter expert on the Higher Education landscape, ensuring that our investments deliver both societal impact and commercial success.

In This Multifaceted Role, You Will

Drive Operational Excellence: Establish and manage the governance framework for the Higher Education CDA programme, ensuring all projects are delivered efficiently, transparently, and in compliance with Cisco standards.

Lead and Mentor: Provide leadership to a cross-functional team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Monitor Programme Performance: Implement robust tracking mechanisms to measure the success of CDA initiatives, reporting on KPIs, investment ROI, and strategic milestones to senior leadership

Market Intelligence: Maintain a deep understanding of the Higher Education market, including policy shifts, funding models, and digital transformation trends, ensuring Cisco’s positioning remains competitive and relevant.

Investment Strategy: Oversee the investment programme lifecycle, from identifying high-impact opportunities to securing funding and monitoring execution.

Sales Enablement: Collaborate closely with the sales organization to translate market insights into actionable growth plans, supporting the team in executing strategies that drive revenue and long-term customer partnerships.

Stakeholder Management: Build and maintain relationships with key internal stakeholders and external partners to ensure alignment on strategic goals and resource allocation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Proven experience in leading strategic programmes or operational excellence functions, ideally within the technology or Higher Education sectors.
• Strong understanding of the Higher Education market landscape, including current challenges and opportunities for digital innovation.
• Experience in managing investment portfolios or large-scale project budgets with demonstrated track record of delivering measurable outcomes.
• Leadership experience with a focus on team development, coaching, and cross-functional influence.
• Ability to translate complex data and market trends into clear, actionable business strategies.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence C-suite stakeholders and academic leadership.
• 8+ years of professional experience in strategy, operations, or business development roles.

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of Cisco’s portfolio and how it addresses the specific needs of the Higher Education sector (e.g., campus connectivity, hybrid learning, cybersecurity).
• Experience in public-private partnerships or government-aligned digital acceleration programmes.
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate complex agreements and manage multi-year investment cycles.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in business reporting and performance management tools.

Why Cisco?

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.

We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.