Strategy & Planning Manager

Overview

Own a workstream within a larger strategic engagement on Cisco's Global Supply Chain Strategy & Planning team, an internal consulting organization solving complex, cross-functional supply chain challenges.

What you'll do

• Own a workstream end-to-end, from problem definition and structuring through analysis and final recommendation.
• Build the quantitative analysis underpinning strategic decisions, including financial models, scenarios, business cases and analytical frameworks, using clearly defined assumptions where data is incomplete.
• Independently manage stakeholder relationships across Business Units, Planning, Sourcing, Logistics, Channel and Finance, driving alignment without unnecessary escalation.
• Conduct external benchmarking and competitive analysis where relevant, translating findings into clear implications and recommendations for Cisco.
• Develop and defend a clear point of view, articulate key trade-offs, and respond confidently to challenge from senior stakeholders.
• Present workstream findings to senior leaders and contribute to the broader engagement storyline and recommendation.
• Guide analysts supporting your workstream by reviewing their analysis, strengthening problem structuring, and developing their communication and presentation skills.

What you'll need

• 7+ years of experience in management consulting, corporate strategy, or supply chain operations.
• Proven experience owning workstreams from problem definition through completion.
• Demonstrated ability to structure open-ended and loosely defined business problems into an actionable analytical framework.
• Strong ability to build quantitative models from incomplete data using clearly stated assumptions.
• Experience independently managing relationships with senior stakeholders.
• Strong ability to communicate top-down and lead with the answer rather than the analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to form, communicate, and defend a recommendation under challenge.

Nice to have

• Experience in operations or supply chain consulting, particularly in operating model design, inventory, network design, or process improvement.
• Experience mentoring, coaching, or reviewing the work of junior analysts.
• Experience with analytical tools such as Python, SQL, Power BI, or Tableau.
• Experience working across global teams, geographies, and time zones.