PR Manager, Brand Sponsorships

The application window is expected to close on: 11/08/2026 Meet the Team   Global Communications is a team of more than 150 best-in-class communications professionals. Our mission is to protect and improve Cisco's reputation through innovative and thought-provoking storytelling, execution excellence and transparency. The PR team is responsible for leading Cisco's corporate and technology PR programs, as well as crafting and delivering clear and compelling narratives that grab the attention of media and influencers.  Your Impact   As the PR Manager for Brand and Sponsorships, you will be responsible for building and executing a comprehensive PR strategy for our global brand partnerships. You will act as the key communications lead for high-visibility sports, cultural, and entertainment sponsorships, ensuring these investments drive measurable impact on our brand equity and market positioning. You will operate at the intersection of brand strategy, integrated marketing, and corporate communications, ensuring our global partnerships are not just seen, but felt by our customers and partners. By evolving these relationships and connecting the dots between our marketing and public relations functions, you will craft larger, more impactful stories that resonate across the global landscape and position Cisco at the center of culture and innovation.  Key Responsibilities   Strategic Storytelling & Discovery: Develop and own communication strategies for Cisco’s key brand and sponsorship portfolio. Translate brand priorities into compelling narratives for our audiences. Identify opportunities to position our partnerships and customers as core to Cisco’s value proposition, while also uncovering "white-space" storytelling opportunities that amplify our brand presence.  Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Management: Serve as a primary communications partner to the global Brand and Sponsorship teams. Provide strategic counsel to senior leadership on reputation, messaging, and stakeholder engagement. Build and nurture strong, long-term relationships with Cisco’s customers and internal business partners to ensure alignment on brand vision.  Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner effectively across the wider marketing and communications organization to ensure brand consistency and drive high-impact, integrated campaigns. You will play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between marketing and public relations to tell larger, more impactful stories that elevate Cisco’s global reputation.  Media Relations: Proactively build and nurture relationships with top-tier business, lifestyle, sports, and entertainment media. Pitch stories with conviction to secure high-impact coverage that expands our reach beyond traditional tech audiences, driving message pull-through for our global partnership initiatives.  Campaign Management: Lead end-to-end campaign execution for brand-led initiatives and sponsorships. Manage timelines, agency partners, and multi-channel delivery, ensuring editorial rigor and adherence to Cisco’s brand standards and partnerships standards. Influence global communication strategies by surfacing market trends and advocating for underrepresented priorities across the communications organization.  Strategic Counsel: Serve as a trusted advisor to product marketing and executive leadership. Bring external market perspective—including media sentiment, competitive moves, and industry trends—into internal decision-making processes to proactively mitigate reputational risks.  Minimum Qualifications   8-10+ years of experience in public relations, communications, or brand management.  Proven track record of managing high-profile brand partnerships, sponsorships, or large-scale integrated marketing/PR programs.  Strong strategic counsel skills; ability to advise senior leaders on reputation management and stakeholder engagement.  Deep expertise in crafting compelling narratives for diverse audiences, with a portfolio of blogs, press releases, and thought leadership content.  Experience managing complex agency relationships and project timelines with a focus on measurable outcomes.  Ability to work cross-functional in a matrixed environment, navigating competing stakeholder priorities to drive cohesive, high-impact outcomes.  Preferred Qualifications   Experience in sports or entertainment marketing and its intersection with corporate reputation.  Background in identifying and managing crisis and issues-based communications to protect brand equity.  Strong understanding of current PR measurement tools and the ability to influence global strategies through data-driven insights.  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.  Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada: The starting salary range posted for this position is $135,100.00 to $171,400.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifica