Sustainability Specialist: Circular Design @ Cisco

The application window is expected to close on: 11/30/2026Meet the Team

Cisco's Supply Chain Sustainability team is a global, close-knit group of change agents with diverse backgrounds. We partner across the business to drive social and environmental impact, from net zero and the circular economy to human rights in our supply chain. This role will support our Circular Design program, partnering with engineering and supply chain teams to reduce the environmental impact of Cisco's products across their lifecycle. It's a chance to shape how products are designed and made at global scale, alongside teammates who support each other's growth.

Your Impact

Circular design is central to Cisco's sustainability strategy, and it's built into every new product and package, shaping the materials we use, how efficiently products use energy, and how easily they can be repaired, reused, and recycled. You'll keep this flagship program running and growing.

Key responsibilities

• Run the Circular Design program day to day, helping embed requirements into product development, supporting teams that use our design evaluation tool, and partnering with IT on tool enhancements
• Manage multi-functional projects, such as recycled materials pilots, by setting the plan, aligning partners, and keeping owners and deadlines on track
• Research sustainable materials and technologies to identify standard processes and help engineering teams make informed design choices
• Track and report progress, owning program metrics, working with data teams on dashboards, and preparing content for internal reporting, external publications, and customer inquiries
• Support product carbon footprint (PCF) work, such as supplier data collection, new tool rollouts, and hands-on PCF studies
• Streamline how we work, using AI and automation to reduce manual effort and scale the program

This is a hands-on role at the intersection of sustainability, engineering, and data, with room to shape how the program evolves and how Cisco meets growing interested party expectations for sustainable products.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree with 2+ years of related experience, or PhD in a relevant field (e.g., engineering, environmental science)
• 2+ years of experience managing multi-functional projects, including planning, tracking work, and coordinating participants
• Experience analyzing large datasets in Excel, SQL, or similar tools to deliver actionable insights
• Experience preparing reports or presentations for leaders or external audiences

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in engineering, environmental science, or supply chain, with a technical understanding of electronics and hardware design
• Hands-on experience with circular or eco-design, recycled materials, or conducting product carbon footprint (PCF) or life cycle assessment (LCA) studies
• Strong collaborator engagement, facilitation, and organizational change skills, including influencing without authority
• Clear written and verbal communication, including experience explaining complex technical topics to engineers and non-technical audiences
• Experience using AI tools to automate workflows or writing requirements for data and IT teams

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 $93,500.00 to $125,500.00 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, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.

U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco’s policies:

• 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees
• 1 paid day off for employee’s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco
• Non-exempt employees receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees
• Exempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)
• 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next
• Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members
• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer

For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policies.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

• .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;
• 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;
• 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and
• Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area

$116,300.00 - $173,500.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$101,900.00 - $154,400.00

• For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.
• Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.