Job Specifications
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Director of Strategy and Planning
(US ONLY, Remote)
Meet the Team
Splunk, a Cisco company, is building a safer, more resilient digital world with an end‑to‑end, full‑stack platform designed for hybrid, multi‑cloud environments. Join the AI team at Splunk, where we advance the state of AI for high‑volume, real‑time, multi‑modal machine‑generated data — including logs, time series, traces, and events. We combine deep AI research expertise with the scale and operational excellence of Splunk and Cisco’s global engineering capabilities. Our work spans networking, security, observability, and customer experience — designing and deploying foundation models that enhance reliability, strengthen security, prevent downtime, and deliver predictive insights across Splunk Observability, Security, and Platform at enterprise scale. You’ll be part of a culture that values technical excellence, impact‑driven innovation, and cross‑functional collaboration — all within a flexible, growth‑oriented environment.
Your Impact
As the Chief of Staff for Splunk’s AI organization, you will serve as a strategic operator, organizational integrator, and trusted partner to the VP of AI. You will help define where we are going, develop and refine the processes that get us there, and ensure our teams are aligned, focused, and driving with excellence.
In This Role, You Will
Develop and drive organizational strategy, leading annual and multi-year planning cycles, identifying strategic priorities, and ensuring alignment across Product, Engineering, Design, GTM, and the broader Cisco ecosystem.
Establish and run our operational cadence, including leadership rhythms, OKRs, business reviews, headcount planning, and execution tracking—creating clarity, accountability, and momentum across the org.
Act as a strategic thought partner to senior leadership, providing analysis, frameworks, insights, and recommendations that inform decisions and guide organizational direction.
Lead and orchestrate cross-functional programs that accelerate delivery of Splunk’s AI roadmap and improve how teams collaborate across internal organizations and external partners.
Manage key partner relationships, representing the AI org in executive forums and ensuring tight coordination with internal teams, customers, and strategic partners.
Drive executive communications and storytelling, preparing strategic narratives, leadership updates, board-level materials, and organizational communications that convey clarity and impact.
Uplevel operational efficiency, identifying gaps, removing friction, improving processes, and establishing systems that enable the AI organization to scale.
This is a high-impact, high-trust role for a leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, operations, and organizational leadership, and who is passionate about shaping the future of AI at Splunk.
Minimum Qualifications
8+ years of experience in strategy, business planning, management consulting, or Chief of Staff roles in a technology or enterprise software environment.
Demonstrated experience leading organizational planning, critical initiatives, or operational cadences at scale.
Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills with the ability to structure ambiguity into clarity and drive decisions.
Exceptional communication skills—able to craft clear, compelling narratives for executive audiences and influence partners at all levels.
Proven ability to lead complex cross-functional programs and work effectively with Product, Engineering, Design, GTM, Finance, and Operations teams.
Highly organized, meticulous, and adept at managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated ability to operate with discretion, sound judgment, and a high degree of emotional intelligence.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience supporting or partnering closely with executives in a Chief of Staff or strategy leadership capacity.
Background in AI/ML, enterprise software, cybersecurity, or a related technical domain.
Experience in large global organizations, particularly with partner management across regions and functions.
Familiarity with OKR frameworks, portfolio planning, business reviews, and operational excellence practices.
Strong program management and change management skills, with the ability to drive alignment across diverse teams.
Ability to “zoom out” to strategic vision and “zoom in” to operational details, moving fluidly between both.
MBA or advanced degree in a relevant field (Strategy, Business, Engineering, or related rigor).
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 physica