Principal Corporate Counsel: Product Legal

The application window is expected to close on: 06/19/2026. Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received. Members of the Legal organization at select locations will generally be expected to follow a hybrid work model, which includes two days of in‑office attendance each week, with limited exceptions. Meet the Team Cisco Legal is searching for a Principal Corporate Counsel to join our Networking Product Legal team directly supporting our Catalyst Routing and SD‑WAN Business Unit, which includes some of Cisco’s largest product lines and one of Cisco’s most strategic development areas. We are looking for a dedicated, collaborative, and enthusiastic teammate excited to support a fast‑paced, innovative business unit critical to Cisco’s future. Your Impact You are phenomenal at communicating succinct legal advice to executives and engineers alike, while balancing reasonable legal risk to enable important business outcomes. You have a curiosity about, and a passion for, both technology and the legal craft and are building extraordinary drafting and counseling skills. You are organized, dependable, and responsive (while we typically have no need to work nights or weekends, we want you to be open to it if the business teams need your support). How You’ll Contribute Develop a deep understanding of the products the Catalyst Routing and SD‑WAN Business Unit develops and the unique, relevant legal challenges specific to those products. Cultivate close working relationships with the sales, engineering, product management, business development, operations, finance, and legal teams bringing our products to market. Partner closely with legal teams supporting both supply chain and sales to negotiate complex commercial agreements with suppliers, partners, and customers. Be knowledgeable on issues related to global privacy, data protection, AI regulations, lawful intercept and data localization/sovereignty. Become a strategic business advisor to the Business Unit, able to make sound legal judgments to guide the Business Unit’s go‑to‑market strategies. Develop strong understanding of the product portfolio and its specific legal needs. Communicate legal issues in plain‑English. Be a great teammate, willing to pitch in and assist wherever needed. Provide practical guidance to product management and engineering teams on new and existing services, products, and features throughout the entire product lifecycle. Leverage AI tools to accelerate legal impact on the BU you will support. Minimum Qualifications Bar admission with 7+ years of experience in a law firm and/or in‑house legal role, preferably in a transactional and/or product counseling role. Proven experience working with software/cloud/SaaS products and licensing matters. Strong ability to manage legal requests from multiple internal clients and to manage multiple projects simultaneously from start to finish, prioritizing tasks effectively, and communicating progress to stakeholders. Exceptional writing and oral communication skills with the ability to distill complex legal issues into concise, actionable advice. Experience with privacy, data protection and data use issues; CIPP/E is a plus. Preferred Qualifications Excellent business judgment, with the ability to balance legal risk and business objectives. Experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements, both as a customer and a service provider. Familiarity with AI tools and models. Detail oriented and self‑sufficient, yet comfortable seeking assistance when needed. Capability to quickly absorb, evaluate, and respond to novel issues and craft creative solutions. Strategic thinker and easily adapt to differing needs and interests of business stakeholders and Cisco's customers. 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 $189,200.00 to $240,600.00 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. 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. Applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state: New York City Metro Area: $221,300.00 – $331,000.00. Non‑Metro New York state & Washington state: $202,200.00 – $294,400.00. Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non‑exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements. Cisconians power the future. We make impact as a team, innovating fast and fearlessly to create meaningful solutions on a large scale. The depth and breadth of our technology doesn't just benefit our customers – it also means limitless opportunities for us to experiment and learn. We understand the power each of our unique backgrounds bring when we work together. Because of that, we have a global network of thinkers, doers, experts, and curious creators who help one another do their life’s best work. #J-18808-Ljbffr 020 Cisco Systems, Inc.