Financial Services Operations Manager

M&A Stock Deal Lead

This is a hybrid role with two days per week at Cisco's Atlanta, Salt Lake City or RTP offices. Alternate locations will be considered on an exception basis. Members of the Finance 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.

The application window is expected to close on November 15, 2026. However, the job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Global Stock Plan Services (GSPS) & M&A Stock is a highly visible team within Cisco Financial Shared Services (FSS). Our team manages global equity plan operations across 76+ countries and leads complex equity integration workstreams for Cisco's corporate acquisition portfolio. We partner hand-in-hand with Corporate Development, Finance, Legal, Tax, Treasury, and People & Communities (HR) to deliver seamless employee equity experiences, ensure rigorous SOX compliance, and execute strategic corporate transactions at global scale.

Role Overview:

The M&A Stock Deal Lead plays a pivotal role in leading end-to-end equity workstreams for mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures while actively managing the day-to-day operations and administration of Cisco's global equity programs (as needed). This individual partners across Corporate Development, Finance, Legal, Tax, Treasury, and People & Communities (HR), ensuring operational excellence, SOX compliance, and seamless participant support.

1. M&A Equity & Deal Execution (Core):

Equity Deal Leadership: Lead cross-functional equity workstreams across all phases of M&A transactions (due diligence, signing, closing, and post-close integration).

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner actively with Corporate Development, Legal, Tax, Treasury, HR, and external advisors on equity deal mechanics.

Agreement & Term Sheet Review: Review and provide equity-related feedback on term sheets, merger agreements, disclosure schedules, and retention equity structures.

Consideration Management: Manage and direct the distribution of cash and stock consideration through paying agents, escrow agents, and Cisco Payroll.

Assumed Equity Management: Manage assumed RSUs and stock option conversions, equity exchange ratios, share reserve reconciliations, and gather data for Form S-8 registration filings.

Post-Close Integration: Coordinate post-acquisition employee onboarding and education regarding equity award treatment, vesting schedules, and holdback/escrow release mechanisms with paying agents and shareholder representatives.

SOX Controls: Maintain and execute key SOX controls across all transaction milestones.

Tax Reconciliations: Partner closely with Payroll and paying agents for statutory compliance and year-end reporting (Form 3921/3922 and 1099s).

2. Global Stock Plan Administration:

Equity Platform & Lifecycle Management: Assist with executing end-to-end global equity plan administration (RSUs, PSUs, DRSUs, and ESPP) utilizing Morgan Stanley at Work / Equity Edge Online (EEO).

Global ESPP Operations: Assist with semi-annual ESPP enrollment cycles, contribution reconciliations, purchase execution, statutory $25k limit monitoring, and disqualifying disposition tracking.

Releases & Share Settlement: Assist with RSU/PSU/DRSU vesting events, option exercises, share issuances, tax withholding calculations, and mobile employee transactions.

Payroll & Tax Reconciliations: Partner closely with Payroll to reconcile compensation income, tax withholding files, and year-end statutory compliance (W-2, Form 3921/3922, 1099s).

Participant Support & Communications: Assist with participant equity inquiries, draft participant communications, and conduct equity education sessions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education: Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, or a related discipline.

Equity Experience: 6+ years of progressive professional experience in global equity compensation administration and stock plan operations.

M&A Equity Workstreams: Demonstrated experience managing equity workstreams in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, or corporate transactions (due diligence, closing funding wires, and post-close integration).

Systems Proficiency: Hands-on operational proficiency with equity administration platforms, specifically Morgan Stanley at Work / Equity Edge Online (EEO) and Workday HRIS integrations.

Financial Modeling: Advanced Microsoft Excel modeling capabilities.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Professional Certification: Certified Equity Professional (CEP) or Equity Compensation Associate (ECA) designation strongly preferred.

Statutory & SOX Compliance: In-depth knowledge of global statutory equity compliance, SEC Section 16 reporting, IRS Form 3921/3922 regulations, and SOX internal control frameworks.

Digital Automation & AI: Practical experience utilizing enterprise AI tools, data automation pipelines, and modern collaboration technologies to streamline equity workflows.

Stakeholder Communication: Exceptional stakeholder communication, project management, and cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to influence decisions across Corporate Development, Legal, Tax, Treasury, and Payroll.

Multi-Task Execution: Proven ability to prioritize competing transactional priorities and deliver high-accuracy results under compressed deal timelines.

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 $116,900.00 to $148,200.00 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,