Sr. Contract Negotiator
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Location:Atlanta, Georgia, US
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Area of InterestSales - Services, Solutions, Customer Success
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Compensation Range153100 USD - 195100 USD
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Job TypeProfessional
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Technology InterestServices & Software
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Job Id1438199
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.
Application window expected to close on 6/13/2025.
Meet the Team
Global Procurement Services (GPS) is responsible for the enterprise-wide- procurement of all Cisco software and services.
Global Procurement Services is a key partner to all regional, global and strategic Cisco Businesses, functions service delivery teams handling all sourcing, contracting, supplier management, and buying activities. The successful candidate will deliver outstanding contracts services from GPS to help drive business value and support profitable growth worldwide.
Your Impact
This is a Senior Strategic Contract Negotiator role leading all strategic and enterprise negotiations and contract strategy for Technology. A successful candidate will report into the Connected Contracts leader supporting this crucial global contract position in either Research Triangle Park, North Carolina or Atlanta, Georgia.
Connected contracts is bringing new levels of value to Cisco through strong processes and governance and deep negotiating and contracting skills while continually ensuring a digitized, data-driven contracting experience. This position will play a meaningful role in providing end-to-end contracting services, including driving an innovative and continuous improvement environment. Draft, negotiate and close a wide variety of sophisticated contracts worldwide supporting such areas as, but not limited to Software as a Service, Cloud Services, Software Licensing, Professional Services for software implementations and Telecom.
Deliver ongoing improvements to simplify and optimize contract templates, standards and processes throughout the procurement cycle, across the range of contract documents including software licenses and cloud service engagements.
Collaborate with the service owners to deliver an agile contract engagement model that supports the implementation of evolving business requirements and processes by providing mentorship, defining contracting strategies and engaging across a diverse range of business functions, including legal, InfoSec, Finance, tax, compliance, insurance etc.
Collaborate all levels of management and multi-functional teams.
Support and deploy technology and digital transformation, including the use of cognitive analysis, machine learning, and AI to enable an improved end-to-end contracting experience.
Minimum qualifications
- Bachelors Degree, with Masters, JD or validated equivalent experience or 12+ years validated experience in reviewing, drafting and negotiating sophisticated technology contracts.
- Solid grasp of contract formation, terminology, negotiations and proven success negotiating at a strategic and enterprise level.
- Experience identifying and optimally resolving legal and business issues typically encountered in procurement contracts. Extensive knowledge and understanding of contract law and practices including obligations and risks associated with customer maintenance service delivery, business and technical competence to negotiate and draft highly technical and detailed agreements, statements of work, craft effective incentives toward greater business value, and ensure clear and enforceable critical metrics/remedies.
- Ability to influence at all levels to achieve desired results, including connecting contract structure and language to practical business outcomes. Expertise in key areas, including issue spotting, dispute resolution, negotiation strategy, technical knowledge, precision in written and verbal communication, and acute listening skills.
- Experience leading and working in multi-functional teams in a multifaceted, continually evolving autonomous global work environment, including a consistent record of engagement with executives and leaders at all levels
- Strong communications, presentations, and analysis skills.
Preferred qualifications
- Experience working with a comprehensive contracts lifecycle management system.
- Experience working in a SaaS environment and negotiating SaaS deals with the ability to articulate special requirements of this business model. Experience in a SaaS company is a plus.
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. Simply put – we power the future.
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.
Meet the Team
Global Procurement Services (GPS) is responsible for the enterprise-wide- procurement of all Cisco software and services.
Global Procurement Services is a key partner to all regional, global and strategic Cisco Businesses, functions service delivery teams handling all sourcing, contracting, supplier management, and buying activities. The successful candidate will deliver outstanding contracts services from GPS to help drive business value and support profitable growth worldwide.
Your Impact
This is a Senior Strategic Contract Negotiator role leading all strategic and enterprise negotiations and contract strategy for Technology. A successful candidate will report into the Connected Contracts leader supporting this crucial global contract position in either Research Triangle Park, North Carolina or Atlanta, Georgia.
Connected contracts is bringing new levels of value to Cisco through strong processes and governance and deep negotiating and contracting skills while continually ensuring a digitized, data-driven contracting experience. This position will play a meaningful role in providing end-to-end contracting services, including driving an innovative and continuous improvement environment. Draft, negotiate and close a wide variety of sophisticated contracts worldwide supporting such areas as, but not limited to Software as a Service, Cloud Services, Software Licensing, Professional Services for software implementations and Telecom.
Deliver ongoing improvements to simplify and optimize contract templates, standards and processes throughout the procurement cycle, across the range of contract documents including software licenses and cloud service engagements.
Collaborate with the service owners to deliver an agile contract engagement model that supports the implementation of evolving business requirements and processes by providing mentorship, defining contracting strategies and engaging across a diverse range of business functions, including legal, InfoSec, Finance, tax, compliance, insurance etc.
Collaborate all levels of management and multi-functional teams.
Support and deploy technology and digital transformation, including the use of cognitive analysis, machine learning, and AI to enable an improved end-to-end contracting experience.
Minimum qualifications
- Bachelors Degree, with Masters, JD or validated equivalent experience or 12+ years validated experience in reviewing, drafting and negotiating sophisticated technology contracts.
- Solid grasp of contract formation, terminology, negotiations and proven success negotiating at a strategic and enterprise level.
- Experience identifying and optimally resolving legal and business issues typically encountered in procurement contracts. Extensive knowledge and understanding of contract law and practices including obligations and risks associated with customer maintenance service delivery, business and technical competence to negotiate and draft highly technical and detailed agreements, statements of work, craft effective incentives toward greater business value, and ensure clear and enforceable critical metrics/remedies.
- Ability to influence at all levels to achieve desired results, including connecting contract structure and language to practical business outcomes. Expertise in key areas, including issue spotting, dispute resolution, negotiation strategy, technical knowledge, precision in written and verbal communication, and acute listening skills.
- Experience leading and working in multi-functional teams in a multifaceted, continually evolving autonomous global work environment, including a consistent record of engagement with executives and leaders at all levels
- Strong communications, presentations, and analysis skills.
Preferred qualifications
- Experience working with a comprehensive contracts lifecycle management system.
- Experience working in a SaaS environment and negotiating SaaS deals with the ability to articulate special requirements of this business model. Experience in a SaaS company is a plus.
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. Simply put – we power the future.
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.
When available, the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hire, full-time salaries in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including equity or benefits. For non-sales roles the hiring ranges reflect base salary only; employees are also eligible to receive annual bonuses. Hiring ranges for sales positions include base and incentive compensation target. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location and additional factors, including but not limited to skillset, experience, and relevant education, certifications, or training. Applicants may not be eligible for the full salary range based on their U.S. or Canada hiring location. The recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.
U.S. employees have access to quality medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance and numerous wellbeing offerings.
Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday (for non-exempt employees), plus a day off for their birthday. Non-Exempt new hires accrue up to 16 days of vacation time off each year, at a rate of 4.92 hours per pay period. Exempt new hires participate in Cisco’s flexible Vacation Time Off policy, which does not place a defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use, but is subject to availability and some business limitations. All new hires are eligible for Sick Time Off subject to Cisco’s Sick Time Off Policy and will have eighty (80) hours of sick time off provided on their hire date and on January 1st of each year thereafter. Up to 80 hours of unused sick time will be carried forward from one calendar year to the next such that the maximum number of sick time hours an employee may have available is 160 hours. Employees in Illinois have a unique time off program designed specifically with local requirements in mind. All employees also have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community.
Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components. 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 up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.
