Program Operations Specialist - Partner Programs

About the role

Cisco's Global Distribution Programs & Strategy Team owns the end-to-end design, governance, financial stewardship and strategic evolution of its partner programs that monetize the global distributor ecosystem. It is currently transforming from legacy programmatic frameworks to the Cisco 360 (C360) Partner Program. The role anchors operational governance and administration of current distribution programs while taking a hands-on part in moving distributors to the new C360 Distribution Program (PVI and CPI for Distributors).

Key responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day operation, audit compliance and policy execution of existing global distribution programs and incentives (e.g. Distributor Grow, OBF and DDF)
• Validate monthly/quarterly distributor payout files with Global Partner Finance, reconcile claims and manage exception requests
• Ensure adherence to program Terms & Conditions, maintain governance documentation and lead dispute resolution with regional distributor leads
• Support the transition roadmap from legacy metrics to the new Partner Value Index (PVI) and Cisco Partner Incentive (CPI) for Distributors
• Maintain operational dashboards tracking distributor performance, incentive earnings, tier distribution and budget accruals
• Support bi-weekly regional operational syncs across AMER, EMEA and APJC and act as Tier-2 escalation point for partner account teams

Required profile

• 4-7+ years of experience in partner/channel operations, business governance, program management or financial operations in a high-tech enterprise
• Understanding of two-tier (2T) distribution models, distributor compensation and partner incentives
• Ability to manage complex business rules, exceptions and audit trails accurately
• Preferred: experience influencing decisions with multiple stakeholders, and strong communication, consulting and presentation skills

Required skills

• Advanced Microsoft Excel (Power Query, advanced formulas, pivot modelling)
• Experience analysing large-scale commercial datasets
• Familiarity with Cisco systems (CCW, PXP, Tableau/PowerBI, Salesforce) is a strong plus