Project Manager - Distribution 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 and motivate the global distributor ecosystem. It is currently transforming from legacy programmatic frameworks into the Cisco 360 (C360) Partner Program. The role is a Grade 9 Program Operations Specialist position based in Oeiras, anchoring operational governance and administration of current distribution programs while taking a hands-on part in moving distributors to the new C360 Distribution Program (PVI & 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)
• Partner with Global Partner Finance and Commerce Operations to validate monthly/quarterly payout files, reconcile claims and manage exception requests
• Maintain program Terms & Conditions, governance documentation and lead dispute resolution with regional distributor leads
• Support the transition to C360, moving from legacy metrics to the Partner Value Index (PVI) and Cisco Partner Incentive (CPI) for Distributors
• Maintain recurring dashboards on distributor performance, incentive earnings, tier distribution and budget accruals
• Facilitate agendas, meeting notes and action tracking for bi-weekly regional distribution syncs across AMER, EMEA and APJC
• Act as Tier-2 escalation point for regional partner account teams on program rules and transition timelines

Required profile

• 4-7+ years of experience in partner/channel operations, business governance, program management or financial operations in a high-tech enterprise
• Strong understanding of two-tier (2T) distribution models, distributor compensation and partner incentives
• Ability to manage complex business rules, exceptions and audit trails with accuracy and discipline
• 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