Principal Corporate Counsel: Employee Benefits & ERISA

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  

Join Cisco’s People Legal Team and be a trusted and creative legal partner to Cisco’s People & Communities (HR) organization and the entire enterprise. You’ll pave pathways that will enhance Cisco’s employee experience and address complex issues. The People Legal Team consists of pragmatic lawyers and legal professionals responsible for the full portfolio of the company’s international employment and benefits law matters. We take pride in collectively thinking through the practical implications of risk and how to help run a company that is consistently ranked, throughout the world, as one of the best places to work.  In this role, you’ll report to an Associate General Counsel Director, Employment Law. 

People Legal is part of a Cisco Legal organization with 500+ Legal and Compliance professionals in 25+ countries committed to fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment as we work together to drive Cisco’s success. We serve as trusted advisors to the business – solving problems, navigating complexities, and enabling transformation along the way. We use technology to make life easier – leveraging Cisco’s innovative networking and collaboration tools to enable flexible, hybrid work. And we embrace the responsibility to be a force for good – donating our time and expertise through pro bono and community impact initiatives. 

Your Impact  

• You will serve as the primary legal architect for Cisco’s US Benefits programs. You won't just "check the box" on compliance; you will provide the strategic legal framework that allows Cisco to offer world-class health, welfare, and retirement programs that attract and retain the best talent in the tech industry.   

• You will navigate the complexities of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code, providing expert fiduciary counseling to plan committees and ensuring our programs meet the highest standards of governance.  

• You will advise and support clients in all aspects of plan administration for employer-provided benefits, including filings, offerings, and plan documentation including SPDs. You will work on benefits contracts including vendor agreements and marketing material.  

• You will lead the legal strategy for benefits-related litigation and administrative claims. By partnering with Global Benefits and Finance, you will proactively identify and mitigate risks before they escalate, ensuring Cisco’s benefits engine runs efficiently and stays ahead of the regulatory curve. 

• You will drive the benefits due diligence and integration strategy for mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. You will evaluate target company plans, identify potential liabilities, and support the seamless transition of benefits for newly acquired talent. 

• You will act as a forward-looking scout for legislative shifts. You will interpret and implement sophisticated new regulations—such as the SECURE Act 2.0 and evolving state-mandated retirement or paid leave programs—ensuring Cisco remains a first-mover in compliance and plan design. 

• As a member of the People Legal team, you will be a key collaborator on cross-functional projects. While your mastery lies in ERISA, your well-rounded legal perspective will allow you to contribute to broader employment law initiatives, helping the team solve "unsolvable" problems at the intersection of law, culture, and business.  

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school with a strong academic record. 

• Active member in good standing of at least one U.S. State Bar. 

• 7+ years of relevant legal experience, with a significant focus on ERISA and US Benefits law within a major law firm or a large multinational corporate legal department. 

• Consistent track record in handling benefits litigation and navigating sophisticated ERISA compliance issues, with an emphasis on providing practical mentorship. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• You are an attorney with a real passion for benefits law. You love partnering with leaders, HR professionals and Cisco team members to find the best solutions. 

• Strong business sense and the ability to balance legal risk with Cisco's innovative culture. You ask the right questions, think strategically, and are willing to question the status quo. You listen to and understand the needs of your clients. 

• You also are self-starter, able to work independently, and have excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills. 

• Experience in the technology sector or with high-growth, global companies. 

• Familiarity with applying AI-powered legal tools to improve research and operational efficiency. 

• While this role is primarily passionate about US Benefits and ERISA, we value a well-rounded legal perspective. Familiarity with issues such as employment litigation, hiring and termination counseling, and general employment compliance is a plus and will allow you to collaborate even more effectively across our broader Americas People Legal team. 

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. 

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, 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.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area:

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

* For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.