FLEX - Emerging Leaders I (Intern) - United States

Location: Chicago, Illinois, US

Please note this posting is to advertise potential job opportunities. This exact role may not be open today but could open in the near future. When you apply, a Cisco representative may contact you directly if a relevant position opens.

Applications accepted until further notice.

Meet the Team

FLEX is a 3-year leadership development program at Cisco under the People, Policy, and Purpose Organization (3P). FLEX’s name is derived from the vision the program has for participants to Find their passion and community, LEad their career and work, and EXplore the world of potential at Cisco.

As part of FLEX-EL, you will embark on a three-year leadership journey through a series of rotations (3–12 months each, though rotations typically last 12 months) within our 3P organization. In your first weeks at Cisco, you will receive thorough onboarding exposing you to everything Cisco and 3P, hearing directly from leaders across our organization to deepen your understanding of the opportunities available to you and help you best determine where you would like to begin your journey within 3P.

As part of the 3P organization, participants will rotate through a wide array of opportunities including, but not limited to:

Our People & Communities (HR) organization: home to our traditional People & Communities functions like HR Business Partners, Compensation, Workforce Planning and Analytics, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, Mergers & Acquisitions, Employee Relations, amongst others.

Our Policy Organization: home to our Government Affairs organization which manages how Cisco interacts and collaborates with local, national, and international governments.

Our Purpose Organization: home to our teams responsible for driving Cisco’s work to build a more inclusive future for all such as Strategy and Planning, Country Digital Acceleration, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), Social Impact & Inclusion, and Real Estate, amongst others.

Following the three years, graduates of the FLEX Program enter full-time roles across the 3P organization based on their career goals and interests.

Your Impact

FLEX-EL participants join Cisco as People and Communities Representatives. In this role they will:

Work on projects that will increase value to the business.

Drive several team-based projects and complete individual stretch assignments.

Collaborate with senior leadership, managers, cross-functional teams, and other members of the FLEX community.

Contribute to the FLEX Community by participating in program-specific teams.

Participate in professional development workshops, function-specific training, and business seminars often led by industry leaders.

Minimum Qualifications

Including but not limited to a graduate/upcoming graduate of a certification program from a Boot Camp, Apprenticeship, Community College, or 4-Year University.

Preferred Qualifications

Shown leadership skills and an ability to motivate change.

Demonstrated ability to think strategically, collaborate across diverse business functions, and articulate how people, policy, and purpose initiatives drive business outcomes (no prior HR or functional experience required).

Passion for driving meaningful organizational impact and solving complex enterprise challenges. We actively seek adaptable leaders from all fields driven by curiosity who want to make a difference across our diverse ecosystem.

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:

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