Technical Product Owner

Cisco Enterprise DevOps as a Service (EDaaS) is seeking a Technical Product Owner / Program Manager to lead adoption and optimization of AI Assistant tools such as Cursor, Windsurf, and GitHub Copilot. These tools are transforming the way our engineers design, code, and deliver software.

In this dual-capacity role, you will not only define and drive the product vision but also manage programs and execution at scale - coordinating across multiple teams, vendors, and stakeholders to ensure successful enterprise adoption. This position requires a balance of technical expertise, leadership, product ownership, and program management skills.

Key Responsibilities

Product Ownership

* Own and communicate the product vision and roadmap for AI Assistant tools, ensuring alignment with organizational and business goals.

* Define and prioritize the product backlog to maximize developer productivity and business outcomes.

* Collaborate with engineering teams to translate product features into technical requirements and ensure feasibility.

* Drive integrations of AI assistants with enterprise development environments, CI/CD pipelines, and security frameworks.

* Continuously assess tool performance, adoption, and ROI; iterate on features and workflows.

* Responsible for Leadership readouts across the enterprise.

Program Management

* Manage program-level execution across multiple teams, ensuring timely delivery of features and adoption milestones.

* Coordinate across engineering, operations, business units, and executive stakeholders to align priorities and dependencies.

* Partner with vendors (e.g., OpenAI, GitHub, Cursor, Windsurf) to manage licensing, contracts, escalations, and roadmap alignment.

* Track KPIs and success metrics; provide regular status reports and executive-level updates on adoption, usage, and outcomes.

* Identify risks, dependencies, and organizational blockers; implement mitigation strategies.

* Drive change management and communication plans to ensure smooth adoption across global teams.

* Ensure compliance with security, privacy, and governance requirements during AI adoption.

Required Skills & Qualifications

* Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, information systems, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

* 7-10 years of experience in technical product or program management, with at least 3 years as a product owner in a technical environment.

* Strong understanding of Agile/Scrum methodologies and experience in backlog management.

* Proven track record in program management - managing cross-functional initiatives, vendors, and large-scale rollouts.

* Experience with AI/ML-based developer productivity tools (e.g., Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf) or similar intelligent assistants.

* Familiarity with software development lifecycles (SDLC), CI/CD pipelines, APIs, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).

* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders.

* Strong organizational skills with experience managing multiple priorities and projects in a fast-paced environment.

Desired Skills & Qualifications

* Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), SAFe Product Owner/Manager (POPM), PMP, or equivalent certifications.

* Experience with developer workflow tools (e.g., GitHub, GitLab, VS Code, JetBrains IDEs).

* Familiarity with LLMs, prompt engineering, and AI-assisted development paradigms.

* Knowledge of compliance, governance, and privacy requirements for enterprise AI adoption.

* Experience leading distributed, global teams and managing large-scale vendor engagements.

Key Competencies

* Strategic Thinking - Ability to evaluate long-term enterprise adoption strategies while balancing near-term delivery.

* Leadership & Influence - Inspire, align, and guide cross-functional teams and stakeholders toward shared outcomes.

* Execution Excellence - Skilled at delivering large-scale initiatives on time, within scope, and with measurable impact.

* Problem Solving - Adept at resolving technical, operational, and organizational challenges effectively.

* Customer-Centric Mindset - Passion for enabling developers to be more productive and innovative through AI tools.

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.