Sales Development Representative _ Security

Cisco Systems, Inc; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc in London is hiring a Sales Development Representative for the Security Velocity Team. The role is hybrid with at least two days on-site, focusing on initiating strategic conversations and qualifying opportunities across EMEA.

You will work closely with Account Executives and Security Specialists to build pipeline and enable cross-team success. Ideal candidates bring 1+ year in outbound sales, fluent English, and the drive to grow into Account Executive or Security Specialist

Qualifications

• 1+ years in professional sales development or related outbound roles.
• Proven outbound prospecting with structured cadences.
• Fluent English with strong business communication skills.
• Authorized to live and work in the United Kingdom.

Responsibilities

• Drive net-new pipeline across EMEA by researching target accounts and engaging senior security and IT decision-makers.
• Qualify customer security requirements and book discovery meetings for Account Executives and Security Specialists.
• Master Cisco Security architecture (Zero Trust, SASE, XDR) to translate solutions into business outcomes.
• Develop objection-handling, enterprise buying-cycle knowledge, and commercial acumen for future progression.

Skills

Outbound Prospecting

English Fluency

B2B Sales

Team Collaboration

Tools

Salesforce CRM

Outreach

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Job description

Job Description

Location: London, United Kingdom

Work Style: Hybrid (Minimum 2 days/week on-site in office)

Organization: Cisco Security Sales (Velocity Team)

Target Level: Early in Career / Professional

Meet the Team

Security is one of the most critical and fastest-moving domains in enterprise technology. The threat landscape is evolving constantly, regulations are tightening, and organizations are actively looking for trusted partners who genuinely understand their security architecture. That’s where you come in. As a Sales Development Representative (SDR) in the Cisco Security Velocity Team, you will initiate strategic conversations with prospective customers across EMEA, uncovering key business challenges and opening pipeline opportunities for the wider sales team. You will be an integral part of a high-energy, collaborative cohort, partnering daily with Account Executives and Security Specialists on territory campaigns, while receiving dedicated mentorship and call coaching from sales leadership. This role rewards curiosity, thorough preparation, resilience, and a continuous learning mindset. If you are early in your career and looking to build core competencies in enterprise technology sales alongside an encouraging team that celebrates mutual wins, this team offers a structured development environment with a proven progression path into Account Executive or Specialist roles typically within 12 to 24 months.

Your Impact

In this role, you will drive net-new pipeline across EMEA by researching target enterprise accounts and proactively engaging senior security and IT decision-makers through multi-channel prospecting, cold calling, and personalized outreach. You will uncover critical business challenges, qualify customer security requirements, and secure high-impact discovery meetings for Account Executives and Security Specialists. By mastering the Cisco Security architecture—including Zero Trust, SASE, XDR, and Threat Intelligence—you will translate complex cybersecurity solutions into meaningful business outcomes for prospective clients. Throughout your first year, you will hone advanced objection handling, enterprise buying cycle navigation, and commercial acumen, establishing the foundational expertise needed to accelerate your long-term career in enterprise technology sales.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience: 1+ years of professional sales development, business development, inside sales, or outbound lead generation experience.
• Outbound Prospecting: Proven track record in outbound prospecting, including structured cold calling and multi-touch cadences.
• Communication: Fluent in English with strong written and verbal business communication skills.
• Work Authorization: Legally authorized to live and work in the United Kingdom without restriction.

Preferred Qualifications

• Cybersecurity & Tech Curiosity: A genuine passion for cybersecurity and enterprise technology, with the curiosity to understand customer challenges and technology-driven business outcomes.
• Proactive Drive & Resilience: Self-motivated, coachable, and persistent mindset with the confidence to initiate conversations and navigate objections in a fast-paced sales environment.
• Interpersonal Acumen: Strong relationship-building and active listening skills to engage senior stakeholders, ask insightful questions, and establish immediate trust.
• Sales Tools & Methodologies: Hands-on experience with modern sales engagement platforms (Salesforce CRM, Outreach, LinkedIn Sales Navigator) and exposure to structured sales qualification frameworks.
• Language Skills & B2B Experience: Professional fluency in German and/or previous exposure to B2B technology or SaaS sales environments.

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. Cisconians power the future. We make impact as a team, innovating fast and fearlessly to create meaningful solutions on a large scale. The depth and breadth of our technology doesn't just benefit our customers – it also means limitless opportunities for us to experiment and learn. We understand the power each of our unique backgrounds bring when we work together. Because of that, we have a global network of thinkers, doers, experts, and curious creators who help one another do their life’s best work.