Account Executive, Air Force Enterprise - Portfolio(Fed)

Cisco Systems, Inc.; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Senior Account Executive to lead strategic USAF engagements within Cisco's Federal / US Public Sector organization. You will orchestrate cross-functional teams across defense programs, aligning Cisco architectures with mission priorities and securing multi-year deals ranging from six figures to tens of millions.

The role requires 7+ years of enterprise tech sales, U.S. citizenship, and willingness to travel up to 30-50%.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of quota-carrying enterprise technology sales or defense pre-sales experience.
• Proven track record closing deals from $100K to $50M+ in 6–18+ month timelines.
• Deep understanding of enterprise networking, zero-trust architectures, and secure infrastructure technologies.
• Orchestrate cross-functional teams with defense channel partners/FSIs (e.g., General Dynamics, Leidos, CACI, WWT, Presidio).

Responsibilities

• Lead complex defense sales cycles across Air Force major commands (MAJCOMs) and agencies.
• Engage General Officers and SES to translate mission requirements into technology roadmaps.
• Grow revenue focusing on secure networking, zero-trust, and next-gen firewalls.
• Manage opportunity prospecting, capture planning, and CRM pipeline hygiene.
• Navigate FAR/DFARS, IDIQ, and GWAC contracts with FSIs and distributors.

Skills

Quota-carrying sales

Federal procurement knowledge

Enterprise networking

Cross-functional leadership

U.S. Citizenship

Education

Bachelor's degree (technical or business)

Master's degree / PhD (preferred)

Tools

CRM tools

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/22/2026

Candidate must relocate or live in the listed Territory

Meet the Team

As a Senior Account Executive supporting the United States Air Force within Cisco's Federal / US Public Sector organization, you will play a mission-critical role enabling digital modernization, operational readiness, and resilient command-and-control capabilities for our nation's defense. You will operate as the strategic "Account Orchestrator" across complex Air Force enterprise programs, building enduring relationships with military commanders, civilian senior executive service (SES) leaders, program executive officers (PEOs), and defense mission partners.

In this role, you will lead high-performing cross-functional teams-collaborating closely with Federal Portfolio Systems Engineers, architectural specialists, defense systems integrators (FSIs), and Cisco Federal leadership-to architect and deliver transformative solutions spanning secure networking, zero-trust cybersecurity, multi-cloud infrastructure, and mission-ready collaboration across deals ranging from $100K to $50M+.

What You'll Do

• Enterprise Account Orchestration & Mission Leadership: Lead multi-faceted, highly complex defense sales cycles across Air Force major commands (MAJCOMs) and defense agencies, orchestrating extended technical and specialist teams to align Cisco architectures with mission-critical defense priorities.
• Senior Defense Stakeholder Engagement: Build and sustain trusted advisor relationships with General Officers, Senior Executive Service (SES) leaders, Air Force CIO/CDO teams, and acquisition executives, translating operational mission requirements into actionable technology roadmaps.
• Cross-Portfolio Growth & Core Defense Infrastructure: Drive sustainable enterprise revenue growth with a deep focus on core secure networking (zero-trust switching, wireless, enterprise routing, and next-gen firewalls), while positioning advanced software buying programs and enterprise agreements (EAs).
• Defense Pipeline Development & Forecasting: Manage opportunity prospecting, capture planning, and CRM pipeline hygiene to build a robust multi-year sales funnel, delivering accurate and predictable weekly, monthly, and quarterly sales commitments.
• Federal Capture & Consultative Commercial Strategy: Navigate federal defense acquisition regulations (FAR/DFARS), indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract vehicles, and government-wide acquisition contracts (GWACs) in partnership with Federal Systems Integrators (FSIs) and distribution partners.

Minimum Qualifications

• 7+ years of quota-carrying enterprise technology sales, strategic account management, or defense pre-sales consulting experience with a consistent track record of quota over-achievement.
• Proven track record managing medium-to-large, highly complex deal cycles ($100K to $50M+) across 6-18+ month federal procurement timelines.
• Deep commercial and architectural understanding of enterprise networking, zero-trust architectures, and secure infrastructure technologies (switching, routing, wireless, and network security).
• Demonstrated ability to orchestrate cross-functional specialist teams, engineering resources, and strategic defense channel partners/FSIs (e.g., General Dynamics, Leidos, CACI, WWT, Presidio).
• U.S. Citizenship Required: Must be a U.S. Citizen with the ability to travel up to 30-50% to Air Force bases, program offices, and command centers across designated regions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 8+ years of technology sales experience, Master's degree with 6+ years of technology sales experience, or PhD with 3+ years of related experience (or equivalent practical experience).
• 5+ years of direct experience selling enterprise IT solutions into the U.S. Air Force, Department of Defense (DoD), or Federal defense agencies, or prior military service in a communications/cyber capacity.
• Active Secret, Top Secret, or TS/SCI security clearance (or eligibility to reinstate clearance).
• Deep knowledge of Federal defense contracting, DODIN/DISA compliance standards