Account Executive - Architecture: Data Center Infrastructure (GES)

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 292,000 - 384,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a West Coast Americas GTM Sales Architect focusing on Data Center & AI Infrastructure. You will own architectural revenue, manage multi-stakeholder deals, and collaborate with SEs and core account teams to drive ROI-focused proposals.

Ideal candidates have 7+ years in enterprise tech sales, strong MEDDPICC experience, and a track record of quota attainment across complex cycles. This role emphasizes executive alignment and strategic market growth.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of direct, quota-carrying enterprise or commercial technology sales experience selling hardware, software, SaaS, or complex architectures.
• 5+ years of managing multi-stakeholder commercial deal cycles (3–18 months).
• Proven ability to develop executive proposals and ROI/TCO justifications.
• Experience with competitive displacement strategies and growing market share.
• Experience collaborating with Solutions Engineers, core account teams, and internal business units.

Responsibilities

• Own and achieve sales quota targets for specialized Cisco architectures across mid-market to enterprise accounts.
• Navigate buying centers and align with CXOs and IT decision-makers.
• Apply MEDDPICC to qualify pipeline, build ROI/TCO justifications, and forecast revenue.
• Collaborate with Solutions Engineers and Core Sales Teams on PoC/PoV strategies.
• Influence product roadmap, pricing models, and GTM strategies through field feedback.

Skills

Quota-carrying sales

Enterprise/commercial sales

Executive stakeholder management

MEDDPICC or similar methodologies

Cross-functional collaboration

ROI/TCO financial justification

Solution Engineers collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/08/2026 Candidate must relocate or live in the listed Territory Position will cover the Westcoast Americas GTM Sales | Global Enterprise Segment (GES) — Data Center & AI Infrastructure Specialist MEET THE TEAM Cisco’s Architecture Sales Organization drives specialized revenue growth, competitive displacement, and business transformation across our strategic technology portfolios. As specialized Account Executives, we partner closely with Core Account Teams, Solutions Engineers (SEs), and Cisco Engineering Business Units to identify high-impact opportunities, navigate enterprise buying centres, and position Cisco’s market-leading architectures. We focus on commercial excellence, business outcome realization, and accelerating the adoption of next-generation enterprise networking, cybersecurity, cloud, and AI-ready infrastructure.

YOUR IMPACT

• Drive Architectural Revenue & Quota Attainment: Own and achieve sales quota targets for specialized Cisco architectures, managing deal cycles ranging from $50K to over $1M across mid-market, commercial, and enterprise accounts.
• Navigate Buying Centers & Executive Alignment: Cultivate trusted advisor relationships with CXOs, Line-of-Business leaders, and IT decision-makers, aligning long-term architectural strategies with strategic customer business objectives.
• Orchestrate Opportunity Qualification & Commercial Strategy: Apply structured sales methodologies (e.g., MEDDPICC) to qualify pipeline opportunities, construct ROI/TCO financial justifications, and deliver accurate architectural revenue forecasting.
• Partner with Solutions Engineers & Core Sales Teams: Collaborate with Solutions Engineers (SEs) on customer proof of concept (PoC) and proof of value (PoV) demonstration strategies, while partnering with Core Account Teams to expand wallet share and displace competitors.
• Interlock with Business Units & Product Management: Channel field intelligence, customer feedback, and competitive insights directly to Cisco Engineering Business Units to influence product roadmap enhancements, pricing models, and go-to-market strategies.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 7+ years of direct, quota-carrying enterprise or commercial technology sales experience selling hardware, software, SaaS, or complex specialized technology architectures.
• 5+ years of experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder commercial deal cycles (3 to 18 months) with a documented track record of quota over-achievement.
• Proven track record developing commercial business cases, executive proposals, and ROI/TCO financial justifications.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience executing competitive displacement strategies and growing market share against industry competitors.
• Proven experience collaborating cross-functionally with technical pre-sales teams (Solutions Engineers), core account teams, and internal business units.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or advanced degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related discipline.
• Formal training and demonstrated proficiency in enterprise sales methodologies (e.g., MEDDPICC, Challenger Sales, Command of the Message).
• Commercial familiarity and sales proficiency across Cisco architectural domains (Enterprise Networking, Cyber Security, Cloud/Data Center, or Collaboration).
• Experience selling multi-year software subscriptions, Enterprise Agreements (EAs), and recurring revenue licensing models.
• Established executive customer relationships and vertical domain sales experience (e.g., Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing, SLED, or Service Provider).

THIS JOB DESCRIPTION DOES NOT APPLY FOR EMPLOYEES IN AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, FRANCE, GERMANY & NETHERLANDS

THIS JOB DESCRIPTION DOES NOT APPLY FOR EMPLOYEES IN AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, FRANCE, GERMANY & NETHERLANDS

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

The starting salary range posted for this position is $292,100.00 to $384,200.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits. 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.

Applicable salary ranges by state

• New York City Metro Area: $292,100.00 - $441,900.00
• Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $263,900.00 - $409,200.00
• * 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.

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.