Account Executive - DHS

Cisco Systems, Inc.; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 204,000 - 258,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking an Account Manager to lead sales engagements for the Department of Homeland Security. You will build customer relationships, align internal teams, and drive strategic initiatives with a focus on long-term growth.

Ideal candidates bring a track record in technology sales, strong communication, and the ability to navigate federal procurement. This role involves collaborating across services, partners, and product leaders in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of demonstrated ability to build customer relationships, articulate product and service value, create demand, and successfully close deals.
• 2+ years of experience providing thought leadership and communicating a clear vision both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to advocate for customers with internal stakeholders, aligning on priorities and positioning for mutual success.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey complex concepts in a concise, compelling manner
• US Citizenship

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate a proven track record of success working with cross-functional teams, driving accountability, innovation, and growth.
• Leverage technical expertise to discuss network architectures, datacenter requirements, security, and related technologies, translating these into meaningful business outcomes for clients.
• Bring strategic market experience, with the ability to understand and address the complexities of selling advanced technology solutions in Federal agencies.
• Build and sustain long-term customer relationships through strong verbal and written communication skills balancing immediate demands with long-term strategic goals
• Provide thought leadership, think strategically, and collaborate effectively with both customers and internal stakeholders.
• Exhibit strong executive presence, professionalism, and the ability to influence at all organizational levels.

Skills

Customer relationships

Thought leadership

Verbal & written communication

Executive presence

Stakeholder advocacy

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/25/2026

Meet the Team

Join a transformative team driving strategic change and innovation for the Department of Homeland Security. As an Account Manager, you will lead sales engagements, build and foster customer relationships, and collaborate with internal teams-including services, partners, and product leaders-to define and complete both short- and long-term strategies aligned with evolving client business objectives.

Our team's mission is to deliver profitable growth by fostering a culture of high performance and ensuring customer success. We work in a dynamic and engaging environment where teamwork, both internally and externally, is key to our collective achievements. Success in our matrixed sales environment requires a customer-focused approach and a strong partnership focus. We value passion, integrity, trust and leadership in all that we do.

Your Impact

• Demonstrate a proven track record of success working with cross-functional teams, driving accountability, innovation, and growth.
• Leverage technical expertise to discuss network architectures, datacenter requirements, security, and related technologies, translating these into meaningful business outcomes for clients.
• Bring strategic market experience, with the ability to understand and address the complexities of selling advanced technology solutions in Federal agencies.
• Build and sustain long-term customer relationships through strong verbal and written communication skills balancing immediate demands with long-term strategic goals
• Provide thought leadership, think strategically, and collaborate effectively with both customers and internal stakeholders.
• Exhibit strong executive presence, professionalism, and the ability to influence at all organizational levels.

Minimum Qualifications

• 2+ years of demonstrated ability to build customer relationships, articulate product and service value, create demand, and successfully close deals
• 2+ years of experience providing thought leadership and communicating a clear vision both verbally and in writing
• Ability to advocate for customers with internal stakeholders, aligning on priorities and positioning for mutual success
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to convey complex concepts in a concise, compelling, and creative manner
• US Citizenship

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous technology sales experience with exposure to Cisco's products and services
• Customer facing field sales experience
• Top Security Clearance

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 $204,400.00 to $258,400.00 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 ofunused sick timecarried forwardfrom one calendar yearto 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.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area:

$214,300.00 - $315,000.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$204,400.00 - $297,100.00

* 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.

** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.