Account Executive - Portfolio SLED

Cisco Systems, Inc.; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 260,000 - 352,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

401(k) with Cisco matching

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking an experienced SLED Account Executive to drive strategic sales across government, education, and large enterprises in the U.S.

The role focuses on managing complex accounts, forecasting pipelines, and delivering end-to-end solutions with AI-driven selling techniques. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to grow revenue, engage senior executives, and identify new logo opportunities in a dynamic market.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of proven success selling end-to-end solutions to IT organizations of large enterprises.
• Ability to travel as needed for in person customer engagements.
• Demonstrated experience in managing complex strategic accounts, including forecasting and quota attainment.
• Proven ability to identify, establish, and develop new account opportunities to meet growth targets.
• Demonstrated experience in delivering sales presentations and managing short/mid/long-term opportunities.
• AI-led selling/AI forward skills required

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategic sales plans to grow revenue and profitability within the SLED customer base.
• Manage the full-cycle sales process, including accurate weekly, monthly, and quarterly forecasting and pipeline development.
• Engage with senior customer executives to articulate Cisco’s strategic value and business impact.
• Lead cross-sell and up-sell initiatives, identifying and pursuing new logo opportunities.
• Collaborate with internal resources and partners to provide tailored, end-to-end solutions for complex customer requirements.

Skills

AI-led selling

Forecasting

Strategic selling

Accounts management

Sales presentations

Travel as needed

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

iACV compensation

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/29/2026

The application window is expected to close on: 09/30/2026

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

SLED Account Executive:

Meet the Team

The SLED team is the driving force for our customers, partners, governments, schools, and communities. We are a collaborative group committed to people and the inclusion of the communities around us. We believe that while we are strong individually, the power of our collective team is unstoppable. We embrace unique perspectives and foster an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their best.

Your Impact

As an Account Executive at Cisco, you will play a pivotal role in the sales process, working with a large portfolio of technology products and services. You will help advance the SLED Sales Team to make our customers’ lives better and easier through the delivery of transformative business solutions designed to fit their unique needs. You will be responsible for driving growth, managing complex accounts, and acting as a trusted advisor to senior customer executives.

• Develop and execute strategic sales plans to grow revenue and profitability within the SLED customer base.

• Manage the full-cycle sales process, including accurate weekly, monthly, and quarterly forecasting and pipeline development.

• Engage with senior customer executives to articulate Cisco’s strategic value and business impact.

• Lead cross-sell and up-sell initiatives, identifying and pursuing new logo opportunities.

• Collaborate with internal resources and partners to provide tailored, end-to-end solutions for complex customer requirements.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of proven success selling end-to-end solutions to IT organizations of large enterprises.

• Ability to travel as needed for in person customer engagements.

• Demonstrated experience in managing complex strategic accounts, including forecasting and quota attainment.

• Proven ability to identify, establish, and develop new account opportunities to meet growth targets.

• Demonstrated experience in delivering sales presentations and managing short/mid/long-term opportunities.

• AI-led selling/AI forward skills required

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) or equivalent practical experience.

• Experience in software sales, with specific knowledge of iACV compensation elements.

• Strong negotiation skills with peers, partners, and customers using a Win/Win philosophy.

• Startup mindset with a growth mentality and the ability to thrive in ambiguous environments.

• Broad knowledge of business economics and trends in the SLED market segments.

• Ability to act as a trusted advisor and build long-term relationships with key decision-makers.

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 $259,900.00 to $351,700.00 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:

$292,000.00 - $440,900.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$269,300.00 - $411,100.00

* 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 met local requirements.