Associate Solutions Engineer (Full Time) - United States

Cisco Systems, Inc.; Clegg (NC); On-site; USD 66,000 - 96,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentor program

Rotational assignments

Global exposure

Educational certifications

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is launching the CSAP Graduate Program, a 12-month global accelerator that develops high-potential individuals into Technical Sales Champions.

You will train in a hub-based cohort, learn from industry experts, and earn industry-standard certifications while building practical AI and solutions engineering skills. As an Associate Solutions Engineer, you’ll gain cross-functional exposure, complete rotational assignments, and advance toward a Solutions Engineer role within

Qualifications

• Fluent in English and the country-specific language.
• Technical degree required or demonstrated technical curiosity with proof (home lab, certs, side projects).
• Legally authorized to work in the country of hire without sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Train in a hub-based cohort and participate in immersive Bootcamp training.
• Collaborate with Cisco Associate Sales Representatives to provide technical solutions.
• Complete three rotational assignments for real-world technical sales experience.
• Transition into a Solutions Engineer role and contribute to addressing complex customer challenges.

Skills

English fluency

Education

Engineering/CS/STEAM degree

Job description

Meet the Team

• You will train alongside a diverse cohort of high-calibre individuals from across the AMER Region, building a rich professional network and long-lasting friendships. This hub-based environment provides a "safe-to-fail" setting where you can master your craft through AI customer simulations and mentored on-the-job activities.
• Throughout the Cisco Sales Associate Program (CSAP), you will collaborate with Cisco Associate Sales Representatives to provide technical solutions that drive business outcomes. You will expand your expertise across Collaboration, Security, Networking, and Cloud to bridge the gap between technical requirements and business value. You will learn from industry experts and dedicated coaches using our own leading-edge technology.
• To support your growth, you will be paired with a mentor-a CSAP alumnus who has successfully navigated the program. Supported by a team committed to your success, you will earn industry-standard certifications and gain the expertise required to thrive in elite technical sales opportunities across our global organization.

Your Impact

The CSAP Graduate Program is a 12-month global accelerator designed to develop high-potential individuals into Technical Sales Champions. Built on a model of Education, Exposure, and Experience, the program offers a clear progression:

• Month 1-3: Participate in immersive Bootcamp training and foundational technical skill-building.
• Month 3-12: Complete three rotational assignments for real-world technical sales experience
• Beyond 12 months: Transition into a Solutions Engineer role to discover, demonstrate, and design solutions for complex customer challenges.

Our learning philosophy prioritises experiential growth, with the majority of your development occurring through coached, real-world practice within a hub-based cohort of peers. This immersive approach ensures you grow and learn through direct application rather than in isolation.

A key part of this Program is our AI-First Mandate. As an Associate Solutions Engineer (ASE) in our Global Sales Enablement & Acceleration team, you will build strong AI skills by using advanced learning platforms and artificial intelligence to design technical solutions and improve strategic decision-making. This trajectory is designed for those looking to outpace the traditional career curve! Through quarterly competency checkpoints, high-performers can validate their skills and fast-track into further technical roles before the program concludes.

Upon completion of the 12-month Early In Career (EIC) program, as a Solutions Engineer (SE), you will join our Global Virtual Engineering (GVE) team. GVE is a best-in-class technical presales organization that provides software and Solutions Engineering services to customers, partners, and internal sales teams. You will discover, demonstrate, and design solutions to address complex customer challenges.

Minimum Qualifications

• You hold a technical degree (Engineering, CS, STEAM) or come from a non-traditional background with real-world proof of technical curiosity-like a home lab, certification, or side project-and possess the skills to turn complexity into clarity.
• Fluent in English and the primary language of the country for which you are applying.
• Legally authorized to work in the country of hire without company sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• AI-native mindset with a high degree of learning agility; you are passionate about networking and software (Java/Python) and eager to use AI to automate and innovate the engineering process.
• High emotional intelligence with the ability to navigate a matrix-based organization, influencing stakeholders and collaborating within a hub-based cohort to drive team success.
• Analytical resilience, capable of maintaining focus and creativity when solving sophisticated technical hurdles or translating complex requirements into tangible business value.
• Confident communicator who can deconstruct "black box" technologies into simple, persuasive narratives for diverse audiences.

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:

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.

• 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.

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

New York City Metro Area:

$69,400.00 - $100,800.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$66,300.00 - $96,300.00

* 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.