Head of Pre-Sales Solutions Engineering

Cisco Systems, Inc.; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 239,000 - 315,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid parental leave

Sick time off

Flexible vacation policy

Volunteer time off

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a senior presales Solutions Engineering leader to guide a team of technical pre-sales professionals. You will drive customer-focused outcomes, mentor staff, and shape strategic technical engagements across Energy, Healthcare, and Retail sectors.

Responsibilities include leading discovery, designing solutions, and presenting executive-level demonstrations to win high-value enterprise deals. Strong leadership and Splunk-related experience are highly valued.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in Solution Engineering, Sales Engineering, or a related pre-sales technical role.
• 3+ years of people management experience leading SE or technical pre-sales teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and mentor and foster a culture of technical excellence, customer focus, and continuous learning.
• Own talent outcomes — proactively identify, retain, and develop top performers while managing performance decisively at every level of the team.
• Deliver meaningful annual performance reviews using the skill/will methodology, and partner with each SE to build and execute ambitious individual development plans.
• Attract and recruit world-class SE talent — raise the bar with every hire.
• Partner with Regional Sales Managers and Account Executives to build bold territory strategies and pursue the deals that matter most.
• Oversee and participate in technical discovery, solution design, proof of concept engagements, and executive presentations
• Ensure the SE team delivers compelling demonstrations of Splunk's platform tailored to Energy, Healthcare, and Retail use cases
• Lead from the front on complex, high-value enterprise deals — driving technical win strategies that differentiate Splunk and close business
• Develop and maintain deep knowledge of the Energy, Healthcare, or Retail industries — including regulatory landscape, key business drivers, and common technical challenges
• Show up as a credible inspiring leader and trusted escalation point in vertical-specific technical conversations
• Collaborate with Product, Marketing, and Industry teams to influence roadmap and messaging based on customer feedback
• Align with Sales, Customer Success, Professional Services, and Channels to ensure a seamless customer journey from pre-sales through adoption
• Represent the SE organization in business reviews, forecasting calls, and leadership meetings
• Be a relentless advocate for the customer internally — translating field insights into product and process improvements that actually move the needle

Skills

Solution Engineering

People management

Pre-sales

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Splunk Enterprise

Splunk Cloud

ITSI/ES

Observability

Job description

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a senior presales Solutions Engineering leader to guide a team of technical pre-sales professionals. You will drive customer-focused outcomes, mentor staff, and shape strategic technical engagements across Energy, Healthcare, and Retail sectors.

Responsibilities include leading discovery, designing solutions, and presenting executive-level demonstrations to win high-value enterprise deals. Strong leadership and Splunk-related experience are highly valued.