Partner Account Executive

Cisco; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems in Chicago, IL is seeking a Partner Account Executive to own strategic partner relationships and align partner strategies with Cisco's technology portfolio. You will drive joint business plans, executive engagement, and differentiated GTM initiatives to accelerate growth and Cisco preference.

You will collaborate across sales, architects, and partners to build high-value pipelines, lead quarterly reviews, and influence product governance for future partner programs.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in sales or customer-facing roles in IT solutions for large enterprise, service provider, or hyperscale accounts.
• Proven ability to build customer relationships, articulate product and service value, create demand, and successfully close deals.
• 5+ years experience providing thought leadership and communicating a clear vision both verbally and in writing.
• 5+ years demonstrating executive presence and business acumen.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Business Planning: Develop and execute multi-year joint partner business plans, establishing clear strategic priorities, mutual investment commitments, and revenue targets aligned with long-term technology roadmaps.
• Executive Relationship Orchestration: Build and nurture trusted relationships with Partner C-level and executive leadership, delivering compelling business narratives that drive joint investment and strategic alignment.
• Practice & Capability Development: Guide partners in modernizing and expanding specialized practices across the full Cisco portfolio (Networking, Security, Cloud, Collaboration, and Observability), integrating software, recurring revenue, and lifecycle services.
• Go-to-Market & Demand Generation: Create differentiated GTM strategies and joint demand generation campaigns that build high-quality pipeline, increase deal velocity, and capture market share.
• Co-Sell & Sales Interlock: Engage sales teams early across all deal stages, connecting partner capabilities with Cisco account strategies, Solution Engineers, and practice sellers.
• Profitability & Performance Management: Maximize partner value through strategic utilization of Cisco programs, promotions, and incentives; drive operational cadence through structured Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), forecasting, and data-driven performance insights.
• Internal Advocacy & Program Influence: Serve as the voice of the partner internally, advocating for resources and collaborating with Business Entities to shape future product functionality and partner governance frameworks.
• Mentorship & Leadership: Share best practices, develop scalable engagement frameworks, and mentor fellow PAEs across the organization.

Skills

Relationship building

Strategic thinking

Executive communication

Negotiation

Pipeline development

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 11/04/2026

Required location is Chicago, IL.

Meet the Team

You will be part of Cisco's Global Partner Organization, working at the intersection of Cisco's sales teams, architecture specialists, and our external partner ecosystem. In this role, you will collaborate daily with Partner C-Suite executives, Sales Vice Presidents, Practice Leads, and Technical Architects. Internally, you will partner closely with Cisco Regional Sales Leaders, Account Executives, Systems Engineering specialists, Customer Experience (CX) teams, and Business Entity Product Managers to build a unified, high-performing go-to-market engine.

Your Impact

As a Partner Account Executive (PAE), you own the strategic partner relationship and act as a trusted advisor, aligning partner business strategies with Cisco's technology portfolio to drive mutual growth, technology adoption, and Cisco preference.

• Strategic Business Planning: Develop and execute multi-year joint partner business plans, establishing clear strategic priorities, mutual investment commitments, and revenue targets aligned with long-term technology roadmaps.

• Executive Relationship Orchestration: Build and nurture trusted relationships with Partner C-level and executive leadership, delivering compelling business narratives that drive joint investment and strategic alignment.

• Practice & Capability Development: Guide partners in modernizing and expanding specialized practices across the full Cisco portfolio (Networking, Security, Cloud, Collaboration, and Observability), integrating software, recurring revenue, and lifecycle services.

• Go-to-Market & Demand Generation: Create differentiated GTM strategies and joint demand generation campaigns that build high-quality pipeline, increase deal velocity, and capture market share.

• Co-Sell & Sales Interlock: Engage sales teams early across all deal stages, connecting partner capabilities with Cisco account strategies, Solution Engineers, and practice sellers.

• Profitability & Performance Management: Maximize partner value through strategic utilization of Cisco programs, promotions, and incentives; drive operational cadence through structured Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), forecasting, and data-driven performance insights.

• Internal Advocacy & Program Influence: Serve as the voice of the partner internally, advocating for resources and collaborating with Business Entities to shape future product functionality and partner governance frameworks.

• Mentorship & Leadership: Share best practices, develop scalable engagement frameworks, and mentor fellow PAEs across the organization.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years in sales or customer-facing roles, focused on IT solutions for large enterprise, service provider, or hyperscale accounts

• Demonstrated ability to build customer relationships, articulate product and service value, create demand, and successfully close deals

• 5+ years experience providing thought leadership and communicating a clear vision both verbally and in writing

• 5+ years demonstrating executive presence and business acumen

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven track record managing large, complex partner relationships (National/Regional Solution Providers, Global Systems Integrators, or Managed Service Providers)

• Deep understanding of partner economics, profitability models, rebate/incentive programs, and joint practice-building methodologies.

• Experience building and executing multi-architecture GTM strategies spanning Enterprise Networking, Cybersecurity, Cloud, and SaaS/Recurring Revenue models.

• Demonstrated ability to build business cases, influence C-level executives, negotiate strategic joint investments, and lead structured executive QBRs.

• Strong cross-functional leadership, negotiation, and pipeline-generation capabilities.

(Note: This job description does not apply for employees in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, and the 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