Principal Cybersecurity Advisor-Cisco Networking and Security | Remote, USA

Optiv; Portland (ME); Remote; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Work/life balance

Professional training resources

Volunteer opportunities

Job summary

Optiv is seeking a Principal Cybersecurity Advisor to lead architecture strategy for Cisco opportunities. This senior role requires deep Cisco networking and security expertise, with a track record in executive-level guidance and strategic pre-sales activities.

You will translate business needs into practical security architectures, develop repeatable offerings, and enable regional teams. Travel within the U.S.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in cybersecurity, enterprise networking, or pre-sales.
• Deep Cisco routing, switching, SD-WAN, and security knowledge.
• Ability to translate business risk into architecture strategy.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical discovery and solution strategy for Cisco opportunities.
• Advise executives and technical stakeholders; connect Cisco to Optiv services.
• Develop reusable technical assets and enable field teams.
• Engage clients and drive opportunities with confidence.
• Collaborate across services, sales, and delivery with influence.

Skills

Cybersecurity expertise

Cisco networking

Solution architecture

Pre-sales

Executive discovery

Whiteboarding

Written recommendations

Client-facing

Independent work

Travel willingness

Education

CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure

CCIE Security

CCNP Enterprise

CCNP Security

CISSP

CCSP

GIAC

Tools

Splunk

Security telemetry

Observability

Cisco security portfolio integrations

Job description

Remote

Leawood, Kansas

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Providence, Rhode Island

Hartford, Connecticut

Birmingham, Alabama

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Morgantown, West Virginia

Richmond, Virginia

Salt Lake City, Utah

Austin, Texas

Fort Worth, Texas

Nashville, Tennessee

Columbia, South Carolina

Tallahassee, Florida

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Fargo, North Dakota

Charlotte, North Carolina

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Manchester, New Hampshire

Jacksonville, Florida

Omaha, Nebraska

Bozeman, Montana

Little Rock, Arkansas

Detroit, Michigan

Boston, Massachusetts

Portland, Maine

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Louisville, Kentucky

Des Moines, Iowa

Indianapolis, Indiana

Boise, Idaho

Atlanta, Georgia

Alexandria, Virginia

Tampa, Florida

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Phoenix, Arizona

Arlington, Virginia

Orlando, Florida

Dallas, Texas

St. Louis, Missouri

Miami, Florida

Houston, Texas

Memphis, Tennessee

Herndon, Virginia

Charleston, South Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Full time

2026-13678

This position will be fully remote and can be hired anywhere in the continental U.S.

The Principal Cybersecurity Advisor serves as a senior technical leader within Optiv's Cisco Center of Excellence. This individual brings broad, current experience across Cisco enterprise networking and network security and helps clients translate business requirements, cyber risk, and infrastructure priorities into practical architecture strategies.

The Principal Advisor leads technical discovery and solution strategy for complex Cisco opportunities, advises client executives and technical stakeholders, and connects Cisco capabilities with Optiv services and the broader security portfolio. The role also develops reusable technical assets, supports field enablement, and helps regional Client Solutions Advisors engage Cisco opportunities with greater consistency and confidence.

This is an individual-contributor technical leadership role. It works across organizational boundaries through expertise and influence rather than direct authority over regional Client Solutions Advisors, sales teams, Partner Alliances, marketing, or delivery organizations.

What we’re looking for

• 10 or more years of relevant experience in cybersecurity, enterprise networking, solution architecture, consulting, or technical pre-sales.

• Demonstrated depth across Cisco enterprise networking and network security, with current knowledge in several of the following areas.

• Enterprise routing, switching, wireless, and segmentation

• Catalyst, Meraki, software-defined networking, and SD-WAN

• Cisco Secure Firewall and hybrid mesh firewall strategy

• Cisco ISE, network access control, and identity-based policy

• Cisco Secure Access, SSE, SASE, and zero-trust architectures

• ThousandEyes and digital experience visibility

• Cisco XDR, security telemetry, and integrations across the Cisco security portfolio

• Cloud and multicloud networking and security

• Experience leading architecture discussions and technical pursuits involving complex client environments.

• Strong client-facing communication skills, including executive discovery, whiteboarding, presentations, and written recommendations.

• Ability to connect technical decisions to business risk, resilience, operating cost, investment protection, and measurable outcomes.

• Experience influencing opportunities through technical qualification, competitive positioning, solution development, objection handling, and client decision.

• Ability to work independently in a distributed organization and lead through influence across teams that have different reporting structures and priorities.

• Sound judgment about when Cisco is the right fit and when a client-first recommendation requires a different or broader solution.

• Ability to travel within the United States and Canada as client and business needs require.

• Preferred Qualifications

• CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure, CCIE Security, CCNP Enterprise, CCNP Security, or comparable demonstrated expertise.

• CISSP, CCSP, CISM, GIAC, or another relevant security certification.

• Working knowledge of Splunk, security operations, security data platforms, and observability use cases.

• Experience connecting Cisco telemetry and security capabilities with Splunk or other analytics platforms.

• Experience in a cybersecurity integrator, consulting organization, vendor technical sales organization, or enterprise architecture function.

• Experience developing repeatable offerings, reference architectures, workshops, demonstrations, or field enablement programs.

• Experience working with professional services, managed services, sales, marketing, and partner organizations while maintaining clear accountability boundaries.

• Public speaking, published technical content, or participation in relevant professional communities.

#LI-SM1

#LI-Remote

What you can expect from Optiv

• A company committed to our inclusive value through our Employee Resource Groups (https://www.optiv.com/company/impact-report/inclusion-and-belonging)

• Work/life balance

• Professional training resources

• Creative problem-solving and the ability to tackle unique, complex projects

• Volunteer Opportunities. “Optiv Chips In” encourages employees to volunteer and engage with their teams and communities.

• The ability and technology necessary to productively work remotely/from home (where applicable)

EEO Statement

Optiv is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age 40 and over, marital status, genetic information, national origin, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.

Optiv respects your privacy. By providing your information through this page or applying for a job at Optiv, you acknowledge that Optiv will collect, use, and process your information, which may include personal information and sensitive personal information, in connection with Optiv’s selection and recruitment activities. For additional details on how Optiv uses and protects your personal information in the application process, click here to view our Applicant Privacy Notice (http://www.optiv.com/job-applicant-privacy-notice) . If you sign up to receive notifications of job postings, you may unsubscribe at any time.

We work alongside clients to manage cyber risk and equip them with perspectives and programs to accelerate business progress.

Our real-world experience, deep vertical expertise and diverse teams enable us to face any challenge with confidence. We put you at the center of our unmatched ecosystem of people, products, partners and programs to design and implement agile solutions. Our adaptive approach continually assesses risk in the context of cyber and broader objectives to secure today's business and fortify it for the future.

At Optiv, we manage cyber risk so you can secure your full potential.