Solutions Engineer, APO - Bay Area

Cisco; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 212,000 - 268,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. in the San Francisco Bay Area seeks a Partner Solutions Engineer to collaborate with Account Executives, nurturing strong partner relationships and shaping joint architectural growth across Cisco’s portfolio.

You will enable partner SEs through workshops, PoCs, and training, coordinate regional deals with Cisco teams, and clearly articulate Cisco’s differentiators to drive partner success in the AI era.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of related technical pre-sales, systems engineering, solutions architecture, or technical consulting experience.
• Strong portfolio breadth across Enterprise Networking with solid knowledge in Cybersecurity, Collaboration, or Data Center Networking.
• Ability to present, engage, and influence partner executives, technical leadership, and solutions engineers.
• Professional networking certification (e.g., CCNP, CCNA, or verified industry equivalent).
• Must reside in or relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area / Northern California, with willingness to travel up to 25% for partner meetings and industry events.

Responsibilities

• Build trusted, strategic relationships with partner executives and their engineering teams, from solution design through operationalization and value realization.
• Develop partner go-to-market strategy through joint business planning, identifying high-impact architectural growth opportunities across the Cisco portfolio.
• Deliver high-impact technical enablement to partner SEs—including hands-on training sessions, workshops, certification support, and demo/PoC guidance.
• Coordinate with Cisco regional field SEs and Account Executives to align on strategic deals, share best practices, and drive consistent architectural direction.
• Articulate the business and technical differentiation of Cisco solutions while championing the voice of the partner back into Cisco.

Skills

Pre-sales experience

Enterprise networking

Networking certs

Partner engagement

Education

Bachelor's in CS/EE

Master's in CS/EE

Job description

Candidate must relocate or live in the listed Territory

Meet the Team

Join a dynamic team of Solutions Engineers dedicated to shaping the future of technology with Cisco's most impactful partners. In this role, you'll partner closely with our Account Executives to build and strengthen partner relationships, shape partner strategy, and empower partner SEs to lead with Cisco-powered solutions.

This is a relationship-driven, partner-facing role at the intersection of Cisco's cutting-edge portfolio and our partner ecosystem. You won't just support architectures - you'll be instrumental in helping our partners innovate, grow, and win in the AI era.

What You'll Do

As a Partner Solutions Engineer, your core mission encompasses five key strategic pillars:

• Strategic Partner Relationships & Advisory: Build trusted, strategic relationships with partner executives and their engineering teams, serving as a trusted advisor from solution design through operationalization and value realization.
• Joint Strategy & Technical Growth Planning: Develop partner go-to-market strategy through joint business planning, identifying high-impact architectural growth opportunities across the Cisco portfolio.
• Partner SE Technical Enablement & Workshops: Deliver high-impact technical enablement to partner SEs-including hands-on training sessions, workshops, certification support, and demo/PoC guidance.
• Regional Field Alignment & Deal Co-Selling: Coordinate with Cisco regional field SEs and Account Executives to align on strategic deals, share best practices, and drive consistent architectural direction.
• Portfolio Positioning & Partner Advocacy: Articulate the business and technical differentiation of Cisco solutions while championing the voice of the partner back into Cisco to influence resources, enablement, and future roadmap direction.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of related technical pre-sales, systems engineering, solutions architecture, or technical consulting experience.
• Strong portfolio breadth across Enterprise Networking (Catalyst, Meraki, SD-WAN) with solid working knowledge in Cybersecurity, Collaboration, or Data Center Networking.
• Demonstrated ability to present, engage, and influence partner executives, technical practice leads, and solutions engineers.
• Professional networking certification (e.g., CCNP, CCNA, or verified industry equivalent).
• Must reside in or relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area / Northern California, with the willingness and ability to travel up to 25% for partner meetings and industry events.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, or a related technical discipline (or equivalent practical experience).
• Prior experience working within the channel partner ecosystem (e.g., Tier-1 VARs, MSPs, System Integrators) or as a partner-side Solutions Engineer.
• Advanced or expert-level certifications (e.g., CCIE, CCDE, Cisco DevNet, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Google Cloud, Terraform).
• Hands-on knowledge of API programmability, automation scripting (Python/REST), and modern AI productivity tools.
• Competitive architectural knowledge across rival platforms (HPE/Aruba, Juniper/Mist, Arista, Fortinet, Palo Alto Networks).

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 $212,200.00 to $268,100.00 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 pare