Solutions Engineer, Commercial

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; Frankfort (KY); On-site; USD 208,000 - 264,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

401(k) plan with Cisco matching

Paid parental leave

Paid holidays

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Solutions Engineer for the Kentucky and Indiana commercial sales territory. You will lead technical sales efforts, map business requirements to Cisco architectures, and deliver tailored demos and value-based presentations.

You will establish trusted advisor relationships with CIOs and IT leaders, drive multi-year strategic plans, and coordinate with regional partners to accelerate pipeline and revenue growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree + 8 years of related technical pre-sales / systems engineering experience, OR Master's degree + 6 years of related experience, OR PhD + 3 years of related experience.
• Proven track record in pre-sales systems engineering, owning technical relationships with enterprise or commercial customers and driving deals across the sales cycle.
• Demonstrated cross-architectural knowledge across Cisco solution areas (Enterprise Networking, Wireless/Catalyst/Meraki, Cyber Security, or Cloud/Collaboration).

Responsibilities

• Drive the technical sales process from discovery to closure with account teams.
• Design and deliver customized solutions, architectural blueprints, and demos to show business ROI.
• Establish trusted-advisor relationships with IT leadership and executives to shape technology roadmaps.
• Collaborate with regional partners and cross-functional teams to optimize customer lifecycle and feedback.

Skills

Pre-sales systems engineering

Enterprise/commercial sales

Cross-architectural knowledge

Executive presentation

Technical advisory

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/22/2026 Candidate must relocate of live in the listed Territory Meet the Team As a Solutions Engineer within Cisco's Commercial Sales organization, you will serve as the lead technical sales professional and trusted advisor for our commercial customers and ecosystem partners across the Kentucky and Indiana territories.

Impact Lead Technical Sales Strategy

Drive the technical sales process from discovery to closure, collaborating with account teams to develop multi-year customer strategic plans and map business requirements into high-value Cisco architectures.

Trusted Technical Advisory

Establish enduring trusted-advisor relationships with customer IT leadership, C-suite executives, and line-of-business stakeholders to shape long-term technology roadmaps.

Architectural Demos & Proofs-of-Value

Design and deliver customized solution presentations, architectural blueprints, and compelling demonstrations that clearly articulate business outcomes and ROI across Cisco's full portfolio.

Competitive Differentiation & Market Expansion

Leverage deep market and competitive intelligence to position Cisco advantages, displace incumbent competitors, and convert pipeline into quarterly net-new logo wins and revenue growth.

Cross-Functional & Partner Collaboration

Mobilize virtual sales teams, regional Gold Partners, and Business Unit product teams to optimize customer lifecycle success and channel field feedback into product innovation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree + 8 years of related technical pre-sales / systems engineering experience, OR Master's degree + 6 years of related experience, OR PhD + 3 years of related experience.
• Proven track record in pre-sales systems engineering, owning technical relationships with enterprise or commercial customers and driving deals across the sales cycle.
• Demonstrated cross-architectural knowledge across core Cisco solution areas (Enterprise Networking, Wireless/Catalyst/Meraki, Cyber Security, or Cloud/Collaboration).
• Strong consultative discovery, executive presentation, and communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into business outcomes.
• Must reside in or be willing to relocate to the designated territory (Frankfort, KY or Indianapolis, IN).

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Cisco or industry-recognized certifications (e.g., CCNP, CCIE, CISSP, or Cloud Practitioner/Architect).
• Hands-on expertise with Cisco full-portfolio architectures including Catalyst/Meraki SD-WAN, Cisco Security/Splunk, and Webex collaboration.
• Experience partnering with and enabling regional Cisco Gold/Premier Channel Partners (e.g., CDW, Presidio, WWT, Logicalis).
• Proven competitive displacement experience winning against alternative vendor solutions in mid-market or commercial accounts.
• Demonstrated agility in adjusting sales and architectural strategies in response to emerging market dynamics and customer disruptions.

THIS JOB DESCRIPTION DOES NOT APPLY FOR EMPLOYEES IN AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, FRANCE, GERMANY & 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 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 $208,200.00 to $264,400.00 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.

• New York City Metro Area: $229,000.00 - $344,700.00
• Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $218,600.00 - $329,000.00 * 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.

Cisconians power the future.

We make impact as a team, innovating fast and fearlessly to create meaningful solutions on a large scale. The depth and breadth of our technology doesn't just benefit our customers – it also means limitless opportunities for us to experiment and learn. We understand the power each of our unique backgrounds bring when we work together. Because of that, we have a global network of thinkers, doers, experts, and curious creators who help one another do their life’s best work.

Benefits and Perks

• 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.
• Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.
• U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco’s policies:
• 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.