Solutions Engineer - Commercial, Chicago

Cisco; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 192,000 - 248,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

401(k) matching

Paid parental leave

Disability coverage

Life insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Cisco is seeking a Technical Sales Professional in the Chicago area to lead technical conversations with IT decision-makers and steer cross-architectural solutions across end-to-end sales cycles.

You will translate customer requirements into configurable Cisco architectures, drive demand generation, and orchestrate virtual teams to win strategic deals, ultimately growing territory market share and reinforcing Cisco as a trusted partner.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in technical sales, systems engineering, or consultative architecture.
• Proven track record closing complex sales cycles from opportunity to deal.
• Experience increasing quarterly net new customer acquisition.
• Experience leading technical demos for IT decision-makers and LOB stakeholders.
• History of displacing competitors and growing market share in a territory or accounts.

Responsibilities

• Own the Cisco brand across key accounts and act as the lead technical advisor in high-stakes sales cycles.
• Translate customer requirements into cross-architectural Cisco solutions and lead strategic technical conversations.
• Orchestrate virtual teams to drive deals across the technical sales process and leverage internal resources.
• Provide feedback to Business Entities and sales teams on customer needs and market tactics.
• Contribute to account planning to identify growth opportunities and align technical strategies with customer objectives.

Skills

Technical sales

Systems engineering

Consultative architect

Deal closing

Customer acquisition

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

PhD

Tools

CCNP certification

Job description

Candidate must relocate or live in the listed Territory.

Meet the Team

Our technical sales team serves as the heartbeat of Cisco’s innovation, acting as the primary bridge between groundbreaking technology and our customers' most critical business challenges. As trusted technical advisors, we operate at the intersection of strategy and execution, collaborating across internal business units and partner ecosystems to displace competition and drive market share. We are a high-impact community of technical visionaries dedicated to shaping the future of digital infrastructure and ensuring sustainable customer success.

Your Impact

As a Technical Sales Professional, you will own the Cisco brand across key accounts, serving as the lead technical advisor and primary influencer in high-stakes sales cycles. You will translate complex customer requirements into comprehensive cross-architectural solutions, lead strategic technical conversations with executive decision-makers, and orchestrate virtual teams across the end-to-end sales cycle. By spearheading demand generation and delivering impactful technical demonstrations, you will directly drive revenue growth, expand territory market share, and position Cisco as an indispensable strategic partner.

• Actively contribute to account planning activities to pinpoint growth opportunities and align technical strategies with customer objectives.
• Lead engagements with IT decision-makers and line-of-business (LOB) stakeholders to translate business needs into technical requirements.
• Design and present relevant solutions based on identified technical and business requirements.
• Manage virtual support teams and leverage internal resources to drive deals across the technical sales process.
• Provide active feedback to Business Entities (BEs) and sales teams on strategic customer needs and competitive market tactics.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in a technical sales, systems engineering, or consultative architecture role.
• Proven track record of managing and closing complex sales cycles from opportunity identification to deal execution.
• Demonstrated success in increasing quarterly net new customer acquisition.
• Extensive experience leading technical demonstrations for IT decision-makers and line-of-business (LOB) stakeholders.
• Documented history of displacing competitors and increasing market share within a designated territory or account base.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree (with 7+ years of related experience), Master’s degree (with 4+ years of related experience), or PhD (with 1+ year of related experience).
• Certifications: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification (Enterprise, Security, or Data Center) strongly preferred.
• Valid Driver's License and ability to travel locally throughout the Greater Chicago metropolitan area
• Strong strategic planning capabilities, including the ability to translate evolving market conditions into actionable sales strategies.
• Advanced communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence C‑suite and technical executives.

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 $192,300.00 to $248,100.00 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.

Benefits

• 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.
• 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.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area

$212,200.00 - $308,300.00

Non-Metro New York State & Washington State

$202,400.00 - $296,900.00

• 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.