Account Executive - Portfolio

Application window expected to close on 08/07/2026; posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or sufficient applications are received.

About the role

Manages a defined set of accounts, serving as the primary influencer in purchasing decisions. Builds and sustains strong, long-term customer relationships, collaborating to understand business goals, identify upsell/cross-sell opportunities, and create demand aligned with customer roadmaps. Acts as the Account Orchestrator, aligning solutions with customer needs to drive sustainable cross-portfolio growth through coordination and competitive deal packaging. Typically serves multiple domains or product areas across a portfolio or set of accounts.

Maintains a comprehensive understanding of Cisco’s full product portfolio to articulate Cisco's overall product strategy and market differentiation. Specializes in core secure networking technologies including switching, wireless, and routing. Engages Portfolio Solution Engineers and specialist teams, particularly in non-core secure networking areas, for deep competitive positioning and technical expertise.

Builds the sales funnel through opportunity prospecting and drives opportunities to completion to achieve revenue goals. Ensures accurate funnel representation in Cisco’s CRM tools, analyzes data, and creates forecasts to set sales commitments. Stays informed about industry trends, market dynamics, and competitive landscapes.

Specialization and focus

• Generalist with knowledge of the full product portfolio, expertise in core secure networking (switching, wireless, routing, firewall).
• Additional dependencies on account size, complexity, and franchise focus (architectural, product, or opportunity-aligned).

Customer engagement and accountability

• Primary influencer and account owner, except if the customer relationship is held by a CE/CD.
• Engages all deal stages, primarily between prospect/qualification and proposal.
• Low corporate interlock (High in SP, Moderate in Enterprise, Low in Commercial).
• Medium sales complexity; average deal length 3–6 months (up to 12–18 months for complex accounts/opportunities).
• Variable deal size: $50K–$750K (over $1M for SP).

Success measures

• Sustained portfolio growth, account growth, and account retention.

Your impact

• Orchestrates multi-faceted, highly complex deal cycles involving multiple stakeholders and departments, driving significant revenue growth and business contributions.
• Prospects new deals and develops portfolio within Cisco’s largest accounts (e.g., Premier Accounts) and at all executive levels, including C-suite.
• Anticipates evolving customer needs using specialized knowledge of business models, industry trends, and economic drivers.
• Leverages competitive and customer data to position Cisco solutions addressing customer challenges and creating stickiness.
• Identifies and interprets shifts in the competitive landscape to provide strategic recommendations to stakeholders.
• Leads executive-level engagements with innovative, customer-first strategies driving business transformation and long-term value.
• Facilitates and secures long-term partnerships, navigating commercial, legal, and technical requirements to align customer goals with Cisco’s strategic vision.
• Leads negotiations with a consultative approach, balancing competitive pricing, service levels, and contractual commitments.
• Reviews, prioritizes, and aligns customer needs with business/portfolio strategy for account plans.
• Drives account planning and leverages extended team resources and partners to identify new consumption options across architectures.
• Demonstrates deep technical comprehension of solutions and their long-term value/ROI in customer context.
• Integrates CRM data with business intelligence tools to develop scalable operational frameworks for sales optimization.
• Partners with other account executives to provide insights to Rev Ops, finance, legal, and procurement teams for cross-functional workflow enhancement.
• Champions GTM-wide collaboration influencing Cisco and customer organizations.

Qualifications

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree + 8 years of related experience, or
• Master’s degree + 6 years of related experience, or
• PhD + 3 years of related experience.

Preferred qualifications vary based on team and business needs and are desired additions to minimum qualifications.

Why Cisco?

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era and beyond. With 40 years of fearless innovation, we create solutions powering how humans and technology work together across physical and digital worlds. Our solutions provide unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint. Fueled by our technology’s depth and breadth, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Our worldwide network of doers and experts offers limitless opportunities to grow and build. We collaborate with empathy to make a global impact—because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere. We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.

Pay

The starting salary range for this position is $269,300.00 to $360,800.00 for new hires in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation, equity, or benefits. Individual pay is determined by hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training.

Full salary ranges for specific locations:

• New York City Metro Area: $292,000.00 – $440,900.00
• Non-Metro New York State & Washington State: $269,300.00 – $411,100.00

For quota-based sales roles, the ranges include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

Benefits

U.S. employees are offered benefits subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan with Cisco matching contribution
• Paid parental leave
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Basic life insurance
• Eligibility for grants of Cisco restricted stock units, vesting over defined employment periods

Paid time away (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
• 4 paid days off for personal wellness
• Non-exempt employees: 16 days of paid vacation per full calendar year (accrued at 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees)
• Exempt employees: Flexible vacation time off with no defined limit (subject to availability and business limitations)
• 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, with up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward
• Additional paid time away for critical or emergency family issues
• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer

For non-sales roles, employees are eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policies.

Incentive pay for sales roles

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of base salary, split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan:

• Quota-based incentive pay:
  • 0.75% 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%
  • Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation
• Non-quota-based sales performance elements (e.g., strategic sales objectives): 0% up to 125% of target
• No minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid