Leader, Pre-Sales Solutions Engineer

Location: Any major U.S. city with a preference for Central or Pacific time zones. Application window expected to close 10/29/2026 (may close earlier if position is filled or sufficient applications received).

About the Team

The Internet & Mass Scale Infrastructure (I&MI) team sits at the center of one of the most consequential shifts in technology today. We sell the routing and optical infrastructure that powers the internet, interconnects the world's largest data centers, and enables the AI era in close partnership with the Cisco Cloud and AI team. Our Americas team serves Webscalers / NeoClouds, Communication Service Providers, government agencies and enterprises building next-generation AI/ML infrastructure. We compete at the industry's highest technical bar, where deals are won on architecture, cost-per-bit, power efficiency, and operational simplicity.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of senior individual-contributor Systems Engineers; coach, grow, attract, and retain top technical talent; build a culture of technical excellence.
• Own the technical strategy for the region across routing, optical, automation, and assurance; set the architectural point of view.
• Partner with the sales leader as an equal counterpart on strategy, resourcing, and execution.
• Drive customer outcomes: guide solution architecture for AI/ML fabrics, mass-scale routing, data center interconnect, and converged IP+Optical networks.
• Represent the business in executive-level customer engagements, proofs of concept, and competitive bake-offs.
• Influence the portfolio: act as the primary technical bridge to the Business Unit and global sales technical leaders, feeding customer and market requirements into the product roadmap.

Requirements

• 7+ years in technical pre-sales, systems engineering, or network architecture, including at least 3 years of people leadership.
• Deep expertise in service provider or mass-scale / AI networking, including large-scale BGP, IP/MPLS, and modern transport architectures.
• Proven ability to engage credibly with senior internal executive stakeholders and Principal Engineers, Chief Architects, and CTOs at large, sophisticated customers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Webscale, Hyperscale, CSP, large financial enterprises, or U.S. Federal customers.
• Knowledge of Segment Routing (SR-MPLS/SRv6), coherent optics/DWDM, and Routed Optical Networking.
• Familiarity with AI/ML fabric design and large-scale GPU cluster networking.
• Understanding of disaggregated/open networking models and network automation.
• BS in Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience.

Why This Role

Lead a world-class technical team, operate as a true business co-leader, and shape the infrastructure underpinning the internet and the AI era—with visibility to senior Cisco leadership and direct influence on our portfolio direction.

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.

Pay

Starting salary range for U.S. and/or Canada locations: $266,100.00 to $342,900.00 (base salary only, not including incentive compensation, equity, or benefits). Individual pay determined by hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training.

Location-specific ranges:

• New York City Metro Area: $266,100.00 - $394,300.00
• Non-Metro New York State & Washington State: $246,800.00 - $383,500.00

For quota-based sales roles on Cisco's sales plan, ranges include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined. Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of base salary, split between quota and non-quota components per the applicable Cisco plan. Quota-based incentive pay structure: 0.75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota; 1.5% for each 1% between 50% and 75%; 1% for each 1% between 75% and 100%; above 100% attainment, rates at or above 1% per 1% with no cap. Non-quota-based strategic sales objectives may pay 0% up to 125% of target. No minimum threshold for sales incentive compensation. Employees may be eligible for grants of Cisco restricted stock units vesting over defined periods. Non-sales roles eligible for annual bonuses per Cisco policies.

Benefits

U.S. employees 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

Paid