The application window is expected to close on: 1/23/2026
NOTE: Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Candidate must reside or be willing to relocate to the Austin, TX metro area.
The world is being reshaped by Artificial Intelligence. From autonomous systems to predictive analytics, AI is not just a feature—it’s the new foundation. At the heart of this transformation lies the one constant that makes it all possible: a secure, intelligent, and resilient network. This is where Cisco, and you, come in.
We are looking for a transformative Solutions Engineer to join our team. This isn’t just about selling technology; it’s about partnering with our most strategic customers to build the digital infrastructure that will power their AI ambitions and drive their business into the future. If you are a technologist who grows with solving sophisticated challenges and wants to make a tangible impact on a global scale, we want to talk to you.
As a Solutions Engineer at Cisco, you are the technical heart of our customer relationships. You will orchestrate the full power of Cisco’s portfolio to build and deliver outcomes that were previously unimaginable. You will be the trusted advisor who connects our customers’ vision to our technology, making their success your mission.
Lead Technical Strategy: Own and drive the end-to-end technical strategy for our SLED customers in education and local government, aligning their business goals with solutions from across the Cisco portfolio.
Architect the Future: Develop and validate comprehensive, multi-architecture solutions spanning networking, security, collaboration, cloud, and AI infrastructure. You will build the resilient and observable platforms that form the bedrock of our customers’ digital and AI initiatives.
Be the Trusted Advisor: Build and maintain deep, positive relationships with technical and executive team members, becoming their go-to expert for navigating the complexities of modern IT and the opportunities of AI.
Demonstrate the Art of the Possible: Lead compelling, customized demonstrations and proofs-of-value that bring Cisco’s solutions to life, showcasing how we solve our customers’ most critical problems.
Mentor and Elevate: Act as a mentor and technical leader for the broader SE community, sharing your expertise, encouraging a culture of excellence, and helping to develop the next generation of talent.
Shape Our Future: Be the link between the customer and Cisco’s engineering and product teams. You will provide critical feedback that directly influences the future of our products and solutions.
Proven experience in a pre-sales engineering or similar customer-facing technical role.
5+ years of broad and deep technical knowledge across at least two of the following areas: Enterprise Networking, Data Center, Security, Collaboration.
Demonstrable experience building and maintaining positive relationships with customers and partners.
5+ years of communication and presentation skills with internal partners or external customers
A deep, cross-architectural understanding of how different technology domains intersect to create business solutions (e.g., how security underpins a cloud strategy, or how networking enables AI workloads).
Proven experience leading technical sales cycles for medium and large accounts, preferably in the education and local government verticals.
Outstanding ability to articulate a technical vision and translate it into tangible business outcomes for executive-level audiences.
Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their relationship to on-premise and hybrid infrastructure.
A passion for continuous learning and a track record of mentoring others.
Industry certifications such as CCNP, CCIE, CCDE, or equivalent are highly valued.
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.
The starting salary range posted for this position is $190,100.00 to $240,000.00 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 parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. 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.
The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:
New York City Metro Area:
$205,500.00 – $298,300.00
Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:
$197,600.00 – $286,900.00
* 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.
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