Account Executive - Networking Architecture (US Federal Civilian)

The application window is expected to close on: 11/17/2026

The candidate for this role must reside on the East Coast and be able to travel to the DC/MD/VA region.

Meet the Team

Join a high-impact team of architectural sales specialists dedicated to driving Cisco's Enterprise Networking vision across strategic US Federal Civilian agencies. We partner closely with agency leadership, core account teams, specialized systems engineers, and certified channel partners to modernize mission-critical IT infrastructure.

In this role, you will bridge the gap between complex agency modernization goals and Cisco's evolving networking portfolio—spanning Campus & Branch Networking, Data Center & Cloud Networking, Enterprise SD-WAN, Zero Trust Network Architecture, and AI-ready infrastructure. This is an exciting opportunity to operate at the intersection of architectural innovation and strategic sales, driving massive impact and sustainable growth within a collaborative, mission-driven environment.

Your Impact

As an Account Executive for Networking Architecture, you will own the go-to-market strategy, architectural positioning, and revenue growth for Cisco's flagship Networking portfolio across key Federal Civilian buying centers. Key responsibilities include:

• Strategic Architectural Sales & Account Leadership: Drive quota attainment and pipeline acceleration for Cisco's Enterprise Networking portfolio by positioning end-to-end architectures to IT directors, CIO/CTO leadership, and agency mission owners.
• Co-Selling & Ecosystem Orchestration: Partner collaboratively with Core Account Executives, Technical Solutions Architects, Systems Engineers, and Cisco Certified Partners to develop winning capture strategies, competitive displacements, and multi-year refresh campaigns.
• Proof-of-Value & Solution Alignment: Lead customer business reviews and orchestrate Proof of Value (PoV) / Proof of Concept (PoC) engagements in partnership with dedicated Systems Engineers to validate architectural superiority before commercial commitment.
• Shaping Network Modernization Initiatives: Guide agency customers through major digital transformations, including secure campus refresh (Catalyst/Meraki), Data Center & Cloud Networking (Nexus/ACI), Enterprise SD-WAN, and AI workload fabric adoption.
• Competitive Strategy & Market Feedback: Deliver actionable insights on competitive networking shifts (Arista, HPE/Aruba, Juniper, Fortinet) and collaborate with Cisco Product Management and Engineering Business Units to align roadmap development with emerging customer requirements.

Who You Are

You are an energetic, outcome-oriented sales professional with deep passion and credibility in Enterprise Networking. You understand how modern networks serve as the backbone for cybersecurity, hybrid work, multi-cloud connectivity, and AI. You know how to articulate the business, operational, and financial value of network modernization to both technical architects and executive stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications

· Education & Experience: 7+ years of equivalent practical experience required, with 3+ years of quota-carrying technology sales / architecture sales experience preferred, but not required.

· Networking Domain Acumen: Solid understanding of core enterprise networking architectures (Enterprise Routing & Switching, Campus/Branch LAN, Wi-Fi 6/7, Data Center Switching, SD-WAN, or Cloud Networking).

· Consultative & Executive Selling: Demonstrated experience building business cases, ROI models, and presenting directly to IT Directors, Enterprise Architects, and C-suite/Agency leadership.

· Location & Mobility: Must reside on the East Coast (with strong preference for the Washington, DC / MD / VA National Capital Region) and be able to travel locally across customer sites in the DC Metro area.

Preferred Qualifications

· Cisco or Competitor Technology Experience: Experience selling Cisco Networking solutions (Catalyst, Meraki, Nexus, SD-WAN, DNA Center/Catalyst Center) or competitive enterprise networking technologies (Arista, Juniper, HPE/Aruba, Extreme Networks, Fortinet).

· Federal Ecosystem Familiarity: Familiarity with US Federal Civilian agency missions, procurement mechanisms, or Federal System Integrator (FSI) ecosystems (prior commercial enterprise sellers with strong networking acumen looking to transition into Federal are strongly encouraged to apply).

· Pre-Sales Collaboration: Experience collaborating with technical pre-sales engineering counterparts on complex proof-of-value evaluations and competitive bake-offs.

· Security & Architecture Concepts: Understanding of zero trust network principles (ZTNA, 802.1X, Micro-segmentation) and federal cybersecurity compliance frameworks (FedRAMP, NIST, TIC 3.0).

· Deal Execution: Proven track record of managing and closing medium-to-complex technology deals ranging from $100K to $1M+.

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 $263,900.00 to $359,500.00 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:

$292,100.00 - $441,900.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$263,900.00 - $409,200.00

* 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.