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Location: Central US Preference

Meet the Team
Join Cisco's Internet and Mass-Scale Infrastructure (I&MI) Architecture team - the group building the high-performance critical networking infrastructure powering the AI era and the modern internet. The team is focused on building flexible, secure, and high-performance networking systems that enabling organizations to manage exponential data growth, support demanding AI workloads, and deliver seamless digital experiences at a global scale.

Your Impact
As a Specialist Solutions Engineer Within The I&MI Architecture Team, You Will Provide Technical Expertise and Pre-sales Support for Cisco's Comprehensive Internet and Mass Scale Infrastructure Portfolio Including
• Backbone Routing: Cisco 8000 Series Routers, Cisco ASR 9000 Series, Cisco NCS (Network Convergence System) Series
• AI Networking Solutions: Scalable fabrics for GPU-powered infrastructures

Key Responsibilities
• Technical Leadership & Pre-Sales: Collaborate cross-functionally with Cisco's I&MI Account Executives, Customer Experience (CX), Engineering, and Sales Account Managers, Account Solutions Engineers, Partner organization teams to align sales and partner strategies across all I&MI architectures.
• Deliver compelling technical presentations, demonstrations, and proof-of-concepts to customers at all levels including C-suite.
• Design and architect end-to-end solutions/architectural designs for next-generation converged networks spanning Layer 0 to Layer 3; draft RFQ/RFP responses for customers.
• Act as a trusted technical influencer for strategic accounts to ensure alignment with customer objectives and industry trends.

Minimum Qualifications
• 8+ years of hands-on experience in Routing and Solution sales/engineering in Data Center/Data Center Interconnect/WAN backbone, Service Provider related domains.
• Proven experience as a Systems Engineer or Solutions Architect in the telecommunications/networking industry and ability to position IMI products in DC/WAN backbone.
• Strong Understanding of Routing and Switching Standards and Technologies, Cisco IOS-XR, Segment Routing/ipv6, L2/L3 VPNs and IP Networking.
• A customer-obsessed engineer who excels in fast-paced environments, owns the technical relationship and translates complex architecture challenges into clear ROI.

Preferred Qualifications
• Industry Certifications in Routing and Switching like CCIE/CCNP
• Good understanding of the Public Sector/Commercial/Enterprise/LATAM customers in North America.
• Deep knowledge of multi-vendor solutions, the competitive landscape, market trends and transitions.
• Experience with customer use cases such as AI datacenter interconnect, peering and edge deployments, WAN backhaul, SP Routing and Transport.
• Knowledge of Optics and Optical Networking is a plus.
• Knowledge of IMI portfolio's Automation and Assurance software is a plus.
• Ability to travel and work in a highly matrixed, diverse geo-located team.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:

The starting salary range posted for this position is $205,700.00 to $266,300.00 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:
$223,000.00 - $330,300.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:
$217,200.00 - $315,300.00

* 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.