Operation Solutions Engineer - SLED

The application window is expected to close on: 11/05/2026 Preferred locations:
Chicago, Denver, Seattle Required to live in or relocate to a state in the Operation: IL, CO, WA, OR, UT, , MT, UT, KS, NE, MN, IA, MO, WI

As a Solutions Engineer in the SLED – North Star Operation, you will be focused on being a pre-sales field technical customer facing engineer influencing the most strategic and innovative parts of our business across our 14-state geography. You will spend 50-75% of your time with customers and collaborating with Account Teams, Connected Teams, Partners, and Product Teams. This role is focused on business outcomes through bringing high customer intimacy, thought leadership, executive engagement, and technical excellence.

Your Impact Technical, trusted advisor to SLED Account Teams and Customers Bring thought leadership and deep technical knowledge across our solutions and architectures applying it across all verticals Participate and lead high impact customer engagements through Tech Days, Connect, Cisco Experience Center Briefings, Executive Discussions, EFT opportunities, Stay Ready, Cisco Live and other similar events Champion culture of learning, coaching, and technical excellence Develop executive relationships and champions our most strategic technical strategies Actively participate in any relevant advisory boards, tiger teams to represent USPS/SLED customer feedback and needs, shaping the future of our portfolio and offerings Help create and drive campaigns and initiatives for the operation based on the needs of the business and growth Invest in your personal development, such as certifications, self-study, soft skills, executive coaching, market trend analysis, competitive training, and other relevant training to strengthen and sharpen your skills.

Product Team Engagement and Field Influence Innovation pilots and early field trials Feedback loops from the field into development Measure impact Business growth balanced across the portfolio Pipeline Growth Uncover and drive modernization opportunities (other supporting alignment) Competitive takeouts Franchise wins Trusted Executive Leadership relationships in our most strategic accounts

This Role is Not Ownership of escalation or post-sales support – there may be extreme circumstances, such as Customer Satisfaction, where you could bring a positive impact to a challenging situation Heavily internal-facing or stuck in meetings Tied to one sales counterpart or partner-dependent role

10+ years industry experience, significant experience as pre-sales solutions engineer Deep knowledge across Cisco’s Route/Switch and Security portfolio as well as competitive offerings Proven track record leading strategic multi-architecture sales cycles, competitive takeouts, franchise wins, and driving innovation Operation/Area support from Senior Leadership (INTERNAL applicants) CCNP or similar competitive certification

Strong preference given to candidates with CCIE or equivalent expert level competitive certification Market expertise in relevant verticals – State/Local Government, Education (K12 and Secondary/Higher Education) and Healthcare Serve” mindset Ability to travel 50-75% of the time

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…