Account Executive - Portfolio, Commercial Houston,TX

Meet the Team

Manages a defined set of accounts serving as the primary influencer in purchasing decisions. We build and sustain strong, long-term relationships with customers by collaborating to understand their business goals, identifying opportunities for upsell/cross‑sell, and creating demand based on what’s possible in customer roadmaps. As Account Orchestrators, we align and integrate solutions with customer needs, driving sustainable cross‑portfolio growth through coordination and competitive deal packing.

• Orchestrate Complex Deals: Manage multi‑faceted, highly complex deal cycles, often involving multiple stakeholders and departments, to drive significant revenue growth.
• Strategic Account Ownership: Serve as the primary influencer and account owner, typically across multiple domains or product areas, while maintaining a comprehensive understanding of Cisco’s full product portfolio.
• Technical & Competitive Strategy: Leverage specialized knowledge of customer business models and industry trends to position Cisco solutions, ensuring deep focus on core secure networking (switching, wireless, routing, and firewall).
• Sales Process Management: Build the sales funnel through proactive prospecting, driving opportunities from qualification through to sales completion, and ensuring data is accurately represented in CRM tools.
• Executive Leadership: Lead executive‑level engagements with C‑suite and buyers, championing innovative, customer‑first strategies that drive business transformation and long‑term value.
• Cross‑Functional
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Engage Portfolio Solution Engineers and specialist teams for technical expertise; partner with Rev Ops, finance, legal, and procurement to enhance cross‑functional workflows.
• Operational Excellence: Analyze data and create forecasts to set weekly, monthly, and quarterly commitments, while integrating business intelligence for process optimization.
• Deal Navigation: Lead negotiations with a consultative approach, balancing competitive pricing, service levels, and contractual commitments to secure customer‑first agreements.

• 8 years of related experience.
• Proven expertise in the core secure networking portfolio including switching, wireless, routing, and firewall.
• Demonstrated ability to manage the full internal sales process, spending most time between prospect/qualification and proposal stages.
• Experience in analyzing market dynamics, industry trends, and competitive landscapes to provide strategic recommendations.
• Proven track record of driving account growth, portfolio growth, and account retention.

• Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related experience.
• Experience managing Cisco’s largest accounts in the highest tiers of segmentation (e.g., Premier Accounts).
• Deep understanding of corporate interlock dynamics (SP, Enterprise, and Commercial).
• Advanced proficiency in navigating medium‑to‑high sales complexity, including long‑term deal cycles (12–18 months) and large deal sizes (50K–750K+).
• Expertise in identifying and interpreting shifts in the competitive landscape to create “stickiness” with the customer.

THIS JOB DESCRIPTION DOES NOT APPLY FOR EMPLOYEES IN AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, FRANCE, GERMANY & NETHERLANDS

The starting salary range posted for this position is $ to $ 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…