Director, Sales

Leads and manages direct account and architecture teams, accountable for team performance and portfolio profitability, serves as an influencer in customers purchasing decisions. Builds and sustains strong, long-term relationships with a broad range of customer and buyer stakeholders (e.g., CTO, CIO, CFO, Purchasing leaders, Partner Executive, LOB, Buyer or Partner sales managers and decision makers). Collaborates with customers to understand their business goals, identify opportunities for upsell/cross-sell additional solutions, and create demand based on what's possible in customer roadmaps.

Serves as the Account Orchestrator, aligning and integrating solutions with customer needs, driving sustainable cross-portfolio growth through coordination and competitive deal packing. Leads both the product and services strategy, across portfolio or architecture. Maintains a comprehensive understanding of Cisco’s full product portfolio. Engages specialist teams to enhance the sales process, particularly in areas where deep technical expertise is required. Builds the sales funnel through opportunity development and drives opportunities through to sales completion to achieve revenue goals. Reviews business plans and forecasting data and presents to senior leadership to shape data-driven account strategies.

• Stays informed about industry trends, market dynamics, and competitive landscapes.
• Specialization and Focus - May be organized by geography/segment/vertical/account set.
• Customer Engagement and Accountability - Customer facing time varies by segment/GEO but can range from 25-50%, Amount of influence varies by segment/GEO but ranges from Moderate to High.
• The Internal Sales Process - Indirect influence on roles not reporting into it.
• Corporate Interlock - Cross functional team (Mid to High Corporate Interlock).
• Typical Sales Cycle - Generally runs 3-6 months, may range by segment and may be longer for more complex sales opportunities, (as long as 18-24 months).
• Success Measures - Varies substantially by Geo/Segment; may include: Team performance metrics (build, manage effective team, attract/retain top talent), Goal attainment, Recurring Revenue, Renewal rates, Territory YOY growth, New logos.

What You'll Do:

• Typically leads multiple portfolio teams and/or multiple architecture teams.
• Accountable for multi-year, highly complex architectural deals with top-tier accounts involving multiple stakeholders and departments.
• Manages to financial and strategic objectives, including regional profitability and expansion, competitive positioning, and new market entry.
• Strategically aligns investments across regions or theaters to support long-term growth initiatives, and mobilizes resources to deliver on account success.
• Drives forecasting accuracy and methodology, seeks out new methods, tools to buy or build.
• Contributes to development of field GTM strategies and ensures alignment with partner/virtual GTM strategies.
• Drives innovation adoption across geographies, driving competitive differentiation globally.
• Cultivates strategic client relationships, navigating intricate deal structures and architecture integrations.
• Implements structured tracking of sales metrics to maintain focus on critical outcomes and encourage continuous improvement practices.
• Fosters a culture of collaboration across multiple field, partner and virtual account teams.
• Leads mentoring initiatives designed to achieve superior quota performance.
• Harnesses key cross-functional influencers to architect and execute comprehensive account strategies.

Minimum Qualifications: Bachelors + 15 years of related experience, Masters + 12 years of related experience, or PhD + 8 years of related experience. Also requires 4+ years of supervisory experience.

Preferred Qualifications: Varies based on the team and business needs | Preferred Qualifications are desired education, experience, and skills that are in addition to Minimum Qualifications.

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

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.