Account Executive - AI Defense

Cisco AI Defense Account Executive

At Cisco AI Defense, we are at the forefront of the next cybersecurity revolution. As part of Cisco's global mission to connect and protect, our team is dedicated to building the intelligent, automated infrastructure vital to secure an increasingly sophisticated digital world. We empower organizations to thrive in a world of unprecedented digital risk. Our focus is on delivering AI-driven defense solutions that transform how security teams detect, analyze, and respond to sophisticated cyber threats. By collaborating directly with CISOs, CTOs, and AI/ML leadership, we empower organizations to navigate the complexities of the AI threat landscape with confidence.

As an Account Executive in Cisco's AI Defense initiative, you will serve as the primary architect of our customers' security transformation, turning complex challenges into resilient, business-enabling strategies. This will include:

• Strategic Advisory & C-Suite Engagement:
• Being a Trusted Advisor: Cultivate executive-level relationships, positioning Cisco as the definitive partner for secure AI transformation by providing industry-leading insights into AI-specific risks.
• Architecting Resilience: Steer customer perspectives toward cohesive, cross-architectural AI security frameworks that integrate seamlessly with existing cybersecurity and data governance standards.
• Industry Authority: Establish yourself as an inspiring leader, leveraging deep expertise in adversarial AI, model-poisoning threats, and emerging compliance needs to shape long-term account strategies.
• Driving Impact & Innovation:
• Deal Evolution: Influence Cisco's most significant AI security engagements by developing pipeline, participating in complex negotiations, developing technical proposals for resilient AI infrastructure, driving deal execution, and client acquisition.
• Product Evolution: Act as the voice of the customer to our Engineering teams. Your sustained feedback will directly influence product roadmaps, ensuring our offerings remain ahead of adversarial tactics and market shifts.
• Market Strategy: Synthesize competitive intelligence to refine our Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies, aligning resource allocation with revenue objectives to maximize our defensive impact.
• Operational Excellence:
• Scenario Planning: Lead threat-modeling narratives and long-range security forecasting, overseeing the development of security-focused bills of materials to ensure comprehensive protection.
• Cross-Architectural Collaboration: Work as a hyper specialist across Cisco's broader portfolio to integrate AI security into the fabric of our enterprise solutions, amplifying account team effectiveness and driving our customers' strategic ambitions regarding AI safety.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 12+ years of overall sales experience, with at least 3+ years dedicated to selling security solutions.
• Experience in selling network security solutions (e.g., Intrusion Detection, Firewall, VPN) or SaaS security offerings.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience leading large deals and executing account and partner plans across geographic territories.
• Consistent track record of exceeding sales targets.
• Capable of building and implementing an account plan that incorporates a total systems-based security approach.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the AI Security Market.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
• Experience in applying solution-selling methodologies to drive corporate revenue growth, with a history of closing both tactical and strategic opportunities. Experience with MEDDPICC is a plus.
• Bachelor's or master's Degree

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.