Solutions Engineer

The Solutions Engineer for the Defense Joint Forces Region will serve as the technical lead for a strategic Department of War customer — the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). This engineer will own the technical relationship, driving architecture, customer engagement, and mission alignment so that Cisco solutions deliver measurable operational and mission outcomes.

This role requires strong technical credibility, a selling instinct, the ability to operate independently, as well as an understanding of defense environments, acquisition cycles, and mission-critical infrastructure.

Lead the technical relationship for assigned MDA accounts to ensure Cisco solutions deliver measurable operational and mission outcomes. Design secure and resilient architectures across networking, security, and Zero Trust to meet rigorous DoD standards and FedRAMP requirements. Partner with the account team to shape long-term strategy and accelerate the adoption of new technologies within the MDA environment. Coordinate directly with major system integrators to build integrated solutions that support large-scale mission transformation. Deliver high-impact technical presentations and demonstrations that differentiate Cisco’s portfolio and drive technical wins.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 3+ years of experience in customer-centric IT, delivery, or pre-sales roles within the Defense sector.
• Current CCNP Enterprise (ENCOR) certification or ability to get one within 12 months.

• Active Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance.
• Experience configuring architectures within FedRAMP or IL5 boundaries and supporting ATO compliance requirements.
• Proven track record of leading technical engagements from conception to completion.
• Deep understanding of IT trends relevant to the Department of Defense, including observability and cloud infrastructure.
• Strong business writing and presentation skills with a calming presence in high-stakes customer environments.
• Active Secret security clearance (or a former Secret clearance requiring an in-depth security background).

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. 

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:

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

* 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.