Account Executive - Architecture

Cisco is hiring an Account Executive - Architecture. Level rates it ; you can apply on Cisco.

Level's read on this job

On Level's scale, this sales role is Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
Tools and skills the posting cites include account management, architectural expertise and sales.
Level classifies it as a senior role.
Level lists 1,400+ other open roles at Cisco.
The role was posted within the past two weeks.

AI in this role

Account Executive specializing in architecture to manage customer relationships, technical proof of concepts, and strategic sales cycles.

account-managementarchitectural-expertisesalesproof-of-concept

Owns relationships and influences strategic decisions within the customer’s buying center. Works with and supports account teams and customers to understand customer needs and position Cisco’s area of specialization. Applies deep architectural expertise and broad solution knowledge, enriched by competitor intelligence and industry insight. Maintains expert-level knowledge of all elements of the business case, including the drivers of cost, benefit, risk. Provides architectural expertise across opportunities without direct ownership; maintains architectural-specific forecasting while triangulating technical projections with broader portfolio planning to ensure alignment. Leads technical proof of concept and proof of value engagements, implementing scaled demonstration environments to showcase solution capabilities and business outcomes prior to customer commitment. Develops comprehensive proposals highlighting Cisco offerings that address solution gaps and aligns with customer objectives. Works closely with solution engineers, account teams and customers to set the direction and strategy for specific focus areas / architecture. Provides valuable feedback from customer interactions to Cisco’s development teams, influencing product roadmaps and ensuring solutions are adaptive to emerging market demands and technological advancements • Specialization and Focus - Aligned by specific Cisco architecture and/or industry focus, Expert with deep technical and product knowledge in a specific area of specialization, Deep understanding of relevant vertical or industry,, Predominantly interacts at direct customer-level • Customer Engagement and Accountability - Mostly in direct contact with customer and interacts with IT, LOB, CXOs, & decision makers, Primary influencers, specifically in Qualify and Proposal phases, May participate across full life-cycle • The Internal Sales Process - 10-25% of time may be spent with internal business units (more require more time for larger deals) • Corporate Interlock - Collaborates with the business unit to develop appropriate customer solutions, which may require new product development or enhancing functionality for existing products • Typical Sales Cycle - Medium Sales complexity. Average length of deal is 3-6 months but can be as long as 12-18 months in more complex accounts/opportunities. Variable deal size, can be between $50K to $750K (over $1M for SP) • Success Measures - Increased revenue for architecture - Displace competitor and increase wallet share, increased market share - Customer relationship development What You'll Do: • Develops and maintains an expert understanding of the market, technologies, advising customers on long-term, cross-architectural solution • Influences the most significant deals at Cisco, involving strategic partnerships, complex solutions and creating lasting impact • Steers customer mindset on their specialty architecture and ensures cohesion with integration of related architectures • Synthesizes complex competitive data to shape high-level account strategies and inform long-term business development plans • Advises internal and external stakeholders on industry shifts, risks associated with emerging competitor offerings and evolving customer needs to ensure GTM strategies are adaptive • Cultivates trusted C-suite relationships, positioning Cisco as a strategic partner for comprehensive digital transformation through industry-leading architectural insights and tailored solutions • Collaborates on high-level negotiations with key accounts, with an understanding of both the broader market shifts and specific competitor tactics, ensuring unmatched value in architectural solutions • Prioritizes customer success and secures enduring, mutually beneficial relationships • Shapes an architecture’s strategy by aligning with GTM market and revenue expansion objectives while actively guiding resource allocation to maximize impact • Leverages the transformative potential of an architecture by integrating emerging industry insights to amplify account team effectiveness and drive customers’ strategic ambitions • Contributes to the architecture’s evolution by providing consistent and sustained feedback to Engineering to evolve product offerings and sustain competitive advantage • Drives the architectural strategy and collaborates cross-architecturally to develop technical proposals • Leads scenario planning to refine long-range forecasts and integrates narratives to refine models and oversees bill of materials development • Expands reach within and outside the buying center through establishing self as an industry advisor, bringing critical insights on Cisco’s architectures and value propositions Minimum Qualifications: Bachelors + 12 years of related experience, or Masters + 8 years of related experience, or PhD + 5 years of related 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.

How we rate this

Account Executive - Architecture at Cisco rates 0 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Account Executive - Architecture is an open job at Cisco.
Level rates this role AI Level 1 of 4: Little AI.
The role is based in Minato, Japan.
The job was posted on October 20, 2026.
Seniority: senior.
Applications are handled by Cisco. Apply on Cisco

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

Account ManagementArchitectural ExpertiseSalesProof Of Concept

Also common in sales jobs at this level

AI agents AWS Generative AI Azure Machine learning Google Cloud

Pay

Typical sales job: $142k

This posting doesn't list pay. Use the typical sales figure when pay comes up. See sales jobs

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where account management was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where architectural expertise was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where sales was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where proof of concept was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Account Management, Architectural Expertise, Sales, and Proof Of Concept. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.

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