Partner Account Executive

The application window is expected to close on: 12/19/2025

NOTE: Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Candidates must reside locally in the Minneapolis or St Paul, MN area to be considered for this position.

Meet the Team
As a Partner Account Executive (PAE) in the Minnesota market, you will build credibility and trust to inspire investments in Cisco-centric practices with Partners. You will collaborate closely with Partners and Cisco's sales teams to drive business transformation and maximize collective success.

Your Impact

• Influence Partners' business transformation by developing and promoting their unique value propositions, sales and operational processes, and internal consumption of Cisco solutions.
• Build trust, credibility, and relevance with Partners' sales teams to increase active Partner sellers of Cisco solutions.
• Drive strategic alignment between Partners and Cisco's end user sales teams by collaborating with Cisco Regional Sales Managers to develop and execute regional go-to-market plans.
• Understand key industry trends driving Partner and customer change.
• Build capacity, capability, and collaboration within a portfolio of Partners to achieve loyalty and transformation.
• Engage and coordinate extended team resources to provide multiple touchpoints within a Partner's organization, scaling resources and driving accountability.
• Establish a reputation as a sales leader capable of articulating how customers achieve business transformation, assisting Partners with go-to-market strategies, planning, and sales coaching.
• Demonstrate how technology provides customers (through Partners) with sustainable competitive advantage and improved business outcomes.
• Leverage financial acumen and sales experience to grow mindshare and wallet share within Partner account teams.

Minimum Qualifications

• Significant knowledge and in-depth understanding of both Sales and Channel dynamics.
• Proven ability to quickly establish credibility with Partner principals and sales teams.
• Strong coaching skills with a "train, teach, position" methodology for Partner Account Manager success.
• Ability to listen, make recommendations, and influence Partner executives.
• Strategic thinker with effective communication and influence skills.
• Customer-focused, achievement-driven, with an impressive executive demeanor.
• Strong team orientation and collaborative approach.
• Excellent presentation, verbal, and writing skills.
• Business maturity, flexibility, and adaptability to a high-energy, dynamic environment with high growth expectations.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with diverse teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience as a Commercial, Enterprise, or SLED Account Manager preferred.
• Established personal network of executive relationships.
• Experience leading strategic alignment between Partners and internal sales teams.
• Demonstrated success in customer-centric sales of Cisco solutions.

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.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:

The starting salary range posted for this position is $177,800.00 to $232,400.00 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 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
$196, $297,200.00

Non-Metro New York State & Washington State
$187, $283,700.00

• 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.