Account Executive - AI Defense

Cisco•Chicago, IL

1d•$257,600 - $423,200•Remote

About The Position

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 believe that innovation is not just about keeping pace with change—it is about anticipating the threats of tomorrow and neutralizing them today. We are a team of bold and relentless problem-solvers who accept the challenge of securing the AI era, working at the intersection of industry-leading networking and innovative machine learning. 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 maximising the massive scale of Cisco’s data intelligence and the precision of advanced AI, we provide our customers with proactive visibility and autonomous protection that scales effortlessly. As an Account Executive, you will be the link between our groundbreaking technology and the enterprises that rely on us to safeguard their future. You will help our partners navigate the evolving threat landscape, translating complex security challenges into resilient, AI-powered strategies that ensure their business continuity and peace of mind. The Cisco AI Defense team serves as a specialized group of trusted advisors, bridging the gap between latest AI innovation and robust enterprise security. By collaborating directly with CISOs, CTOs, and AI/ML leadership, we empower organizations to navigate the complexities of the AI threat landscape with confidence. We bring deep technical proficiency in adversarial AI mitigation, secure model deployment, and AI-driven security architectures. We combine intelligence on emerging threats with a rigorous understanding of industry governance and compliance, ensuring that our customers' AI pipelines remain resilient against evolving risks. Our solutions lead the full AI security lifecycle—from identifying critical vulnerabilities and conducting high-scale adversarial testing to delivering comprehensive defensive strategies. Beyond customer engagement, we act as a vital feedback loop to Cisco’s product development teams. By sharing real-world insights from the front lines, we directly influence product roadmaps, ensuring that Cisco’s solutions remain adaptive, innovative, and perfectly aligned with the security needs of our customers.

Requirements

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.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

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.
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.
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.

Benefits

medical, dental and vision insurance
a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution
paid parental leave
short and long-term disability coverage
basic life insurance
grants of Cisco restricted stock units
10 paid holidays per full calendar year
1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees
1 paid day off for employee’s birthday
paid year-end holiday shutdown
4 paid days off for personal wellness
16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year (non-exempt employees)
flexible vacation time off program (exempt employees)
80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter
up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next
Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer