Solutions Development Architect

Customer Engagement & Business Value Alignment The Customer Engagement & Business Value Alignment role strategically advises pre-sales teams by shaping services solution strategies that align with business priorities, building trusted relationships to proactively uncover customer needs, and guiding customers with AI solutions, validated designs, architecture frameworks, and vertical use-cases.

This role connects services to measurable customer KPIs such as time-to-value reduction, productivity gains, and risk mitigation, clearly articulating how AI solutions can accelerate these outcomes, and develops multi-phase strategic roadmaps that translate business objectives into actionable adoption journeys, enabling transformation through CX Professional Services while leading CX Services solution components in complex, multi-architecture customer opportunities.

Solution Architecture & Portfolio Leadership In Solution Architecture & Portfolio Leadership, the position identifies new and expansion opportunities using customer and vertical data and insights, leads the pre-sales services solution process by defining the vision-including current state, desired end state, and deployment sequencing-co-develops scalable, multi-architecture solutions balancing delivery effectiveness and cost, collaborates with internal teams and ecosystem partners for comprehensive implementations, and demonstrates architect-level understanding of at least two Cisco technical domains along with broad knowledge of the entire Cisco portfolio.

Sales Enablement & Opportunity Development For Sales Enablement & Opportunity Development, the role partners with Sales to identify and pursue high-value transformational opportunities aligned with Cisco's Premium Services strategy, qualifies the services pipeline by understanding customer challenges and desired outcomes, identifies opportunities where AI-driven solutions provide a competitive advantage, leads CX services components in RFI/RFP responses for assigned opportunities, and guides Deal Acceleration and Strategic Engagement Teams to expedite deal progression.

Delivery Alignment & Post-Sales Continuity In Delivery Alignment & Post-Sales Continuity, the role ensures seamless handoffs to delivery teams, maintains alignment to support solution realization, stays aware of delivery capabilities, trends, and demand, and remains lightly engaged post-sale to support solution realization and capture success stories.

What You’ll Do Drives pre-sales services solution development for complex, cross-functional, multi-architecture engagements, refining solution designs within established frameworks and collaborating with cross-functional teams. Advises senior customer IT and/or OT leaders (e.g., Sr. Director, VP) by aligning Cisco solutions with business priorities, industry needs, and strategic transformation goals. Leads services solution planning by defining current and desired states, deployment sequencing, and scalable architectures that balance customer outcomes, delivery effectiveness, and cost. Identifies and qualifies high-value services opportunities in partnership with Sales and Service Sales teams, aligning CX Professional Services offerings with customer challenges, value drivers, and transformation plans. Supports CX-related RFP/RFI responses and collaborates with Deal Acceleration and Strategic Engagement Teams to advance strategic opportunities. Applies AI and automation within established frameworks to enhance solution design, improve internal productivity, optimize delivery processes, and enable scalable customer outcomes. Leverages deep expertise in at least one Cisco technical domain, broad knowledge of Cisco’s portfolio, and prior technical delivery experience to develop realistic, feasible solutions aligned with CX delivery capabilities and standards. Ensures solution feasibility and delivery readiness through effective collaboration with pre-sales, delivery teams, ecosystem partners, and other cross-functional stakeholders. Influences peers and cross-functional contributors through subject matter expertise and solution leadership, promoting AI-powered tools and best practices to improve team productivity and solution quality. Provides guidance and training to engineers and architects within Theaters on services-led solution planning, architecture alignment, and CX delivery readiness. Minimum Qualifications Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related experience, or Equivalent relevant work experience. Expert level (e.g., CCIE) or equivalent relevant certification expected. Industry trend certifications preferred.

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.