Who we are:
The Customer Success Specialist (CSS) role is a critical, strategic advisor and technical expert that engages with customers to accelerate their adoption of Cisco products & solutions that transform their business and drive business outcomes. The role resides within the Cisco Customer Experience (CX) organization.
What you’ll do:
CSSs are subject matter experts in their aligned product or architecture. They deliver targeted engagements to increase product awareness, share best practices, and drive product consumption and business value. CSSs bring strategic vision, the latest technology from Cisco Engineering, and tactical expertise to ensure successful customer engagements. They also participate in the global CSS Community to share best practices and success stories. Combining deep technical knowledge with business acumen, CSSs provide consultative solutions to help customers realize value faster. Mastery of relationship management, account handling, and soft skills, along with a keen understanding of the competitive landscape and how Cisco's solutions are differentiated in the market, will be key to driving adoption and ensuring customers achieve accelerated business outcomes.
This highly technical role supports customers with adoption challenges across the security architecture, specifically with the following Solution Domains:
· Integrated Security Operations · Cloud & Network Security · Zero Trust Network AccessExperience with integrating Cisco’s security products is essential.
Key Responsibilities:
Customer Engagement: Conduct targeted consultative sessions and interactive technical presentations to increase product awareness, share best practices, and drive software adoption and business value. Technical Expertise: Utilize deep technical knowledge, business acumen, and automation skills to provide consultative solutions and ensure successful customer engagements. Risk Management: Identify and mitigate renewal risks, including those associated with low technical adoption, to ensure successful product integration and consistently meet customer expectations. Collaboration: Work closely with Account teams, Customer Success, and Partners to enhance customer adoption, address product concerns, and drive growth. Product Feedback and Advocacy: Provide feedback to Engineering and Product Management Teams for product improvements, promote the CX offer strategy, and highlight feature opportunities. Strategic Advice and Adoption Journey: Guide customers on deployment decisions and long-term business outcomes, develop onboarding and adoption journeys, lead architectural initiatives, and address product challenges.
Who You Are:
Technical Expert: Possesses deep technical knowledge with a focus on connecting Cisco solutions to customer use cases, continuously learning new technologies and best practices. Customer-Centric Mindset: Proactively understands customer needs and drives decisions to enhance customer value and satisfaction. Cross-Team Collaborator: Works seamlessly across internal and external teams to encourage technical implementation decisions, operating effectively in both remote and face-to-face environments. Business Acumen: Understands high-level business landscapes, strategic priorities, and the competitive marketplace to align technical solutions with business goals. Results Oriented: Demonstrates proven execution ability with relevant technologies, driving successful customer outcomes. Effective Communicator: Delivers complex information clearly and convincingly to diverse audiences, with the ability to engage both technical architects and C-level executives, ensuring understanding and alignment.
Minimum Required Experience:
7+ years of experience in technical consulting or direct customer interfacing/engagement role with a deep understanding of industry best practices related to the security domain Expert-level technical knowledge a must for: Zero Trust Network Access Secure Firewall and Cloud Security SecOps Minimum two of the following Cisco Security Suites: Breach Protection Suite or User Protection Suite Cloud Protection Suite Proven experience engaging with key customers, understanding their unique needs, and applying industry best practices to drive successful outcomes. Delivered consultative sessions, interactive technical presentations, and collaborating on quarterly business reviews (QBRs). Conducted product and solution demos to drive product adoption with a strong understanding of software licensing models and running competitive SWOT analyses.
Desired Qualifications:
Expert-level knowledge of integrating across multiple architectures. Demonstrated success with complex technologies and conducting high-risk architecture reviews. Provided strategic advice on deployment decisions, led architectural initiatives, incorporating best practices and validated designs from across Cisco to ensure successful implementation and adoption with customers. Demonstrated ability to apply deep understanding of relevant Cisco products to define how technology solves Customers’ business challenges. This includes baselining customer environments, capturing heatmaps of products and tools (including third-party), and developing comprehensive on-boarding and adoption journeys. Expert understanding and experience with public cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, and GCP, as well as knowledge of virtualization technologies. Expertise in automation, including leveraging APIs and programmability to orchestrate workflows and integrate with existing ecosystems (e.g., ITSM, Open Source). Suggested Certifications: DevNet, CCNA, CCNP, or CCDP required; CCIE, CISM, CISSP or equivalent strongly preferred. Suggested Cisco Success Management certifications: Cisco Certified Success Specialist. BS in Engineering, Computer Science; Masters preferred.
Why Cisco
#WeAreCisco, where individuality and teamwork drive us to power an inclusive future. Embracing digital transformation, we innovate beyond hardware into software and security, creating intuitive networks that adapt and protect. Our culture fosters innovation, creativity, and learning from failures. We give our best, take accountability, and embrace diversity and equality. Whether you have colorful hair, tattoos, or a passion for technology and world-changing ideas, be yourself with us!
Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:When available, the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hire, full-time salaries in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including equity or benefits. For non-sales roles the hiring ranges reflect base salary only; employees are also eligible to receive annual bonuses. Hiring ranges for sales positions include base and incentive compensation target. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location and additional factors, including but not limited to skillset, experience, and relevant education, certifications, or training. Applicants may not be eligible for the full salary range based on their U.S. or Canada hiring location. The recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.
U.S. employees have access to quality medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance and numerous wellbeing offerings. Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday, plus a day off for their birthday. Employees accrue up to 20 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) each year and have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues without tapping into their PTO. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community. Employees are also able to purchase company stock through our Employee Stock Purchase Program.
Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components. 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 up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.