Systems Engineering Manager
Cisco Meraki knows that technology can connect us, empower us, and drive us. By simplifying powerful technology, we can free passionate people to focus on their mission. As the fastest growing cloud-managed networking team in the world, our products and technology architecture are changing the face of enterprise networking and making cloud-managed IT a reality. As part of an ambitious team in this rapidly growing business, you help customize the direction by ensuring our organizational challenges and opportunities are driving towards the best results.
As the Meraki System Engineering Manager, you will directly manage a team of System Engineers in Cisco Meraki Velocity Business, as part of Inside Sales Systems Engineering. You’ll be accountable for executing on territory sales goals by driving sales engineering programs, act as a trusted advisor to customers and lead technology conversations, provide technical enablement, pre-sales support and technical mentorship to the sales team.
At Meraki, our goal as leaders is to grow and develop forward-thinking teams. The strength of our team is the foundation of our success. For us, the best team is one that is focused, highly trusted, empowered, inclusive and innovative. A phenomenal team will build products that disrupt markets and customer relationships that widen the impact we can have on the world. A great team will also inspire in each of us work that is meaningful and rewarding. You commit to living our leadership principles, build simple paths for people to deliver their best work, and make decisions that will prioritize the long-term health of Cisco Meraki.
What you will do:
- Hire, coach, and direct a team of hard-working SEs (Systems Engineers) supporting Inside Sales, to deliver against our sales goals and build strong internal and external relationships in service of an outstanding customer experience and continued rapid growth. Drive the strategy and executive relationship for top accounts and deals.
- Align and work directly with Inside Sales Director, to build a strategy for the territory, accounts and sales coverage.
- Bring together all Meraki cross-functional teams in the territory to build a “regional team” culture and shared vision
- Work collaboratively to establish strategies and priorities, and ensure all teams are working together to improve results (Inside Sales, field, channel, systems engineering, marketing, strategy, Cisco sales leaders, etc.). Communicate progress clearly and regularly.
- Be the segment executive sponsor in establishing strong working relationships with Cisco leaders across the Area: ensuring Meraki is appropriately prioritized, gaining support for marketing and channel investments, and optimizing our approach to drive growth
- Represent the segment in providing a unified voice back to HQ around priorities, investment needs (product, marketing, operations, etc.), and strategy (including sales team structure, rules of engagement, headcount investment, etc.)
- Use metrics and data to continually assess both sales performance, technical engagement level and talent performance/retention to fully understand underlying drivers and adjust course as vital
- You will be measured against the revenue generated in addition to motivating and leading the direction of the Inside Sales Systems Engineers, defining short- and long-term team goals in alignment with the broader Velocity Business goals.
Who you are:
- Candid. You communicate broadly and often, providing clear purpose, direction, goals, and measures
- Career Champion. You invest in your team’s growth and development
- Disagree, Decide, and Commit. You listen to understand different opinions and allow them to influence the direction
- Results Driven. You are resilient, optimistic, and passionate about our business results while never compromising customer, partner, and team relationships. You work and collaborate across many groups.
- Credible. Committed to earning our team’s trust through your actions and transparency
Minimum Qualifications:
- Minimum 3 years of experience as a sales engineer. Previous management experience a plus
- Demonstrated sales leadership ability in motivating teams, overachieving targets, and successfully winning large-complex deals
- Intimate understanding of the pre-sales engineering process and related sales motions
- Solid understanding of wireless and wired networks, including 802.11, 802.1x, firewalls, content filters, routing/switching, SDWAN etc
- Conversant in IT strategy, design, planning, and execution principles
- Exceptional communication skills, both in presenting to customers and stakeholders, but also in reducing complex technical ideas to simple language and rigorously prioritizing what and how to communicate across the organization to achieve results
- Demonstrated organizational and project management capabilities with the ability to prioritize multiple tasks with shifting priorities and varying deadlines
- 20% travel required
- BA/BS preferred, MBA or MSc degree a plus
- CCIE or equivalent a plus
Cisco is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Cisco will consider for employment, on a case by case basis, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
At Cisco Meraki, we’re challenging the status quo with the power of diversity, inclusion, and collaboration. When we connect different perspectives, we can imagine new possibilities, inspire innovation, and release the full potential of our people. We’re building an employee experience that includes appreciation, belonging, growth, and purpose for everyone.