Cisco · San Francisco
Sales & Businessposted 6d ago
Splunk, a Cisco company, is building a safer and more resilient digital world with an end-to-end full stack platform made for a hybrid, multi-cloud world. Leading enterprises use our unified security and observability platform to keep their digital systems secure and reliable. Our customers love our technology, but it's our caring employees that make Splunk stand out as an amazing career destination. No matter where in the world or what level of the organization, we approach our work with kindness. So bring your work experience, problem-solving skills and talent, of course, but also bring your joy, your passion and all the things that make you, you. Come help organizations be their best, while you reach new heights with a team that has your back.
Position Overview:
We are seeking a passionate and highly skilled Account Executive - Splunk (Public Sector Romandie) to join one of our strategic sales teams. This is an individual-contributor role carrying a named patch of Public Sector accounts across French-speaking Switzerland - cantonal administrations and their IT service organisations, publicly owned utilities, universities, and Geneva-based international organisations.
This role requires prior, hands-on experience selling into the Swiss Public Sector. You must speak the language of this market - its terminology, its procurement law, its budget and legislative cycles - and bring an existing network and demonstrable wins within Swiss public administration and/or international organisations. You will be responsible for protecting and growing the installed base - securing renewals under formal procurement conditions while developing expansion strategies across the security and observability portfolio - and for positioning Splunk as a trusted long-term partner of the Swiss public administration.
If you are ready for your next challenge and seeking an opportunity to grow within a company where you can truly thrive alongside a high-performing, results-driven team within the Cisco/Splunk family, please continue reading. Please note, this is an individual contributor role.
Responsibilities:
Client Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with key stakeholders across cantonal administrations, public IT service organisations, publicly owned utilities, universities, and international organisations - spanning CIOs, security leaders, architecture, and procurement offices.
Account Development - Protect & Grow: Secure and renew the installed base under formal procurement conditions while identifying and capitalising on expansion opportunities within framework agreements and new tenders, driving both retention and growth within your accounts.
Public Procurement Execution: Own the full lifecycle of public tenders: monitor and act on SIMAP publications, shape and respond to RFIs and RFPs, structure framework agreements, and align deal construction with WTO/GATT thresholds, standstill mechanics, and cantonal budget and legislative cycles - so that every deal is procurement-compliant by design.
Extended Team Leadership: Structure complex, multi-stakeholder situations toward defined outcomes by orchestrating System Engineers, Customer Success Managers, specialists, and partners - leading the virtual account team toward successful execution.
Program-based Execution: Run account engagements as structured programs, with clear close plans, mutual action plans, milestones, and disciplined project-based execution aligned with public decision gates rather than opportunistic selling.
AI-Driven Selling & Productivity: Position Splunk's AI-powered security and observability capabilities with credibility in public administration environments - where trust, transparency, and sovereignty matter - while applying internal AI tooling with versatility to accelerate account research, tender preparation, and execution.
Negotiation & Closing: Lead contract negotiations and executive presentations with senior public officials and procurement bodies within the constraints of public procurement law, ensuring compliant agreements that align with both customer and company goals.
Strategic Partnerships: Collaborate with internal teams (engineering, product, marketing, legal) and actively develop the Romandie partner ecosystem and the Cisco field to extend reach and delivery capability across the patch.
Market & Regulatory Intelligence: Stay ahead of digitalisation strategies, budget developments, and technology shifts across Swiss public administration. Understand the legal framework that governs this market - public procurement law (LMP/BoeB and IVoeB/AIMP), the revised Swiss data protection act and cantonal equivalents, data-residency and digital-sovereignty expectations, and the procurement rules of international organisations - and reflect it in how you position security and observability.
Sales Forecasting & Reporting: Maintain accurate pipeline, forecast, and account plans that reflect the gate-driven nature of public sector deals, providing clear insight and recommendations for improvement.
Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with engineering, customer success, and support to ensure successful delivery and customer satisfaction across multi-workstream engagements.
Requirements:
5+ years of enterprise software or IT sales experience with a demonstrated history of quota achievement, including a significant, recent portion selling into the Swiss Public Sector.
Demonstrable wins in Swiss public sector sales: awarded public tenders, framework agreements, or multi-year contracts with cantonal, municipal, or federal entities - references expected.
Existing network within public administration in French-speaking Switzerland and/or Geneva-based international organisations.
Working command of Swiss public procurement: terminology, legal framework (LMP/BoeB, IVoeB/AIMP), WTO thresholds, SIMAP processes, appeal and standstill mechanics, and cantonal budget cycles.
Understanding of data protection, data residency, and digital sovereignty considerations in Swiss public administration, and their impact on cloud and platform decisions.
Familiarity with the procurement and governance practices of international organisations is a strong plus.
Demonstrated ability to orchestrate an extended, virtual account team (System Engineers, Customer Success Managers, specialists, partners) toward a shared outcome without direct authority.
Track record of both protecting an installed base (renewals and retention) and driving expansion, rather than pure net-new hunting.
Strong AI fluency on two fronts: the ability to position AI-led value credibly within customer environments, and the versatility to operate internal AI systems and tooling to accelerate research, strategy formulation, and execution.
Mastery of MEDDPICC, or an equivalent qualification methodology.
Executive presence with a proven ability to influence senior public officials and close complex, gate-driven deals.
Accurate forecasting and commitment delivery across extended, procurement-driven sales cycles.
Exceptional communication, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.
Solid understanding of enterprise IT ecosystems including cloud infrastructure, security, and observability / digital transformation initiatives.
Experience in SaaS, security, or observability environments.
Power user of enterprise CRM platforms (Salesforce), with strong operational discipline and reporting fluency.
Minimum of a Bachelor's degree; an advanced degree is a plus.
Fluent in French and English (written and spoken); German a strong advantage.
Willingness to travel within French-speaking Switzerland and occasionally beyond.
Splunk, a Cisco company, is an 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.
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.