Area Vice President, Solutions Engineering - Splunk Germany (m/f/d)

Splunk, a Cisco company, is seeking a dynamic and visionary leader for a pivotal role at a time when our technology is hyper-relevant in the age of AI. As the Director of Solutions Engineering for the Germany region, you are more than a "leader of leaders" - you are a strategic force who will shape the technical future for our customers. This is a highly transformational role. We are looking for a leader with a growth mindset and a fresh perspective to elevate our organization from a traditional pre-sales motion to an innovative, proactive, and business-opportunity-focused mission. You will drive transformational change, champion a value-selling approach, and forge a mature, visionary partnership with the sales organization. By converting our approach from reactive to proactive, you will empower a world-class team to deliver exceptional business outcomes for Splunk’s customers. As an active member of the Splunk Germany Leadership Team, you will be a technical visionary, a business driver, and an inspirational coach, building strong executive relationships to drive market success.

About 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.

Responsibilities

• As an executive technical sales leader, you will orchestrate teams and cross-functional resources to deliver impactful results across three core pillars: 1.
• Business Outcomes and Customer Success (Lead Business) Transform the Pre-Sales Motion: Drive the shift from a traditional, reactive technical support function to a proactive, value-selling organization focused on long-term business outcomes and strategic opportunities.
• Forge a strong, mature, and innovative partnership with field sales leadership.
• Jointly develop strategic account plans and orchestrate resources to win in the market.
• Act as a trusted advisor to our most strategic customers.
• Proactively engage at the VP/CxO level to understand their buying processes, business drivers, and market challenges - particularly within Public Sector, Financial Services, Insurance, Telecommunications, and Retail sectors.
• Leverage deep market intelligence to strategically position Splunk + Cisco solutions, clearly articulating our trade-offs, advantages, and competitive edge.
• Lead and Develop Elite Talent (Lead Others) Cultivate a Growth Mindset: Champion an inclusive, agile culture where team members are empowered to innovate and thrive amidst market shifts.
• Bring a fresh perspective that challenges the status quo.
• Coach, mentor, and develop a team of managers and engineers.
• Proactively identify talent, implement succession plans, and co-develop individual growth plans.
• Manage performance closely using the skill/will methodology.
• Establish scalable frameworks for enablement, and organizational alignment to ensure your team can support complex, high-value tech solutions.
• Embody Executive Leadership and Vision (Lead Yourself) Be a Thought Leader: Amplify Splunk's market presence by representing the company as a strategic expert in industry forums, customer advisory boards, and internal strategy councils.
• Navigate organizational challenges with resilience and adaptability, ensuring sustained strategic alignment and business excellence.

Requirements

• You are a visionary pre-sales and solution architecture leader who thrives on defining strategies for innovative technology in a dynamic, AI-driven landscape.
• You seek out and solve complex, high-impact problems, leading by example and influencing from the front.
• 15+ years of experience in technical selling and Solutions/Sales Engineering within enterprise software.
• 7+ years of leadership experience, with a proven track record of managing people managers (leader of leaders) in a complex work environment.
• Deep-dive experience and market knowledge within the Germany region .
• Strong domain expertise in enterprise software (e.g., Cybersecurity, Observability, Cloud & AI, IT Operations, Application Performance Management, or Big Data).
• Exceptional communication and articulation skills; ability to translate complex technical ideas into clear business value for executive audiences.
• Proven experience driving organizational transformation , specifically shifting a pre-sales team from a reactive technical function to a proactive, value-selling business driver.
• Ability to travel up to 25-40%.
• Fluent in German and English (both written & spoken).
• Successful candidate must be based in Germany.
• Why Cisco?

Preferred

• Proven experience working across multiple customer segments (Enterprise, Public Sector, Service Provider, Commercial).
• M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions) experience is desirable.
• BS/MS or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Management Information Systems, or a related field.

Master Cross-Functional Alignment

Work seamlessly with Sales, Partners org, Professional Services, Education, Product Management, and Engineering to ensure alignment between pre- and post-sales activities, scope new opportunities, and resolve critical customer situations.