Director, Pre-Sales Engineering

CoStar Group•Irvine, CA

13d•$120,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

Zonda, a CoStar Group company, is seeking an experienced and strategic Director, Pre-Sales Engineering to lead its Pre-Sales Engineering function supporting digital solutions for the residential homebuilding industry. This highly visible leadership role connects Sales, Product Management, Production, Technology, and homebuilder and developer customers. The Director will lead and develop a team, stay directly involved in complex estimates and solution design, and drive improvements in operational efficiency, scalability, and revenue growth. The role calls for leadership and consultative sales experience, along with an understanding of residential homebuilding, digital visualization, and technology solutions. The Director will inform product strategy through customer needs, competitive intelligence, and solution feasibility; strengthen customer relationships; and improve sales effectiveness. The position is open to U.S.-based candidates, with a preference for candidates in or near Orange County, California, who can regularly collaborate with the Irvine-based team.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
At least 8 years of progressive experience in pre-sales engineering, sales engineering, solutions consulting, technical sales, or a related function.
Experience leading, mentoring, and developing technical or customer-facing teams.
Experience supporting complex B2B technology solutions, including technical discovery, solution scoping, demonstrations, and customer presentations.
Strong understanding of sales processes, pricing structures, and cross-functional collaboration in a technology-driven environment.
Ability to interpret architectural plans and configurable product requirements and translate structural options, elevations, and customization needs into accurate scope and estimates; ability to learn Zonda-specific products and pricing.
Experience with Salesforce or comparable CRM platforms and workflow or project management systems.
Ability to lead process improvement initiatives, implement operational efficiencies, and manage competing priorities.
Excellent communication, presentation, analytical, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to engage customers, technical teams, and senior leadership.
Ability to translate technical concepts into clear business value and provide strategic guidance throughout the sales process.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with residential homebuilders, developers, or technology providers serving the homebuilding industry.
Familiarity with digital visualization solutions, including interactive floor plans, virtual walkthroughs, 3D renderings, interactive site maps, visualizers, and online design center technologies.
Experience supporting SaaS solutions, enterprise technology sales, or integrated software platforms.
Familiarity with CAD files, residential construction workflows, and production requirements for digital visualization assets.
Experience implementing or optimizing workflow automation solutions such as ClickUp.
Experience evaluating and coordinating external implementation partners, including scope definition, deliverables, and collaboration with internal stakeholders on contract review.
Experience coordinating Salesforce product catalog requirements, customer-specific price books, pricing configurations, and quoting processes with CRM administrators and business stakeholders.
Familiarity with emerging AI technologies, digital visualization platforms, and automation tools.
Experience supporting enterprise or national accounts and collaborating cross-functionally to develop customized technology solutions.
Strong business acumen, including understanding of solution profitability, resource planning, and operational scalability.

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and develop the Pre-Sales Engineering team, setting performance expectations, accountability, and scalable processes.
Oversee technical pre-sales activities, including customer discovery, demonstrations, product scoping, technical proposals, pricing estimates, and sales support.
Participate directly in complex estimates and solution design, reviewing architectural plans, structural options, elevations, production requirements, and opportunities to reuse existing 3D models and other assets.
Oversee discovery, support, and quote intake, including request triage, submission standards, missing-asset collection, and routing to appropriate teams.
Partner with Sales leadership and Directors of Business Development to support strategic opportunities, expand customer relationships, and drive revenue growth.
Advise regional and national homebuilders and developers, translating business requirements into technology solutions.
Lead implementation, adoption, and optimization of ClickUp as a centralized workflow management platform, including intake and asset-handling requirements, implementation partner coordination, and improvements to tracking, automation, resource allocation, and efficiency.
Work with Sales Operations, Product Management, and Contracts to define Salesforce product catalog requirements, customer-specific price books, quoting standards, and product approval workflows.
Collaborate with Product Management, Production, and Technology to evaluate solution feasibility, support product enhancements, and align technical capabilities with customer needs.
Define deliverable solutions with Sales, Product Management, and Production, communicating scope limitations, customization requirements, and cost implications to set customer expectations and avoid commitments beyond delivery capabilities.
Establish and refine practices for technical discovery, quoting accuracy, solution scoping, and Sales-to-Production handoffs, documenting assumptions, exclusions, asset requirements, and delivery expectations.
Develop and maintain competitive intelligence on digital homebuilding solutions, emerging technologies, and artificial intelligence.
Identify and evaluate technologies, automation opportunities, and process improvements that improve productivity, scalability, and service quality.
Support enterprise customer engagements, including technical presentations, RFPs, RFIs, complex solution configurations, and strategic account initiatives.
Work with Finance, Sales Operations, and other stakeholders to maintain pricing integrity, evaluate custom solutions, and support commercially sound decisions.
Develop technical sales enablement resources, training materials, product documentation, and competitive positioning tools; oversee Showpad administration, demo selection, and maintenance of demonstration assets.
Establish and monitor KPIs for quote turnaround times, request volume, resource utilization, solution quality, and team performance, developing reporting capabilities as ClickUp workflows are implemented.
Provide executive leadership with recommendations on operational improvements, product capabilities, competitive positioning, and growth opportunities.

Benefits

Generous compensation and performance-based incentives.
Internal training and tuition reimbursement to support professional career and academic growth.
Comprehensive medical, vision, dental, and prescription drug coverage.
Life, legal, and supplementary insurance.
Virtual and in-person mental health counseling for individuals and families.
Commuter and parking benefits.
401(k) retirement plan with matching contributions.
Employee stock purchase plan.
Paid time off.
On-site fitness center and/or reimbursed fitness center membership costs, depending on location.
Access to Employee Resource Groups.
Complimentary gourmet coffee, tea, hot chocolate, fresh fruit, and other healthy snacks.
Commission override opportunity under the applicable incentive compensation plan.