Presales Consultant

Centric Software•Minneapolis, MN

17h

About The Position

Centric Software is seeking a PLM Pre-Sales Consultant to support sales of its Product Lifecycle Management solutions across industries including fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor, and consumer goods. The consultant partners closely with Sales to demonstrate and communicate the business value of Centric PLM, influence customer decisions, differentiate the solution in competitive situations, and position it as the preferred choice. The role goes beyond product demonstrations: it helps prospective customers envision how PLM can transform product development, sourcing, merchandising, assortment, quality, and commercialization processes. The consultant connects solution capabilities to measurable business outcomes and contributes directly to winning new business and enabling long-term customer success. The position also involves strategic customer consulting, stakeholder engagement, cross-functional collaboration, and occasional contributions to post-sales activities. Regional and occasional international travel is expected.

Requirements

Strong understanding of PLM, Product Development, Merchandising, Assortment Management, Sourcing, Supply Chain, PIM, ERP, or related business processes.
Experience supporting brands, retailers, manufacturers, or consumer product organizations.
Ability to map business processes to software capabilities and business outcomes.
Exceptional presentation, storytelling, and customer communication skills.
Strong analytical and structured problem-solving capabilities.
Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
Entrepreneurial mindset, ownership, initiative, and accountability.
Ability to manage complex customer engagements with minimal supervision.
Willingness to travel regionally and occasionally internationally.
Experience in retail, fashion, footwear, luxury goods, outdoor, specialty retail, consumer products, or related industries.
Strong understanding of product creation, merchandising, sourcing, supply chain, quality, or product commercialization processes.
Experience supporting digital transformation, process improvement, or enterprise software initiatives.
Experience in presales, solution consulting, professional services, implementation consulting, or enterprise software delivery.
Demonstrated experience delivering software demonstrations and configuring solutions for customer-specific scenarios.
Experience working with executive, business, and technical stakeholders throughout complex sales cycles.

Nice To Haves

Practical experience with PLM platforms or related enterprise applications.
Experience supporting Product Development, Merchandising, Buying and Assortment Planning, Design and Line Planning, Materials Management, Sourcing and Supplier Collaboration, Quality Management, Product Commercialization, Supply Chain Operations, Sustainability and Compliance, or Retail Operations.
Knowledge of AI and generative AI technologies.
Knowledge of XML, HTML, or JavaScript.
Knowledge of PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, or other databases.
Knowledge of enterprise integrations and data migration concepts.
Knowledge of SaaS software architecture and cloud-based applications.

Responsibilities

Lead product demonstrations aligned to customer workflows, product development processes, and strategic business objectives.
Conduct discovery sessions to identify customer challenges, operational inefficiencies, and growth opportunities.
Analyze customer product development lifecycles, technology landscapes, and business processes.
Translate business requirements into solution narratives, use cases, and user stories.
Identify process gaps and recommend scalable, best-practice solutions.
Document discovery findings, scope decisions, and opportunity artifacts.
Create tailored demonstration scripts, sample datasets, and presentation materials aligned with customer business processes.
Configure and personalize PLM demonstrations to reflect industry-specific workflows and best practices.
Support RFP/RFI responses and contribute to competitive positioning and deal strategy.
Develop Statements of Work, including scope definitions, assumptions, and service estimates.
Build business cases and ROI models that quantify operational efficiency, speed-to-market improvements, collaboration gains, and business value.
Contribute to marketing initiatives, webinars, industry events, and customer presentations.
Develop internal enablement materials and deliver training sessions.
Participate in product update reviews and translate new capabilities into customer-relevant use cases.
Facilitate discussions about system architecture, integrations, hosting options, and technical requirements.
Deliver presentations to executive, business, and technical stakeholders.
Facilitate “Art of the Possible” workshops focused on digital transformation, product innovation, and process optimization.
Drive alignment across Product Development, Merchandising, Design, Sourcing, Quality, Supply Chain, Operations, and IT teams.
Elevate deal value through strategic consulting and solution positioning, and serve as a trusted advisor during the evaluation process.
Partner with cross-functional presales teams to develop end-to-end industry solutions, demonstrations, and value propositions.
Collaborate with Product Management to provide market insights and customer feedback.
Support Marketing with webinars, thought leadership content, industry events, and product demonstrations.
Contribute to post-sales activities when needed to ensure continuity and customer success.