Principal Software Deployment Engineer

KPI Solutions•Cincinnati, OH

About The Position

The Principal Software Deployment Engineer leads teams responsible for bringing customers live and supporting their success. The role owns the full post-sale lifecycle, including software installation, system commissioning and acceptance, ongoing technical support, and end-user training. The position develops scalable processes and high-performing teams, and ensures deployments are delivered on time, on budget, and to standards that support adoption, customer satisfaction, and renewal.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
8–12+ years of experience in software implementation, professional services, technical support, or customer success, with at least some people-management experience.
Proven track record managing complex, multi-site enterprise software deployments.
Strong understanding of project management methodologies and tools.
Experience with ticketing tools such as Jira or Salesforce.
Excellent communication, negotiation, and executive-presence skills.

Responsibilities

Oversee planning and execution of software installations across multiple product lines.
Establish standardized deployment methodologies, checklists, and templates to reduce time-to-value.
Manage project schedules, resources, and risks across concurrent customer implementations.
Coordinate with Sales, Engineering, Product, and IT/Security teams to support smooth handoffs and technical readiness.
Define and enforce commissioning standards, including configuration validation, integration testing, and go-live readiness criteria.
Own customer acceptance testing and sign-off processes.
Ensure as-built configurations, test results, and handover packages are complete and accurate.
Lead go-live support and post-deployment stabilization.
Develop and oversee customer and internal LTS training programs.
Keep training curricula current with product releases.
Measure training effectiveness and its impact on adoption and support demand.
Track and report implementation cycle time, on-time go-live rate, resolution times, backlog, utilization, and training completion.
Serve as the executive escalation point for critical customer issues escalated from the LTS support team to the Product & Technology team.