Principal Solution Engineer, Global Private Equity & Startups Practice

Salesforce • Boston, NY

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

Salesforce is seeking a Principal Solution Engineer for its Global Private Equity & Startups Practice. This role is at the intersection of enterprise technology, investment strategy, and executive advisory. The Solution Engineer will partner with leading PE firms, their portfolio companies, and high-growth startups to help them become agentic enterprises. This involves advising investors and operators on leveraging AI and the Salesforce platform to improve deal sourcing, portfolio management, and company growth. The role requires advising C-suite leaders, building solution narratives at deal speed, and defining AI-first operating models. This is a high-visibility role within a strategic go-to-market initiative, focusing on the rapid adoption of agentic AI in the private equity and startup ecosystems.

Requirements

• A strong track record in technical pre-sales, solution engineering, or solution consulting for enterprise software, ideally with executive-facing engagements
• Business acumen and financial fluency: you understand how PE firms create value, how startups scale, and how technology decisions affect EBITDA, growth, and valuation
• Hands-on curiosity about generative and agentic AI, and the ability to explain clearly where AI agents create real business value and where they don't
• Confidence and credibility with senior investors, operators, and founders, and the ability to run complex, multi-stakeholder conversations on tight timelines
• Strong storytelling, demo, and whiteboarding skills
• Experience with Salesforce, CRM, data platforms, or AI solutions is a strong plus; experience in or alongside private equity, venture-backed companies, or financial services is highly valued

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical and strategic advisor to PE firms, their portfolio companies, and high-growth startups, guiding them through multi-cloud Salesforce and Agentforce solutions for deal flow, LP relations, portfolio operations, and revenue growth.
• Lead discovery and value-framing sessions with Managing Directors, Operating Partners, founders, CFOs, and CIOs, connecting AI and data strategy directly to investment theses, EBITDA improvement, and growth goals.
• Design and deliver highly tailored demos, prototypes, and proofs of concept that show AI agents working alongside people: automating sourcing and diligence workflows, improving portfolio visibility, scaling sales and service, and unlocking digital labor.
• Articulate how Salesforce accelerates revenue growth, operational efficiency, and exit readiness, and help firms build repeatable AI and data playbooks they can roll out across their portfolios.
• Help AI-native and venture-backed companies build a platform that grows with them, from early go-to-market motions to enterprise-grade operations.
• Work with the PE & Startups Relationship Management team on account strategy, executive mapping, and deal orchestration, and bring in specialists where they add the most value.
• Build deep expertise in Agentforce, Data 360, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Revenue Cloud, Slack, Tableau, and MuleSoft, and track how agentic AI, data strategy, and AI governance are changing private markets and scaling companies.
• Co-create point-of-view assets, reference architectures, demo environments, and enablement content for PE & Startups personas.
• Represent Salesforce at high-profile PE & Startups events, operating partner summits, founder forums, roundtables, and executive dinners.
• Mentor and enable fellow SEs on PE & Startups narratives, methods, and AI-driven deal approaches.
• Maintain relevant certifications and stay current on Salesforce innovation, AI market developments, and private markets trends.
• Travel as needed to engage PE firm headquarters, portfolio company sites, and startup hubs across the US.

Benefits

• time off programs
• medical
• dental
• vision
• mental health support
• paid parental leave
• life and disability insurance
• 401(k)
• employee stock purchasing program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: No Education Listed