Security Sales Engineer - SLED/Public Sector

Tenable•Austin, TX

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Tenable is seeking a passionate, technically capable cybersecurity professional to join its Public Sector team as a Sales Engineer, focusing on the west region. This role is crucial in driving sales success and enhancing customer experience through technical credibility and an authentic understanding of government operations. The Sales Engineer will work closely with Sales Representatives and a collaborative team to differentiate Tenable, build lasting customer trust, and create enthusiastic advocates for its solutions. The company values strong technical curiosity, customer empathy, and growth potential, believing they can teach the sales process and the mechanics of the SE role to the right candidate.

Requirements

Meaningful experience understanding how government organizations operate—including their missions, constraints, compliance requirements, procurement processes, and budget realities (gained from selling to, supporting, or working inside government).
Strong technical aptitude and hands-on experience in cybersecurity fundamentals (e.g., Vulnerability Management, Exposure Management, Attack Surface Management, Patch Management, CMDB, EDR, or IDAM).
Clear communication and presentation skills with the potential to translate technical findings into business risk and become a strong storyteller across technical and non-technical audiences.
A natural instinct for customer empathy, earning trust through thorough preparation, accountability, and good judgment.
High technical curiosity, the ability to learn quickly, and the humility to receive coaching while taking personal initiative to keep developing.
A collaborative, team-first attitude focused on supporting colleagues and building shared success.
Familiarity with relevant public sector compliance standards and frameworks (e.g., CIS, NIST, State-specific regulations, GovRAMP, FedRAMP).
Based in or near the Austin, Texas region, with a willingness to travel within the territory as needed (up to 25%).

Nice To Haves

Direct experience administering, using, or supporting Tenable products, or hands-on experience as an ACAS administrator, engineer, or consultant.
Experience as a state/local government or higher-education security practitioner, military veteran with hands-on vulnerability management experience, public-sector security engineer/architect, or technical employee at a partner serving government clients.
Previous sales or presales engineering experience (1–3 years) is helpful, though not required for candidates with strong foundational technical and public sector experience.
Foundational knowledge of major cloud infrastructure providers (AWS, Azure, GCP), network security concepts (TCP/IP), or enterprise operating systems.
Basic familiarity with or interest in scripting (e.g., Python) and automation tools.

Responsibilities

Deliver compelling technical demonstrations of Tenable's platform, showcasing value and differentiation tailored to public sector needs.
Assist with enterprise software trials and "Proof of Value" evaluations to ensure they align with customer goals.
Translate complex technical findings and exposure data into clear risk and business outcomes for both technical practitioners and executive leadership.
Address government agency challenges with consultative security insights that respect their operational constraints and budget realities.
Answer technical questions, provide security insights, and support local events, conferences, and community engagements.
Partner with sales representatives to achieve revenue targets, support local technical partners serving government clients, and contribute to RFI/RFP responses.
Foster strong, trusting relationships with customers, partners, and internal peers across all levels of the organization.