Senior Sales Engineer (Michigan/Minnesota)

Proofpoint•Michigan, MI

About The Position

Proofpoint is hiring a Senior Sales Engineer to support Mid-Market accounts in the Detroit or Minneapolis metro area. As a technical lead in the pre-sales process, the Sales Engineer partners with Account Managers and serves as a trusted technical advisor and subject matter expert for customers and prospects. The role helps customers understand and adopt Proofpoint’s People-Centric Security solutions to protect against cyber threats. The Sales Engineer develops and presents compelling technical stories through product demonstrations, whiteboarding, training sessions, Lunch-n-Learns, Proof-of-Concepts, and Production Evaluations. The role also contributes customer insight to Product Management, Marketing, and Engineering, and may occasionally assist with professional services deployments, technical training, and industry events. Travel is required.

Requirements

At least 6 years of hands-on technical experience as a Sales Engineer, Systems Engineer, Technical Account Manager, Security Engineer, or senior-level product support professional; cybersecurity experience is preferred.
A track record of developing and maintaining customer relationships through in-person meetings, ideally in a local territory.
Experience working with large enterprise clients or organizations.
Ability to work independently, take initiative, and drive initiatives.
Experience conducting large-scale assessments or evaluations, including managing expectations, deliverables, complex systems, and supporting teams.
Comfort presenting to individuals and teams, from technical staff through C-suite audiences.
Experience in Enterprise or Cloud Security, including cloud/SaaS platforms, messaging, data, network, endpoint, NOC/SOC, or MSP-related cybersecurity.
Strong PowerPoint, presentation, and organizational skills.
Bachelor’s or advanced degree in a relevant field, or equivalent experience.
Willingness to travel as required.

Nice To Haves

Experience selling and positioning a platform.
Exposure to at least two of the following: cloud security and shadow IT monitoring; IT security, vulnerability or risk assessments, and policy enforcement; Data Loss Prevention, compliance and privacy; or enterprise email solutions such as Exchange, G-Suite, or Lotus Domino, or working knowledge of SMTP.
Familiarity with Directory Services and protocols such as AD, Azure AD, LDAP, and identity providers.
Knowledge of email authentication, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
Knowledge of networking and protocols such as SMTP, DNS, LDAP, and HTTP.
Experience with frameworks such as MITRE or NIST.
A consultative approach to problem-solving or a strong desire to move toward a sales career.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-energy environment, adapt quickly, and maintain a positive attitude.
CISSP or other relevant cybersecurity or cloud security certifications.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with the sales team to develop and execute targeted account penetration strategies.
Build trust and rapport with customers and prospects in person and serve as their main technical point of contact throughout the sales process.
Deliver product demonstrations that address current cybersecurity threats.
Work with customer and prospect security staff on technical discovery and the planning, execution, and wrap-up of Proof-of-Concepts and Production Evaluations.
Design and champion complex People-Centric Security solutions encompassing the Proofpoint portfolio.
Occasionally assist with professional services deployments and technical training, and present at or attend industry seminars and trade shows.
Provide customer insights and real-world experiences to Product Management, Marketing, and Product Development teams.
Develop expertise in Proofpoint products and topics including Email Security Gateways, Advanced Persistent Threats, Attack Protection, Threat Response, Data Loss Prevention, and the threat landscape.