Solaris Technical Salesperson - West Coast

CAF Group • Washington, DC

6d • $110,000 - $185,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Solaris Bus & Coach, a leading European manufacturer of city buses and a pioneer in zero-emission public transport solutions, is expanding into North America as part of the CAF Group's growth strategy. With a strong reputation for innovation and reliability, Solaris has delivered over 25,000 vehicles globally and is establishing itself in the North American transit market with recent successes in Seattle, San Francisco, and Vancouver. This role is for a technically strong and commercially driven Technical Salesperson to support the West Coast public transit market expansion. The position is hybrid, involving technical sales, tender leadership, and early project support, with the potential for growth into a full commercial leader role. The ideal candidate will combine engineering understanding with direct sales experience.

Requirements

• 3–8 years of experience in technical sales, application engineering, or product engineering.
• Experience with tenders / RFP processes is a strong plus.
• Solid understanding of vehicle systems (electric drivetrains, batteries, charging preferred).
• Solid understanding of mechanical and/or electrical engineering fundamentals.
• Ability to work with technical specifications.
• Ability to work with engineering documentation and system descriptions.
• Strong communication and presentation skills (client-facing).
• Ability to combine technical depth with sales mindset.
• Comfortable interacting with customers and building relationships.
• Structured and detail-oriented, especially under tender timelines.
• Ambitious and willing to grow into full sales / commercial ownership role.
• Proactive, hands-on, and comfortable working in a developing organization.
• Able to manage multiple parallel workstreams (customers, tenders, internal coordination).
• Strong ownership mindset.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering or similar.

Nice To Haves

• Automotive, commercial vehicles, or heavy equipment experience is preferred.
• Early-career candidates with strong technical and commercial potential are encouraged.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support direct customer interactions with transit agencies, combining technical expertise with commercial messaging through product presentations, demonstrations, technical workshops, specification discussions, site visits, depot walkthroughs, and roadshows.
• Translate customer needs into technical solutions, aligning requirements with product capabilities and clearly communicating the value proposition (range, reliability, lifecycle cost, performance).
• Build relationships with both technical and procurement stakeholders.
• Act as Tender Captain for selected opportunities, owning bid success end-to-end, leading 3-4 tenders in parallel, including initial qualification, bid strategy definition, and coordination of internal stakeholders (engineering, pricing, legal, aftersales).
• Serve as the primary interface with the customer during the tender process, managing RfP clarification, negotiations, and final offer alignment, making or recommending key trade-offs.
• Prepare and contribute to tender content, including identification and documentation of RfP deviations, working closely with the Bidding Office to ensure full RfP compliance and high-quality, timely submission.
• Support internal strategy and review meetings for each tender.
• Support early-stage tender shaping activities before RFP release by engaging with agencies to understand upcoming procurement plans and influence specifications toward product strengths.
• Identify technical risks, dealbreakers, and required adaptations early, and contribute to opportunity prioritization with Sales leadership.
• Support the transition from bid to contract execution, acting as the technical point of contact during early contract clarification and kick-off discussions.
• Ensure alignment between offer commitments and delivery capabilities, and support handover to project and aftersales teams.
• Act as the link between Sales, Engineering, and Operations, coordinating with product development, supply chain, and after-sales and service teams.
• Ensure customer expectations are feasible, deliverable, and internally aligned.

Benefits

• The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $110,000 to $185,000 annually, depending on home location.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level