Senior Manager, Sales Engineering

The Senior Manager, Sales Engineering at Zscaler plays a crucial role in leading the Sales Engineering team, aligning with Regional Sales Directors on strategic goals, and supporting technical validation activities. In this role, you’ll oversee Sales Engineers, drive best practices in client presentations, and represent Zscaler at various industry events.

Zscaler requires candidates for the Senior Manager, Sales Engineering position to have at least 10 years of experience in presales roles, including 5 years in selling security solutions and 2 years in people management. Additionally, a deep knowledge of network security technologies is essential to excel in this role.

In the role of Senior Manager, Sales Engineering, you’ll focus on not just leading but also developing your team in the NZ region. Zscaler emphasizes empowering employees, which means you’ll work on nurturing the skills of your Sales Engineers while aligning their efforts with organizational goals for maximum impact.

Zscaler fosters an open and inclusive work culture that promotes collaboration and innovation. As a Senior Manager, Sales Engineering, you’ll find yourself in an engaging environment that supports diverse identities and backgrounds, creating a sense of belonging and driving productivity.

Zscaler provides comprehensive and inclusive benefits to meet the diverse needs of its employees, including health plans, vacation time, parental leave options, and education reimbursement. This support system is designed to ensure the well-being of employees, making Zscaler a fantastic workplace.

When discussing your leadership style, it's valuable to highlight your approach to team empowerment and collaboration. You might say, 'I believe in fostering an open environment where my team feels comfortable sharing ideas and feedback. I encourage development through mentoring and providing opportunities for skills enhancement, particularly in technical areas.'

To effectively align sales engineering goals with regional sales objectives, consider discussing your experience. You could respond with, 'I regularly collaborate with Regional Sales Directors to ensure our strategy reflects market demands and client needs, which helps us achieve shared objectives and drive success.'

In addressing your strategies for technical validation, you might mention, 'I establish clear protocols for collaboration between technical and sales teams, using best practices to ensure our offerings are effectively demonstrated to clients who require assurance of our solutions' capabilities.'

When describing your experience, you could say, 'I have over 10 years of hands-on experience with network security technologies, including firewalls, proxies, and advanced threat protection solutions, which allows me to guide my team effectively in customer consultations and solutions development.'

To explain how you keep your team informed, you might respond with, 'I encourage continuous learning through webinars, workshops, and industry events. I also share insights from attending conferences to foster knowledge sharing within the team, ensuring we're all on the cutting edge of trends.'

In tackling challenging client proposals, a good response could be, 'I focus on understanding the specific needs of the client first. By integrating our technical capabilities with their unique challenges, I work to craft proposals that resonate, providing tailored solutions that meet or exceed client expectations.'

When asked about measuring success, you might answer, 'Success is measured through a combination of meeting sales targets, team development, and customer satisfaction. I regularly review metrics and feedback to ensure alignment with our strategic goals.'

In discussing potential challenges, a thoughtful response would be, 'Some challenges include rapidly evolving technology and increasing competition. Staying agile and investing in team training is key to overcoming these challenges and maintaining our competitive edge.'

When addressing this question, you might share, 'At industry events, I focus on effectively communicating our unique value proposition and engaging with potential clients and partners. I ensure I am well-prepared by showcasing our innovative solutions and gathering insights to bring back to the team.'

When sharing an example of a successful project, it’s beneficial to detail the context. You could say, 'I led a project aimed at deploying a comprehensive security solution for a major client. By collaborating closely with tech teams, we ensured timely execution, which resulted in a significant improvement in the client’s security posture and satisfaction.'