Manager, Sales Engineering Enterprise Core - WEST

As the Manager of Sales Engineering Enterprise Core at Samsara, you will lead a skilled team, embodying our company values while ensuring a productive partnership with various departments like sales, product, and customer success. Your role will involve managing individual and team performance, account planning, and being the trusted advisor in customer calls. Additionally, you will handle product escalations and collaborate closely with other Sales Engineering leaders to improve our strategies.

To qualify for the Manager, Sales Engineering Enterprise Core position at Samsara, you'll need at least a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and a minimum of 5 years of hands-on experience in engineering, customer success, or other related areas. Additionally, 3 years of experience in sales engineering management is crucial, along with familiarity with IoT, SaaS, and cloud technologies. Strong leadership and interpersonal skills are essential for this collaborative role.

The interview process for the Manager, Sales Engineering Enterprise Core role at Samsara typically involves multiple stages, starting with a preliminary screening call followed by interviews with team members and leadership. Candidates can expect questions focused on both technical expertise and interpersonal skills to assess how well they align with Samsara’s values and culture. Prepare for both situational and behavioral questions to showcase your leadership capabilities.

Samsara fosters an inclusive and innovative work environment that values diverse perspectives. As a Manager, Sales Engineering, you'll have the autonomy to make impactful decisions and contribute to the future of physical operations. Employees enjoy competitive salaries, flexible working options, and a strong culture focused on personal and professional growth within a dynamic industry.

The Manager, Sales Engineering Enterprise Core at Samsara will oversee various initiatives tied to customer success, sales strategy, and product integration. You'll lead your team in addressing customer needs, managing complex product issues, and monitoring feature requests while driving sales efforts and engaging in innovative projects that support the digital transformation of global industries.

In answering this question, focus on your approach to team dynamics and leadership principles. For instance, you might describe yourself as an inclusive leader who prioritizes open communication and collaboration, ensuring that every team member feels valued and empowered to contribute.

When faced with this question, share a specific example that highlights your conflict resolution skills. Discuss the steps you took to facilitate communication between the teams, thereby ensuring alignment on objectives, addressing concerns, and ultimately fostering a collaborative solution.

You can respond by outlining how you'll integrate performance metrics, regular feedback sessions, and team-building activities. Emphasize the importance of training and continuous development to help your team excel in managing customer relationships and technical challenges.

Sharing your practices for staying current, such as attending industry conferences, participating in webinars, or joining professional networks, will show your commitment to professional growth. Mention specific resources or communities you engage with regularly.

In this response, highlight your customer-centric approach by detailing how you would actively listen to the client’s concerns, gather necessary data from your engineering team, and then work collaboratively to develop a plan for resolving the issues promptly, demonstrating commitment to customer success.

Discuss key performance indicators relevant to sales engineering, such as close rates on sales, customer satisfaction scores, or time taken to resolve customer issues. Stress how consistent tracking of these metrics can inform strategies for continuous improvement.

Share a specific instance where your actions directly influenced project outcomes, discussing the challenges faced, the solutions you implemented, and the positive results achieved. This illustrates your proactive nature and effectiveness as a leader.

To answer this, describe your structured approach to account planning that includes understanding customer needs, aligning the product offerings with those needs, and setting clear objectives for engagement and follow-ups. Mention collaboration with the sales team as a vital part of this process.

Detail a relevant experience where you successfully managed an escalation—highlight how you navigated the complexities involved and the outcome. This shows your ability to remain calm under pressure and prioritize customer relationships.

In your response, emphasize the importance of clear communication, shared goals, and mutual respect. Discuss how a collaborative approach—regular updates, joint strategy meetings, and cross-team training—cultivates lasting partnerships that enhance overall performance.