Title: Senior Solutions Engineer
Schaumburg, IL, US, 60173
LOCATION
This position will partner closely with an Enterprise Client Executive, supporting their book of named accounts in the Chicago region. All applicants must currently reside in the Greater Chicago, Illinois area. Candidates outside this region will not be considered.
JOB SUMMARY
Are you energized by the pace of change in technology and the chance to constantly learn on the job?
Do you thrive on connecting dots, solving complex problems, and guiding customers to success?
Do you bring both technical depth and business acumen to every conversation?
If so, it’s time to join the Solutions Sales Engineering team at NetApp.
As a NetApp Enterprise Solutions Engineer, you are more than a technical expert, you’re a strategic partner. You’ll be aligned to one or two Client Executives and directly tied to their success. Your ability to uncover customer pain points, size opportunities, and lead technical conversations is critical in driving quota attainment and building lasting customer relationships.
SEs at NetApp don’t just support the sales cycle, they set the stage for success by:
- Leading customer discovery through second-level probing questions that uncover real business and technical challenges.
- Designing solutions that solve customer problems today and scale for tomorrow.
- Equipping sales reps to drive business conversations while you guide technical credibility.
- Building trust with both business stakeholders and engineering teams.
- Owning technical relationships with customers and partners, ensuring education and enablement through workshops, lunch & learns, partner office hours, and regular check-ins.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Partner closely with your aligned sales rep(s) to develop and execute account strategies, ensuring joint success against quota.
- Capture technical and business requirements and translate them into winning proposals and solution architectures.
- Lead product discussions, demonstrations, and proofs of concept that showcase the simplicity and value of NetApp’s portfolio.
- Host educational sessions with customers and partners, enabling them to confidently leverage NetApp solutions
- Leverage internal technical resources to ensure smooth implementations and deepen adoption of NetApp products
- Stay sharp on both competitive and complementary technologies, positioning yourself as a trusted advisor.
- Create ROI models that map solutions directly to business outcomes, supporting both financial and operational goals.
- Proactively navigate sales campaigns, cultivate customer and partner relationships, and anticipate customer needs.
- Travel regularly within the Boston market to meet customers and partners in person.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
- 6+ years of experience in sales engineering, solutions engineering, or solutions consulting roles, where you’ve partnered with a sales representative to achieve quota in a B2B sales environment.
- Required: Experience with data center infrastructure or broader IT solutions.
- Preferred: Experience in storage technologies or adjacent areas.
- Proven ability to blend technical expertise with business acumen, you can size a deal, spot a project opportunity, and hold your own in executive-level conversations.
- A divide-and-conquer mentality: you know when to lead the technical charge and when to set your rep up to close.
- Strong communication and presentation skills, comfortable leading deep-dive technical discussions while tailoring your message to varied audiences.
- A passion for customer and partner engagement,you view enablement and relationship-building as essential to long-term success.
- Self-directed, proactive, and able to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
The OTE (On Target Earnings) Range for this position is $175,000 USD - $228,000 USD and will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off (PTO), various Leave options, Performance-Based Incentives, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU’s), with all offerings subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. Benefits may vary by country and region, and further details will be provided as part of the recruitment process.
At NetApp, we embrace a hybrid working environment designed to strengthen connection, collaboration, and culture for all employees. This means that most roles will have some level of in-office and/or in-person expectations, which will be shared during the recruitment process.
Nearest Major Market: Chicago
Job Segment:
Consulting, Outside Sales, Sales Engineer, Engineer, Data Center, Technology, Sales, Engineering