Director, Presales Engineering

Proofpoint

Houston, TX

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JOB DETAILS

SKILLS

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Artificial Intelligence (AI) Agents, Atlassian JIRA, Automation, Best Sales Team, Cloud Computing, Communication Skills, Computer Security, Cross-Functional, Customer Relations, Documentation, Email Security, Enterprise Applications, Enterprise Protection, Enterprise Sales, Error Handling, GitHub, Information Retrieval, Information/Data Security (InfoSec), Internet Security, Leadership, Legal, MCP - Microsoft Certified Professional, Machine Tool, Memory Hardware, Mentoring, Microsoft Outlook, Network Connectivity, Network Routers, Onboarding, Operational Strategy, Operational Support, Partner Sales, Pre-Sales, Product Demonstration, Product Engineering, Productivity Management, Proof of Concept, Risk, Sales, Sales/Support Engineering (SE), Salesforce.com, Scalable System Development, Security Architecture, Security Attacks, Slack, Storytelling, Team Lead/Manager, Technical Consulting, Technical Leadership, Technical Sales, Technical Support, Writing Skills

LOCATION

Houston, TX

POSTED

8 days ago

About Us:

Proofpoint is a global leader in human- and agent-centric cybersecurity. We protect how people, data, and AI agents connect across email, cloud, and collaboration tools. Over 80 of the Fortune 100, 10,000 large enterprises, and millions of smaller organizations trust Proofpoint to stop threats, prevent data loss, and build resilience across their people and AI workflows. Our mission is simple: safeguard the digital world and empower people to work securely and confidently. Join us in our pursuit to defend data and protect people.

How We Work:

At Proofpoint you’ll be part of a global team that breaks barriers to redefine cybersecurity guided by our BRAVE core values:

Bold in how we dream and innovate

Responsive to feedback, challenges and opportunities

Accountable for results and best in class outcomes

Visionary in future focused problem-solving

Exceptional in execution and impact

About the Role

The Director, Presales Engineering Excellence and Innovation will lead a high impact global function at the intersection of Sales Engineering, technical escalation management, field productivity, and product advocacy. This leader will step into a role that supports complex presales motions, advanced proof of concept execution, field escalation triage, AI driven workflow transformation, and strategic cross functional coordination across Sales, Product, Engineering, Enablement, Support, Security, Legal, and IT. The mandate is not only to maintain current operational continuity, but to modernize how Presales Engineering scales expertise, resolves ambiguity, governs technical access, and uses AI safely to improve customer outcomes. The ideal candidate is a technical operator, field strategist, transformation leader, and trusted escalation partner. They can move from executive level strategy to detailed operational execution, while building durable systems that reduce dependency on tribal knowledge.

Your Day to Day

+ Lead the evolution of Presales Engineering escalation strategy, including routing models, intake boundaries, ownership clarity, technical decision paths, and measurable service expectations.

+ Drive AI forward transformation across the Presales Engineering organization, including prompt libraries, AI agents, approved connector strategy, custom GPT governance, MCP based workflows, knowledge retrieval systems, and field automation patterns.

+ Own or coordinate complex technical escalation paths for high value opportunities, production evaluations, proof of concept blockers, product readiness gaps, access issues, and field facing technical ambiguity.

+ Partner with Sales Engineering leadership to define and operationalize the future PSE model, including what the team owns, guides, declines, automates, or routes.

+ Build scalable systems for technical knowledge capture, including reusable playbooks, enablement assets, intake forms, escalation runbooks, product signal loops, owner registries, and review cadences.

+ Partner with Product and Engineering to convert recurring field issues into structured advocacy, including affected deals, ARR impact, technical gaps, workarounds, owning PMs, and requested outcomes.

+ Stabilize and improve support coverage for emerging product areas such as Data Security, Insider Threat Management, AI Security, and other fast moving Proofpoint portfolios.

+ Lead access governance coordination for Presales Engineering, including least privilege patterns, CyberArk and SailPoint workflows, lab and demo infrastructure access, queue ownership, approval paths, and exception handling.

+ Coordinate globally across AMER, EMEA, and APJ stakeholders to ensure presales support coverage, distribution list ownership, onboarding readiness, and escalation visibility.

+ Mentor senior technical contributors and team leads, helping them scale judgment, documentation quality, customer impact, and cross functional influence.

+ Translate experimental AI tooling into governed, repeatable operating models that are secure, measurable, supportable, and aligned to Proofpoint’s field and customer priorities.

What You Bring

+ 10 or more years of experience in Presales Engineering, Sales Engineering, Technical Consulting, Escalation Engineering, Solutions Architecture, Product Specialist, or related customer facing technical roles.

+ 5 or more years leading technical teams, transformation programs, field enablement efforts, or cross functional technical initiatives in enterprise software or cybersecurity.

+ Strong understanding of enterprise cybersecurity sales motions, including technical discovery, proof of concept execution, production evaluations, customer security architecture, objection handling, and executive level technical storytelling.

+ Demonstrated ability to lead complex escalations involving Sales, Product, Engineering, Support, IT, Security, Legal, and executive stakeholders.

+ Practical fluency with AI enabled workflows, LLM based tooling, knowledge retrieval, prompt engineering, agentic systems, governance models, and safe enterprise adoption patterns.

+ Experience building operating models, intake systems, governance frameworks, enablement libraries, automation workflows, or internal tooling for distributed technical teams.

+ Ability to distinguish experiments from production ready capabilities, and to define the controls needed to move from one to the other.

+ Strong judgment around data access, least privilege, customer confidentiality, security review, compliance boundaries, and responsible AI usage.

+ Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to produce crisp executive updates, technical runbooks, decision registers, operating models, and field ready guidance.

+ A bias toward durable systems, clear ownership, measurable outcomes, and scalable enablement.

Preferred Qualifications

+ Experience with Proofpoint products, Sales Engineering workflows, presales support operations, or enterprise cybersecurity field organizations.

+ Experience with Data Security, Insider Threat Management, email security, cloud security, identity workflows, AI security, or enterprise collaboration security.

+ Experience with tools such as Salesforce, Jira, Confluence, GitHub, Slack or Teams, Google Workspace, Workday, CyberArk, SailPoint, vector databases, MCP servers, or enterprise AI platforms.

+ Experience creating governance for custom GPTs, internal AI agents, prompt libraries, knowledge pipelines, or connector based workflows.

+ Experience managing global teams or distributed technical stakeholders across AMER, EMEA, and APJ.

+ Success Looks Like

+ Presales escalations have clear intake, routing, ownership, and closure paths.

+ Field teams get faster access to accurate technical guidance, without relying on one person’s memory or informal channels.

+ AI tooling becomes a governed multiplier for Sales Engineering productivity, not a shadow infrastructure risk.

+ Product advocacy becomes structured, evidence based, and tied to customer and revenue impact.

+ Access approvals, demo infrastructure, lab ownership, and technical queues have named owners and backups.

+ New hires and internal transfers onboard through repeatable checklists and clear technical readiness paths.

+ Leadership gets concise, reliable visibility into risk, workload, blockers, and investment needs.

Why Proofpoint?

At Proofpoint, we believe that an exceptional career experience includes a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Here are just a few reasons you’ll love working with us:

+ Competitive compensation

+ Comprehensive benefits

+ Career success on your terms

+ Flexible work environment

+ Annual wellness and community outreach days

+ Always on recognition for your contributions

+ Global collaboration and networking opportunities

Our Culture:

Our culture is rooted in values that inspire belonging, empower purpose and drive success-every day, for everyone.

We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. If you need accommodation during the application or interview process, please reach out to accessibility@proofpoint.com .

How to Apply

Interested? Submit your application along with any supporting information- we can’t wait to hear from you!

Proofpoint has been honored with six Best Places to Work Awards in 2024 by workplace culture leader Comparably, including Best Company Career Growth, Best Company Outlook, Best Global Culture, Best Engineering Teams, Best Sales Teams, and Best HR Teams.

We are the leader in human-centric cybersecurity. Half a million customers, including 87 of the Fortune 100, rely on Proofpoint to protect their organizations. We’re driven by a mission to stay ahead of bad actors and safeguard the digital world. Join us in our pursuit to defend data and protect people.

Our BRAVE Values:

At Proofpoint, we are BRAVE in everything we do, and our values aren’t just words—they shape how we work, collaborate, and grow.

We seek people who are bold enough to challenge the status quo, responsive in the face of ever-evolving threats, and accountable for delivering real impact.

We value those with a visionary mindset who anticipate what’s next and push cybersecurity forward, and we celebrate exceptional execution that ensures we continue to defend data and protect people.

Proofpoint is an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.

Find your network, your allies, and your biggest fans. We know that work is simply better when you’re surrounded by people who inspire you—who share ideas, cheer you on, and genuinely want to see you succeed. That’s why we offer social circles, sponsored networks, and connection points across teams and time zones—to help you find your people, build your community, and thrive together.

This isn’t just a job—it’s a mission to protect people and defend data in a world that never slows down. We’re building the future of human-centric cybersecurity, and that future belongs to all of us. We take ownership, move fast, and hold ourselves accountable—because that’s what it takes to stay ahead. And we do it together, winning as one.

Be empowered to reach your full potential through meaningful challenges and personalized support—designed around you and your goals. Whether you're growing as a leader or leveling up from great to exceptional as an individual contributor, we’re here to help you get there.
Proofpoint is an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.

About the Company

Proofpoint

Proofpoint, Inc. (NASDAQ:PFPT) is a leading cybersecurity company that protects organizations’ greatest assets and biggest risks: their people. With an integrated suite of cloud-based solutions, Proofpoint helps customers around the world stop targeted threats, safeguard their data, and make their users more resilient against cyber attacks. Leading organizations of all sizes, including more than half of the Fortune 100, rely on Proofpoint to mitigate their most critical security and compliance risks across email, the cloud, social media, and the web. No one protects people, the data they create, and the digital channels they use more effectively than Proofpoint.

If you’re looking for a customer-focused, driven-to-win organization with leading-edge products, you’ll find many exciting reasons to join our team. We believe in hiring smart, motivated, problem-solvers to cultivate a culture of collaboration and appreciation. We are an international company with locations in North America, EMEA and APAC, with each location contributing to our culture.

COMPANY SIZE

2,500 to 4,999 employees

INDUSTRY

Computer/IT Services

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Performance Bonus, 401K, Employee Referral Program, Employee Events

FOUNDED

2002

WEBSITE

https://www.proofpoint.com

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