Principal Sales Engineer

TalentTrade Recruitment; England; Remote; GBP 125,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment firm is seeking a Principal Sales Engineer based in the UK. This role supports public sector accounts and requires extensive experience in presales, particularly with government clients. The position offers flexibility, including remote work and travel to client sites. Candidates should have strong technical knowledge across networking and security, and relevant certifications.

Benefits

Extensive benefits package

Car allowance

Performance bonuses

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in IT, with at least 10 in presales.
• Demonstrable success supporting UK Government clients.
• Strong expertise in TCP/IP, SNMP, VoIP.

Responsibilities

• Deliver technical presales support to clients.
• Create and deliver impactful demos and presentations.
• Build strong relationships with public sector clients.

Skills

Technical presentation skills

Client relationship management

Cisco technologies

Network infrastructure design

Security concepts

Education

CCNA, CCNP, CCIE

Tools

Cisco routing and switching

Performance tools (HP/OV, Tivoli)

Job description

Overview

Principal Sales Engineer

Location: Central or Southern UK Remote (UK-based) - with travel to customer sites

Salary: £125-£155 % bonus + car allowance + extensive benefits package

Clearance Requirement: DV (Developed Vetting) - required

Our client is at the forefront of digital transformation, supporting the world's most essential organisations through their most complex digital challenges. By providing visibility and insight at an unparalleled scale they help clients solve problems faster, secure what matters, and drive continuous innovation across their digital ecosystems.

We are now seeking a Principal Sales Engineer to support the growth of UK public sector accounts. This is a remote, client-facing role for a highly technical and experienced presales professional with a strong Government/Public Sector background and current DV clearance.

Role & Responsibilities

As Principal Sales Engineer, you will play a vital role in driving revenue by delivering technical presales support, demonstrating product value, and shaping best-fit solutions. Reporting to the Regional Sales Director, you will act as a trusted advisor for public sector clients and internal stakeholders.

Responsibilities include:

• Leading technical discovery and supporting the full sales cycle
• Creating and delivering high-impact demos and presentations
• Differentiating solutions from competitors using compelling value stories
• Acting as a technical expert across integrators, service providers, and Government
• Partnering with product and engineering to influence roadmaps and relay market feedback
• Contributing to technical documentation, RFPs, and whitepapers
• Mentoring Sales Engineers, attending client meetings alongside them
• Building strong customer relationships and identifying upsell opportunities
• Representing customer needs internally and advocating for technical alignment
• Participating in industry events, speaking engagements, and strategic initiatives

Key Requirements

We are looking for a client-facing technical expert with deep presales experience, capable of operating in complex and secure environments.

Essential skills and experience:

• 15+ years' experience in IT, with at least 10 years in presales, network engineering, or technical support
• Demonstrable success supporting UK Government or public sector clients
• Ability to translate technical challenges into clear commercial value
• Strong expertise in:
• Cisco routing, switching, gateways, and applications
• TCP/IP, SNMP, Netflow, VoIP
• LAN/WAN topologies (MPLS, Frame Relay, ATM)
• Security concepts and network infrastructure design
• Network performance and fault/alert management
• Solid understanding of:
• Operating systems - Linux, Windows
• Cloud and virtualisation technologies - SDN/NFV, Public/Private Cloud
• Performance tools - HP/OV, Tivoli, EMC SMARTS, ArcSight
• Relevant certifications - CCNA, CCNP, CCIE
• Formal presales training (eg Sandler, Siebel, Afterburner)
• Excellent communication and presentation skills - verbal, written, and visual
• Comfortable with 60-70% UK travel

Desirable qualifications

• Knowledge of products such as Arbor, Radwhere, Riverbed, A10, ExtraHop
• Experience authoring whitepapers, contributing to product strategy
• Familiarity with security audits, RFP/RFI responses
• Track record of mentoring technical presales teams

Additional Details

Remote Working:

• Officially home-based
• Must be comfortable with regular travel for:
  • Client meetings 3-4 days per week
  • Annual conference
  • Quarterly convention for Sales Engineers