Director Solutions Engineering

International Business Machines Corporation; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 5,000,000 - 9,000,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Global Sales in India is seeking a Director of Presales / Solutions Engineering to lead the Solutions Engineering organisation across India, driving strategic presales execution and customer engagement.

The role requires enterprise tech experience, cloud and on-prem architectures, and the ability to translate complex challenges into data streaming and technology strategies, partnering with Sales, Product, Engineering, IBM and partners.

Qualifications

• Leadership of customer-facing technical teams in a complex enterprise tech environment.
• Experience guiding large, enterprise sales cycles with senior sales leadership.
• Strong background in enterprise software, cloud platforms, and data infrastructure.
• Knowledge of enterprise architecture across cloud, hybrid, and on-prem environments.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Willingness to travel across India, with occasional international travel.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Solutions Engineering organisation across India, building a high-performing, customer-focused team.
• Drive presales strategy and execution in partnership with sales leadership to shape opportunities and drive growth.
• Engage executive customers, translating complex challenges into compelling data streaming and technology strategies.
• Lead across diverse customer segments including digital-native, financial services, government, and large enterprises.
• Shape technical solutions spanning real-time data streaming, cloud, hybrid and on-prem architectures, data platforms, and security.
• Collaborate with Sales, Customer Success, Product, Engineering, IBM, and partners to deliver integrated solutions.
• Strengthen technical capability across cloud and on-prem environments, data streaming, observability, and modern architectures.
• Drive innovation, scalable presales methodologies, and best practices across the organisation.
• Support business growth by aligning technical strategy with commercial priorities for cloud and on-premises models.
• Represent IBM in the market as a senior technical ambassador with customers, partners, and executive stakeholders.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Enterprise software

Cloud platforms

Executive engagement

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Distributed teams

Travel willingness

Education

Master's Degree

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

Introduction

At IBM Global Sales, we bring together innovation, collaboration, and expertise to help clients solve their most complex business challenges. Working across industries and geographies, you’ll partner with colleagues, clients, and partners to co‑create solutions that drive digital transformation and lasting impact. Success in Global Sales is built on curiosity, empathy, and collaboration. You’ll connect technical understanding with strong people skills, building trusted relationships and shaping solutions that improve business and society. With world‑class onboarding, continuous learning, and a supportive culture, IBM offers the tools and opportunities to grow your career. Join us and be part of a global team that’s passionate about driving innovation and making a difference.

Your Role And Responsibilities

As Director of Presales / Solutions Engineering, India, you will lead presales Solutions Engineering organisation across India, providing strategic, technical, and people leadership to a high‑performing team supporting a diverse portfolio of enterprise and digital‑native customers.

This is a highly visible leadership role requiring strong executive presence, deep enterprise technology experience, and the ability to connect customer challenges with business and technical outcomes. You will partner closely with Sales, Customer Success, Product, Engineering, IBM teams, and the broader partner ecosystem to accelerate growth and strengthen Confluent’s position with customers across India.

• Lead and Develop the Solutions Engineering Organisation: Lead, mentor, and develop a high‑performing team of Solutions Engineers across India, fostering a culture of customer focus, technical excellence, collaboration, and accountability.
• Drive Presales Strategy and Execution: Own the technical presales strategy across the region, partnering with sales leadership to shape opportunities, improve technical win strategies, and drive business growth.
• Engage Executive Customers: Build credibility with senior business and technology leaders, translating complex customer challenges into compelling data‑streaming and technology strategies.
• Lead Across Diverse Customer Segments: Support customers across digital‑native, banking and financial services, government, large enterprise, and emerging business segments.
• Shape Technical Solutions: Guide teams in architecting solutions spanning real‑time data streaming, cloud, hybrid and on‑premises environments, data platforms, security, observability, automation, databases, and modern application architectures.
• Partner Across Functions: Collaborate closely with Sales, Customer Success, Product, Engineering, IBM, and partners to deliver integrated solutions and strong customer outcomes.
• Strengthen Technical Capability: Build a balanced organisation with expertise across cloud and on‑premises environments, event streaming, data, security, workflow, databases, and emerging technologies.
• Drive Innovation and Best Practices: Establish scalable presales methodologies, technical standards, reusable practices, and continuous improvement across the Solutions Engineering organisation.
• Support Business Growth: Align technical strategy and resources with commercial priorities across both cloud‑consumption and on‑premises business.
• Represent Confluent in the Market: Act as a senior technical ambassador with customers, partners, industry forums, and executive stakeholders.

Preferred Education

Master's Degree

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

• Leadership experience, with significant experience leading customer‑facing technical, presales, Solutions Engineering, or consulting teams.
• Proven experience managing and developing high‑performing technical teams in a complex enterprise technology environment.
• Strong background in enterprise software, cloud platforms, data infrastructure, or modern application architectures.
• Strong knowledge of one or more major cloud platforms, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Experience supporting large, complex enterprise sales cycles and partnering effectively with senior sales leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to engage C‑level and senior technology executives and translate technical capabilities into measurable business outcomes.
• Strong understanding of enterprise architecture across cloud, hybrid, and on‑premises environments.
• Excellent leadership, communication, presentation, influencing, and stakeholder‑management skills.
• Strong strategic and analytical capability, with demonstrated success solving complex customer and business problems.
• Experience operating across geographically distributed teams and diverse customer segments.

Ability and willingness to travel across India as required, with occasional international travel.

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

• Experience within data streaming, data platforms, cloud infrastructure, observability, cybersecurity, automation, databases, or adjacent enterprise technologies.
• Knowledge of Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, Confluent Cloud, event‑driven architectures, or real‑time data streaming.
• Exposure to data and AI architectures, including how trusted real‑time data can support AI applications, agents, analytics, and modern data platforms.
• Experience collaborating within a broader ecosystem of global systems integrators, technology partners, and cloud providers.
• Experience building new capabilities, practices, or centres of excellence from the ground up.