GSI BD Principal Technologist

SUSE; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 7,600,000; Full time

Job summary

SUSE is seeking a GSI BD Principal Technologist to act as the authoritative technical presence for Tier 1/2 Global System Integrators in India, translating complex cloud and open-source topics into business value. You will lead presales efforts, co-create joint solutions, and drive executive-level engagements from Noida (hybrid) with travel to Bangalore and Chennai as needed.

You will champion SUSE’s portfolio (Linux, Kubernetes, edge, security) and develop reference architectures while

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in a senior technical presales, solutions architecture, or technical evangelism role within enterprise software or cloud infrastructure.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or related field; advanced degree is a plus.
• Strong ability to translate complex infrastructure topics into business outcomes for executive audiences.
• Experience engaging CTO, VP Engineering, and Chief Architect-level stakeholders within large GSI or enterprise partner organizations.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary technical visionary for Tier 1 & 2 Global System Integrators, translating business needs into SUSE-based solutions.
• Lead on-site with CoE and PMG teams to package SUSE offerings and drive joint GTM initiatives.
• Engage C-level and senior technical stakeholders to shape joint solution strategies and influence technology direction.

Skills

Technical presales

Solutions architecture

Public speaking

CTO-level engagement

Cloud multi-cloud proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Advanced degree

Tools

SLES

Rancher

NeuVector

Job description

About Us

SUSE is a global leader of enterprise open source software. By transforming community innovations into secure, sovereign and AI-ready solutions, SUSE empowers customers to escape vendor lock-in and regain control of their IT destiny. Through industry-leading Linux, Kubernetes, Edge and AI infrastructure solutions, SUSE delivers the flexibility to innovate everywhere—from the data center to multi-cloud and out to the edge. Only SUSE also manages many Linux and Kubernetes distributions. At SUSE, Choice Happens because we prioritize community, interoperability and relentless innovation. Discover how we power mission-critical resilience at www.suse.com.

GSI BD Principal Technologist

GSI BD Principal Technologist Job Description GSI BD Principal Technologist Tier 1 & Tier 2 Global System Integrators

The Role Since its inception in 1992, SUSE has been at the forefront of technical innovation where change has been the only constant. We are seeking a Principal Technology Executive — a technical visionary who can paint a compelling business transformation vision for customers and partners alike. This role is the authoritative SUSE technical presence within Tier 1 and Tier 2 Global System Integrator (GSI) partner organizations across India, acting as a trusted advisor at the CTO and architect level. You will bring deep, multi-cloud proficiency and recognized expertise within a specific cloud domain, leading Blackbelt-level technical efforts both within and beyond your primary area. Working on-site with partner Centre’s of Excellence (CoE) and Practice Management Groups (PMG), you will package and champion SUSE solutions, facilitate SUSE’s presence in partner Innovation Labs, and maintain a rhythm of Presales engagement that keeps SUSE top of mind and surfaces net new opportunities. You are as comfortable commanding an auditorium as you are whiteboarding an architecture. You translate complex technology into business outcomes, and you operate with the credibility and gravitas to influence technical strategy at the highest levels of partner organizations. The role sits within the Global Revenue function, reporting to the Global Vice President, Global Systems Integrators.

Technical Vision & Thought Leadership

• Act as a technical visionary — articulating a business transformation vision for customers and partners that is anchored in SUSE technology.
• Lead Blackbelt-level technical efforts within your primary area and contribute credibly to Blackbelt initiatives outside it.
• Represent SUSE as a speaker at webinars, partner innovation days, and auditorium-scale industry events.
• Develop and communicate reference architectures, solution patterns, and technical white papers that reflect SUSE’s differentiation in the market.

Partner Technical Engagement

• Serve as the primary CTO-facing technical advisor within GSI partner organisations, bridging industry use cases to concrete technology design.
• Work on-site with CoE and PMG teams to package SUSE solutions into repeatable, vertically aligned offerings that partners can confidently take to market.
• Facilitate and deepen SUSE’s presence within partner Innovation Labs — driving joint prototyping, proof-of-concept work, and solution incubation.
• Conduct regular on-site Presales sessions to maintain SUSE mindshare, upskill partner technical communities, and identify net new opportunities.
• Collaborate with SUSE Solution Architects and Account Executives on complex, high-value pursuits requiring deep technical authority.

Go-to-Market & C-Level Influence

• Engage C-level and senior technical stakeholders within partner organizations to shape joint solution strategies and influence technology direction.
• Support joint GTM and co-sell motions by developing compelling technical narratives, customer-facing materials, and solution demonstrations.
• Partner with SUSE marketing and product teams to ensure field-ready messaging accurately reflects SUSE’s technical capabilities and roadmap.

Preferred Experience & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field; advanced degree is a plus.
• 15+ years of experience in a senior technical presales, solutions architecture, or technical evangelism role within the enterprise software or cloud infrastructure industry.
• Proven ability to act as a technical visionary — translating complex infrastructure topics into compelling business transformation narratives for executive audiences.
• Strong experience engaging CTO, VP Engineering, and Chief Architect-level stakeholders within large GSI or enterprise partner organizations.
• Demonstrated on-site experience working with partner CoE, PMG, and Presales teams to design and package joint solutions.
• Confident, polished public speaker with experience presenting to large audiences in webinar and auditorium settings.
• Solid understanding of open-source infrastructure, Linux, container platforms, and cloud-native security; knowledge of SUSE’s portfolio (SLES, Rancher, NeuVector) is a strong plus.
• Experience supporting joint GTM and co-sell motions, including developing technical sales plays, reference architectures, and solution collateral.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; ability to convey technical depth and business relevance to both practitioner and executive audiences.
• Willingness to travel regularly to Bangalore and Chennai as required.

Personal Attributes

• Technical visionary with the ability to inspire confidence and excitement in audiences ranging from engineers to board-level executives.
• Intellectually curious — always deepening expertise and staying ahead of cloud and open-source trends.
• Collaborative by nature, with strong cross-functional alignment skills across sales, product, and marketing.
• Entrepreneurial and self-directed, comfortable operating in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.
• Calm and productive under pressure, with strong instincts for prioritisation.

Location

Noida, India (Hybrid) — with willingness to travel to Bangalore and Chennai as needed.

SUSE Values

• We are passionate about customers.
• We are respectful and inclusive.
• We are empowered and accountable.
• We are trustworthy and act with integrity.
• We are collaborative.
• We are SUSE!

Job Sales

What We Offer We empower you to be bold, driving your career to create the future you want. We celebrate and reward your achievements. SUSE is a dynamic environment that is evolving rapidly, thus requiring agility, strong entrepreneurship and an open mind. This is a compelling opportunity for the right person to join us as we continue to scale and prosper.If you’re a big thinker, obsessed by execution and thrive in a dynamic environment in which you can tangibly create a lasting legacy, you will work in a global community of unique individuals – like you – with different backgrounds, talents, skills and perspectives. A truly open community where everyone is welcome, has a voice and is encouraged to reach their full potential regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or any other characteristics. A recruiter will contact you if your skills match our current or any future positions.

SUSE's Culture

SUSE's culture is centered on four key values - Choice, Community, Trust, and Innovation - which are deeply integrated with our open source ethos. SUSE fosters a diverse and inclusive environment where our people are encouraged to be themselves.

Choice

We are continuously making choice happen We are accountable for our choices We never get complacent

Community

Nobody is smarter than everybody We embrace diversity of thought We are "open source first, upstream first" where collaboration benefits all

Trust

We are trusted to deliver with integrity We offer trust by default, and do not wait for it to be earned We foster an environment where everyone trusts each other

Innovation

We foster a culture of experimentation, and embrace change by challenging the norm We are committed to continuous improvement, creativity and adaptability Ideas are great, but without execution they are just ideas

Welcome

Welcome to your SUSE journey! We are a global leader in innovative, reliable, and enterprise-grade open source solutions. We specialise in Enterprise Linux, Kubernetes Management, and Edge solutions, collaborating with communities and making innovation possible everywhere. Choose open, choose SUSE! SUSE Values