Network Sales Engineer

Phoenix-Contact; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 176,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401k matching

Bonus plan

Job summary

Phoenix Contact USA is seeking a Network Sales Engineer to serve as the SME on EtherWAN products, guiding pre-/post-sales activities and driving adoption across Northern California, Oregon & Washington. This role blends technical leadership with customer engagement.

The NSE will train customers, design network solutions, and collaborate with sales, BD, and engineering teams to deliver value in complex environments. Travel up to 65% is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of customer-facing experience.
• Understanding of OSI Model, Layer 2/3, STP, TCP/IP, RIP/OSPF; wireless/cellular a plus.
• CCNA certification or equivalent.
• CRM and MS Office proficiency; strong presentation skills.
• Willingness to travel up to 65%.

Responsibilities

• Introduce EtherWAN products and communicate value proposition to prospects.
• Project manage field engagements with BD and sales resources.
• Engage with prospects, partners, and customers in field activities.
• Translate market needs into stakeholder actions for technology adoption.
• Conduct training on networking and create training materials for EtherWAN Academy.
• Perform network audits and advise on EtherWAN product placement.
• Recreate client networks to test product feasibility in customer environments.
• Coordinate cross-referencing third‑party products with EtherWAN offerings.
• Maintain industry knowledge and communicate insights to internal teams.
• Respond to customer inquiries regarding EtherWAN products.
• Follow up with clients and attend trade shows/events as needed.
• Grow revenue through mindshare with new/existing customers and partners.
• Log cases and customer interactions in CRM; collaborate across departments.
• Research and author technical/industry papers as assigned.

Skills

Customer-facing experience

Strong communication

Networking fundamentals

CRM experience

Travel readiness

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

CRM

MS Office

Microsoft Visio

Job description

The Network Sales Engineer (NSE) is a specialized individual contributor within the Sales & Technical Solutions job family. This role serves as the subject matter expert (SME) on EtherWAN products, technologies, and applications across designated target markets. The NSE bridges technical expertise with customer engagement, ensuring stakeholders—both internal and external—are equipped with accurate, relevant, and actionable product knowledge.Operating within a structured accountability framework, the NSE supports pre‑sales activities, solution design, and post‑sales technical guidance. The role is critical to driving customer value, enabling sales success, and enhancing product adoption through technical leadership and collaboration.

This is a regional role responsible for Northern California, Oregon & Washington.

Responsibilities

• Assist internal and external stakeholders by conducting EtherWAN product introduction and communicating EtherWAN's value proposition and applications to prospective customers.
• Project manage field engagements alongside business development and sales resources
• Consistent and collaborative field level engagements with prospects, partners, and customers
• Oodaloop ideation of technology needs from the market into the appropriate stakeholders of the organization
• Conduct in-person and web-based training on Networking from beginner to advanced levels. Assist in the creation of training material for both in person and online trainings via the EtherWAN Academy
• Conduct network audits and assist customers in their network design and recommend appropriate EtherWAN products.
• When necessary, conduct client environment simulation – recreate client networks to determine the feasibility of EtherWAN products in customer environment.
• Assist internal and external stakeholders with cross-referencing third‑party products to EtherWAN products.
• Maintain knowledge of industry trends and customer needs and communicate information to appropriate internal stakeholders.
• Respond to customer phone calls and/or emails regarding issues related to EtherWAN products and applications
• Independently conduct client follow‑ups, issues follow‑ups, and if needed, customer meetings.
• Attend trade shows and industry events as needed.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders in the generation and growth of both new and existing revenue within the assigned territory by providing zero-distance application, partner, and customer support
• Work closely with internal and external stakeholders in generating mindshare with new and existing customers, channels, and partners.
• Use the company CRM as the primary vehicle to log technical support cases, market and customer application information, prospects/partners/customer engagements; work across EtherWAN departments to ensure full transparency
• Research and author application, product, and general technical and industry papers assigned
• Perform other work‑related duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor's of Science degree in Computer Science or Engineering or equivalent in experience
• 3 years plus of customer-facing experience
• Understanding of differences between IT and OT networking environments
• Direct or Channel technical sales experience preferredKnowledge and understanding of the OSI Network Reference Model, Layer 2 and Layer 3 Switching, Spanning Tree Protocols (STP, RSTP, MSTP), TCP/IP, and Routing Protocols (RIP and OSPF) is required. Knowledge of wireless and cellular technology and applications is a plus.
• CCNA certification and/or equivalent experiences
• Technical certifications in networking are a plus.
• Candidate must be well organized, self‑motivated, and capable of seeing projects through to completion.
• Elevated level of accountability and planning capabilities communicates with transparency and integrity.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills are required.
• Must be able to demonstrate professional presentation skills on complex topics to both technical and non‑technical audiences, competency as an instructor is desired
• Proficient with CRM, Microsoft Visio, & MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Subject matter expertise in vertical markets applications such as transportation (ITS/Rail and Bus transit), security (physical surveillance), energy, process automation is a plus.
• Able to travel 65%

Essential Job Functions

• Must be able to travel via airplane for up to 6 hours
• Must have a valid driver’s license and be able to travel via automobile for up to six hours at a time
• Must be able to travel overnight
• Must be able to sit for 4 hours at a time
• Must be able to stand for extended periods of time
• Must be able to lift a minimum of 50 lbs.
• Regular and on-time attendance

Phoenix Contact offers a generous benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401k matching, bonus plan and a generous time off package. There are also a wide variety of additional benefits available including 16 weeks fully paid maternity leave & 10 weeks fully paid paternity leave, auto allowance, life insurance, short & long-term disability, assistance, and more! Base salary: $110,000 - $176,000. Compensation information is made available in good faith. Phoenix Contact USA reserves the right to adjust ranges based on candidate’s experience, location and internal & external equity.

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Phoenix Contact is committed to the diversity of our employees. We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.

If you need special accommodations to access job openings or to apply for a job, please call 717-944-1300 between the hours of 8 AM and 5 PM, Eastern Standard Time, Monday – Friday or email [e-mail] .