Pre-Sales Solutions Manager

AXA Professionals; Salem (NH); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

AXA Professionals in United States is seeking a seasoned leader to guide a team of Pre-Sales Solutions Consultants, driving growth and professional development.

You will oversee discovery, design, and proposals across compute, storage, cloud, security, IAM, and data protection, engage with executives, partner with account managers, and ensure high-quality deliverables; travel up to 50%.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in pre-sales or solutions engineering, with 2–3 years in team lead or management.
• Broad fluency across compute, storage, networking, security, IAM, virtualization, cloud, data protection, and end-user computing.
• Ability to influence both executives and technical audiences within the same sales campaign.
• Experience mentoring pre-sales professionals and raising team performance.
• Proven track record leading complex multi-vendor engagements from discovery to proposal.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with executive-level presentation skills.
• Collaborative leader who can influence across boundaries without direct authority.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and mentor a team of Pre‑Sales Solutions Consultants with development plans.
• Model best practices for discovery, solution design, presentation, and proposals.
• Recruit, interview, onboard pre-sales talent aligned with standards.
• Identify skills gaps and coordinate targeted training and OEM enablement.
• Serve as escalation point for complex sales campaigns with hands-on guidance.
• Promote a customer-first culture focused on curiosity, accountability, and improvement.
• Engage with executives and IT leadership to tailor messaging to each audience.
• Lead executive business reviews and strategic briefings with partners.
• Collaborate with Senior Account Managers on pipeline strategy and opportunity pursuit.
• Translate customer objectives into outcome-based solution narratives.
• Oversee pre-sales scoping, BOM accuracy, SOW quality, and handoff to post-sales.
• Develop High-Level Designs, ROI/TCO analyses, and executive proposals.
• Manage resource allocation to align consultants with sales pipeline.
• Provide forecasting, KPI reporting to leadership on team performance and pipeline health.
• Bridge pre-sales, sales, and post-sales teams for a seamless customer experience.

Skills

Team leadership

Executive engagement

Pre-sales expertise

Solution design

Mentoring & coaching

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent

Job description

• Lead, coach, and mentor a team of Pre‑Sales Solutions Consultants, fostering professional growth through regular one‑on‑ones, performance feedback, and structured development plans.
• Establish and model best practices for technical discovery, solution design, presentation delivery, and proposal development.
• Recruit, interview, and onboard pre‑sales talent aligned with company's technical and cultural standards.
• Identify skills gaps across the team and coordinate targeted training, certification paths, and OEM enablement programs to close them.
• Serve as an escalation point for high‑complexity or high‑stakes sales campaigns, providing hands‑on guidance and technical oversight.
• Promote a collaborative, customer‑first team culture that rewards curiosity, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Technical Breadth & Solution Leadership

• Maintain working knowledge across company's core practice areas — compute, storage, networking, network security, identity and access management (IAM), security, virtualization, cloud (public, private, hybrid), data protection, data center management/automation, and end‑user computing — enabling credible engagement on virtually any customer opportunity.
• Stay current with market trends, emerging technologies, and the competitive landscape to ensure company's pre‑sales motions remain differentiated and relevant.

Business & Customer Engagement

• Engage directly with business executives, IT leadership, and technical practitioners across the customer base, adjusting messaging and depth to each audience.
• Lead executive business reviews and strategic briefings, positioning company's as a long‑term strategic partner rather than a transactional vendor.
• Partner with Senior Account Managers on account planning, pipeline strategy, and key opportunity pursuit to maximize win rates and deal size.
• Translate customer business objectives and pain points into compelling, outcome‑based solution narratives that resonate with both technical evaluators and business decision‑makers.

Pre‑Sales Process & Quality

• Manage pre‑sales standards for solution scoping, Bill of Materials accuracy, Statement of Work quality, and collaboration/handoff to the post‑sales/consulting team.
• Oversee the development of High‑Level Designs (HLDs), ROI/TCO business cases, and executive‑level proposals across the team.
• Manage pre‑sales resource allocation, ensuring consultants are aligned effectively across the sales pipeline without overextension.
• Provide accurate forecasting, activity reporting, and KPI management to senior leadership on team performance and pipeline health.
• Act as a bridge between the pre‑sales, sales, and post‑sales consulting teams to ensure a seamless customer experience from proposal through delivery.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of pre‑sales or solutions engineering experience, with a minimum of 2–3 years in a team lead, principal, or management capacity.
• Demonstrated broad-based technical fluency across the majority of company's practice areas: compute, storage, networking, network security, identity and access management, security, virtualization, cloud (public/private/hybrid), data protection, data center management/automation, and end‑user computing.
• Proven ability to engage and influence both business stakeholders (C‑suite, VP, Director) and technical audiences (architects, engineers, IT operations) within the same sales campaign.
• Track record of mentoring and developing pre‑sales professionals, raising individual and team performance over time.
• Experience leading complex, multi‑vendor solution engagements from discovery through proposal and technical validation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; executive‑level presentation and facilitation ability.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills; ability to synthesize customer requirements into strategic solution frameworks under time pressure.
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence across organizational boundaries without direct authority.
• Experience working within or alongside a Value Added Reseller (VAR) or multi‑OEM technology environment.
• Must be obsessed with customer service and satisfaction.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active certifications from one or more major OEM or security vendors (e.g., Cisco, Dell, HPE, NetApp, VMware, Microsoft, AWS, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Okta, CyberArk) demonstrating depth in at least one domain, including network security or identity and access management.
• Hands‑on deployment or architecture experience in one or more practice areas, providing credibility in technical deep‑dive discussions.
• Familiarity with consultative selling methodologies.
• Background in building or contributing to a pre‑sales practice, including process development, onboarding playbooks, or enablement programs.

Travel Requirements

• Up to 50% travel expected (mix of local and air travel).

Education and/or Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.

$160,000–$180,000 base, plus up to $50,000 in bonus/commissions; maximum total package of $230,000. Network, Security, Identity and Cloud experience