Senior Sales Director

NOKIA; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Nokia is seeking an ambitious, customer-focused account leader in Sunnyvale to drive strategic growth across data center networking and optical transport portfolios for hyperscale customers. You will shape customer network strategies, influence critical technology decisions, and lead global cross-functional teams to deliver complex infrastructure programs at scale.

Your work will require executive engagement and a track record of growing strategic relationships.

Qualifications

• Authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship.
• Based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• 10+ years of experience in networking, cloud, hyperscale, or related technology markets.
• Experience owning strategic customer relationships with accountability for business growth, executive engagement, and commercial outcomes.
• Demonstrated success leading complex technology sales cycles from qualification through production deployment.
• Strong understanding of data center networking, IP routing, optical transport, and large-scale infrastructure architectures.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams across sales, engineering, product management, services, operations, and commercial organizations.
• Ability to operate effectively in highly matrixed environments and align diverse stakeholders around common objectives.
• Proven success building executive-level relationships with both technical and business decision makers.

Responsibilities

• Own revenue growth, strategic positioning, and long-term customer success across Nokia's data center networking and optical transport portfolio.
• Develop and execute account strategies that strengthen Nokia's position with strategic hyperscale and large-scale infrastructure customers.
• Build trusted relationships with engineering, operations, planning, procurement, and executive stakeholders.
• Lead cross-functional teams through qualification, proof-of-concept, validation, procurement, and deployment activities.
• Apply expertise in data center networking, IP routing, optical transport, and data center interconnect technologies to influence customer roadmaps and business outcomes.

Skills

Networking

Strategic account leadership

Executive engagement

Cross-functional leadership

Complex sales cycles

Data center networking

IP routing

Optical transport

DCI

Stakeholder alignment

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Job description

The world's leading cloud and digital infrastructure companies are scaling at an unprecedented pace, driven by AI, data center expansion, and ever-increasing connectivity demands.

We're looking for an ambitious, customer-focused account leader to drive strategic growth with some of the industry's most influential infrastructure operators. This role combines executive engagement, technical strategy, and commercial leadership across data center networking and optical transport portfolios.

You will help shape customer network strategies, influence critical technology decisions, and lead global cross-functional teams to deliver complex infrastructure programs at scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Own revenue growth, strategic positioning, and long-term customer success across Nokia's data center networking and optical transport portfolio.
• Develop and execute account strategies that strengthen Nokia's position with strategic hyperscale and large-scale infrastructure customers.
• Build trusted relationships with engineering, operations, planning, procurement, and executive stakeholders.
• Lead cross-functional teams through qualification, proof-of-concept, validation, procurement, and deployment activities.
• Apply expertise in data center networking, IP routing, optical transport, and data center interconnect technologies to influence customer roadmaps and business outcomes.

Must Have

• Authorization to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship.
• Ability to be based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• 10+ years of experience in networking, cloud, telecommunications, hyperscale, or related technology markets.
• Experience owning strategic customer relationships with accountability for business growth, executive engagement, and commercial outcomes.
• Demonstrated success leading complex technology sales cycles from qualification through production deployment.
• Strong understanding of data center networking, IP routing, optical transport, and large-scale infrastructure architectures.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams across sales, engineering, product management, services, operations, and commercial organizations.
• Ability to operate effectively in highly matrixed environments and align diverse stakeholders around common objectives.
• Proven success building executive-level relationships with both technical and business decision makers.

Nice to have

• Experience working with hyperscale, cloud, internet, or large-scale infrastructure customers.
• Track record of winning competitive opportunities and expanding strategic customer relationships.
• Experience delivering growth through both new business development and long-term account expansion.
• Familiarity with hyperscale data center architectures, data center fabrics, and network operations.
• Knowledge of coherent optical technologies, DCI architectures, and optical transport networks.
• Understanding of AI infrastructure trends and their impact on networking and transport requirements.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or another STEM discipline.

Who Succeeds in This Role

• Naturally curious and always learning.
• Comfortable operating independently in ambiguous situations.
• Able to combine technical credibility with commercial acumen.
• Driven to solve difficult customer challenges and deliver results.
• Collaborative, resilient, and energized by building long-term customer success.