Specialist Solutions Engineer - Managed Services

Thinkahead; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

401(k)

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Parental and caregiver leave

Job summary

AHEAD is seeking a Specialist Solutions Engineer to join the Managed Services team in a presales capacity. You will design, scope, and position outcomes‑based managed services across infrastructure, cloud, Microsoft, networking, and security operations.

You will engage clients to understand challenges, lead discovery sessions, and craft integrated service models with strong governance. The role emphasizes collaboration with delivery and sales teams and opportunities to expand managed services

Qualifications

• Experience in a managed services or recurring‑services presales environment across multiple domains.
• Ability to scope data protection, monitoring, and operational tooling services including dashboards and alerting.
• Proven track record in discovery, whiteboarding, and converting needs into configurable engagements.
• Experience creating proposals, solution estimates, and inventory‑based pricing for opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Engage customers to understand challenges and desired outcomes for managed services engagements.
• Lead discovery and scoping conversations across infrastructure, cloud, Microsoft, networking, and security ops.
• Design outcomes‑based support models with 24x7 monitoring, incident handling, and service improvement.
• Define boundaries, onboarding activities, tooling requirements, and runbooks for transitions.
• Build client proposals, service descriptions, and pricing inputs for renewals and new deals.
• Collaborate with delivery, client success, and account teams to ensure governances align with reality.
• Present solutions and explain delivery model, staffing, SLAs, and governance to clients and stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to expand relationships through renewals and cross‑sell motions.

Skills

Managed services presales

Solution design

Stakeholder communication

Pricing & proposals

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical breadth (infra/cloud)

Microsoft 365 & security

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field

Tools

ITSM platforms

Job description

Company Overview

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business, weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation, analytics, and software delivery to help enterprises deliver on digital transformation.

Position Summary

Specialist Solutions Engineer (SSE) on the Managed Services team is a key contributor in presales engagements with clients to design, scope, and position outcomes‑based managed services solutions across infrastructure, cloud, Microsoft, networking, security, and observability.

Responsibilities

• Engage customers to understand business challenges, support gaps, operational pain points, and desired outcomes for managed services engagements.
• Lead discovery and scoping conversations for managed services covering combinations of infrastructure, cloud, Microsoft, networking, storage, backup/data protection, virtualization, VDI, service desk, and security operations.
• Design integrated, outcomes‑based support models that include 24x7 monitoring and event management, incident/change/request handling, platform administration, and continual service improvement.
• Define service boundaries, inventory assumptions, onboarding activities, tooling requirements, and operational handoff needs, including monitoring integration, ITSM workflows, runbook development, and knowledge transfer.
• Build and refine client‑facing proposals, service descriptions, pricing inputs, and solution summaries that clearly articulate what AHEAD will deliver and how the service creates lasting business impact.
• Collaborate with Managed Services delivery, Client Success Managers, project teams, and account teams to validate supportability, govern transitions, and align the presales design with operational reality.
• Present managed services solutions, answer technical and operational questions, and explain AHEAD’s delivery model, staffing approach, SLA/SLO framework, and governance cadence to clients and internal stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to expand managed services relationships through renewals, cross‑sell motions, new service towers, and platform adjacencies.

Qualifications & Experience

• Experience working in a managed services or recurring‑services presales environment across one or more domains: infrastructure and cloud observability; network, virtualization, storage, and data protection operations; Microsoft 365 suite; endpoint management and Service Desk operations; security services operations; broad understanding of managed infrastructure services.
• Ability to scope managed data protection, monitoring, and operational tooling services including backup platforms, observability platforms, ITSM integration, dashboards, alerting, and automated escalation workflows.
• Experience conducting discovery, whiteboarding, and solution design sessions that convert customer needs into configurable managed services engagements.
• Experience creating proposals, service briefs, solution estimates, inventory‑based pricing, and supporting documentation for new managed services opportunities and renewals.
• Ability to identify, validate, and grow opportunities in high‑potential accounts through consultative conversations and strong collaboration with sellers and specialists.
• Increase customer confidence through clear communications, professionalism, and well‑defined service scope, assumptions, and onboarding plans.
• Preferred experience in pricing and scoping outcome‑based or fixed‑scope managed service designs.
• Minimum 5 years selling, designing, supporting, or configuring enterprise infrastructure, cloud, or managed services solutions in a customer‑facing role.
• At least 10 years of hands‑on experience in IT and 5+ years in an Engineer, Consultant, or Solutions Engineering role.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze existing and anticipated client requirements and promote consideration of AHEAD’s solutions to meet the client’s requirements.
• Excellent communication, documentation, and customer‑facing skills; strong teamwork and problem‑solving attitude.
• Industry‑recognised certifications from relevant vendors or platforms are preferred.

Position Type & Location

Full‑time, permanent role, 40 hours per week. Hybrid location with up to 10% travel for internal company events, vendor conferences, on‑site customer meetings, and marketing events.

Compensation

On‑Target Earnings (OTE) range includes base salary and target bonus; varies by experience, qualifications, and geographic location.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k)
• Paid company holidays
• Paid time off
• Paid parental and caregiver leave
• Plus more – see benefits https://www.aheadbenefits.com/ for additional details.

EEO Statement

AHEAD is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, national origin, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. We embrace all candidates that will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives at AHEAD.