Sr. Sales Engineer - Network Solutions

Black Box; United States; On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Black Box is actively seeking a Pre-Sales Solution Engineer to lead enterprise networking opportunities. In this role, you'll handle technical discovery, create proposals, and ensure successful solutions that meet customer needs.

Your expertise in enterprise networking and independent production of BOMs and cost models is crucial. This role requires strong presentation skills and the ability to manage proposals and deal ownership effectively.

Qualifications

• 7–10+ years in enterprise networking pre-sales or technical sales.
• Experience with multi-vendor solutions and independent proposal production.
• Proven track record of owning enterprise solution pursuits.

Responsibilities

• Own deals end-to-end from technical discovery to customer presentation.
• Lead customer workshops and technical briefings.
• Architect solutions with OEM domain expertise.

Skills

Enterprise networking pre-sales

Solution design

Proposal creation

Technical presentations

Network security knowledge

Education

CCNP, JNCIP, NSE 4+ or equivalent

ITIL Foundation or PMP

Job description

About the Role

Black Box is looking for a Pre-Sales Solution Engineer who can do more than talk tech – we need someone who owns deals, builds proposals, and earns the trust of sales teams and customers alike.

Job Description

Black Box is looking for a Pre-Sales Solution Engineer who can do more than talk tech – we need someone who owns deals, builds proposals, and earns the trust of sales teams and customers alike.

You will be the technical leader on enterprise networking opportunities across LAN, WAN, Wi-Fi, SD-Branch. You will work directly with Account Managers and customers to design solutions, create proposals, and present compelling technical narratives that win business.

This is a deliverable-driven role. You will independently produce BOMs, cost models, SOWs, and technical proposals. You will own deals end-to-end from technical discovery through customer presentation. If you thrive on both the engineering and the commercial side of pre-sales, this role is built for you.

What You Will Do

• Own deals end-to-end.
• Lead technical discovery, solution design, proposal creation, and customer presentations for enterprise networking pursuits.
• Create validated BOMs, cost analyses, and SOWs independently – this is not a role where someone else builds your deliverables.
• Respond to complex RFPs/RFIs with accurate and compelling content within tight timelines.
• Collaborate with pricing and delivery teams to validate technical and operational scope.

Be the Trusted Technical Advisor

• Lead customer workshops, technical briefings, and whiteboarding sessions.
• Present to CIO/CTO-level stakeholders with confidence and executive presence.
• Conduct live product demonstrations and proof-of-concept engagements.
• Translate business outcomes into architectures that win – not just technically correct designs, but commercially compelling solutions.

Design & Innovate

• Architect enterprise network solutions with OEM domain expertise in the enterprise networking ecosystem (Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, Aruba, Palo Alto, or equivalent).
• Build accurate BOMs and validated designs using OEM and partner quoting and configuration portals; ability to navigate deal registration, program compliance, and incentive structures to shape commercially competitive proposals.
• Build repeatable solution templates for key verticals (Healthcare, Finance, Industrial, Public Sector).
• Contribute to offering development based on what you see in the field.

Enable the Team

• Mentor junior SEs and contribute to onboarding of new team members.
• Deliver internal enablement sessions on solutions, tools, and best practices.
• Track competitive landscape and sharpen win themes.

What We Are Looking For

• 7–10+ years in enterprise networking pre-sales, solution consulting, or technical sales.
• Experience in a System Integrator, VAR, or IT services environment is strongly preferred – you understand multi-vendor solutioning, commercial deliverables, and the full pursuit lifecycle.
• Proven track record of independently owning $1M+ enterprise solution pursuits from discovery through close.
• Experience producing BOMs, proposals, SOWs, and cost models – you have built these yourself, not just reviewed them.
• Strong knowledge of LAN/Wi-Fi/SD-WAN, NAC, network security, and hybrid cloud networking.
• Experience with multi-vendor architectures and direct, hands-on use of OEM and partner quoting and configuration portals to produce BOMs and designs independently.
• Executive presence – you are comfortable presenting to and being challenged by C-level stakeholders.

Required Certifications

• CCNP, JNCIP, NSE 4+, or equivalent (CCIE/JNCIE-level is a plus but not required)
• ITIL Foundation or PMP is a plus

What Sets You Apart

• You describe your SE work in terms of deals won and deliverables produced, not just technologies you know.
• When something goes wrong on a proposal, your instinct is to own it, fix it, and tell your manager and the AM what changed so it does not happen again – not to explain who else should have caught it.
• You are comfortable operating with incomplete information – you do not wait for a detailed brief to start work, you flag gaps to the AM or manager early, document your assumptions in writing, and keep deals moving forward without hand-holding.
• Account Managers request you by name on their deals because you show up prepared, advance the technical narrative in front of the customer, and make them more successful commercially – not just technically correct.
• You can whiteboard a solution, build the BOM, write the proposal section, and present it to the customer – all in the same week.