Sr. Solutions Engineer

Digital Realty; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Digital Realty is seeking a Solutions Engineer in Chicago to drive pre‑sales technical engagement for tailored data center solutions. You will collaborate with Sales, Design Engineering, and Operations to translate customer requirements into optimized space, power, cooling, airflow, and connectivity designs.

The role requires 3–5 years in a data center or high‑tech facilities environment, with expertise in high‑density designs, AI/HPC familiarity, and experience with CAD tools and Salesforce.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• 3–5 years in a B2B sales engineering or design environment, preferably within data centers, telecom, networking, or high‑tech facilities.
• Proven experience designing high‑density data center solutions, including power, cooling, airflow, and space optimization.
• Familiarity with AI and high‑performance computing environments; knowledge of liquid cooling technologies and industry best practices.

Responsibilities

• Act as a site‑specific subject‑matter expert for assigned campuses, collaborating with Sales, Regional Strategic Account Solutions Engineers, Design Engineering, Operations, Portfolio Management, and Design & Construction teams to ensure successful outcomes from initial engagement through handoff to implementation.
• Engage with customers to understand business objectives, technical requirements, and operational challenges; conduct site surveys, assessments, and due diligence to gather detailed infrastructure requirements.
• Support customer RFPs, RFIs, and technical due diligence activities with a focus on site‑specific solutions.
• Present solutions to customers through technical presentations, workshops, demos, and site visits, clearly articulating features, benefits, and competitive advantages.
• Design customized data center solutions optimizing space, power, cooling, airflow, connectivity, telecoms, security, office, and storage as applicable.
• Develop detailed technical documentation, proposals, and scopes of work including clarifications and risk considerations.
• Perform service order reviews and cost validation activities to ensure accuracy and alignment with customer requirements.
• Obtain pricing and delivery timelines by issuing SEPRs to DE&C teams as required.
• Support sales forecasting, pipeline development, and market analysis efforts.
• Facilitate smooth transitions from sales to implementation, ensuring technical accuracy, consistency, and completeness of handoff documentation.
• Stay current on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices; relay insights to product and engineering teams.
• Gather and communicate customer and sales feedback to support continuous improvement of products, solutions, and go‑to‑market strategies.

Skills

Data center design

AI & HPC familiarity

Sales engineering

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering or related field

Tools

AutoCAD

Visio

CFD modeling

Salesforce

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

Overview

Join the world’s leading data center experts and help design infrastructure solutions for some of the most innovative customers on the planet. As a Solutions Engineer, you will play a critical role in the pre‑sales process by providing technical expertise and designing tailored data center solutions that meet customer requirements for space, power, cooling, and connectivity.

Responsibilities

• Act as a site‑specific subject‑matter expert for assigned campuses, collaborating with Sales, Regional Strategic Account Solutions Engineers, Design Engineering, Operations, Portfolio Management, and Design & Construction teams to ensure successful outcomes from initial engagement through handoff to implementation.
• Engage with customers to understand business objectives, technical requirements, and operational challenges; conduct site surveys, assessments, and due diligence to gather detailed infrastructure requirements.
• Support customer RFPs, RFIs, and technical due diligence activities with a focus on site‑specific solutions.
• Present solutions to customers through technical presentations, workshops, demos, and site visits, clearly articulating features, benefits, and competitive advantages.
• Design customized data center solutions optimizing space, power, cooling, airflow, connectivity, telecoms, security, office, and storage as applicable.
• Develop detailed technical documentation, proposals, and scopes of work including clarifications and risk considerations.
• Perform service order reviews and cost validation activities to ensure accuracy and alignment with customer requirements.
• Obtain pricing and delivery timelines by issuing SEPRs to DE&C teams as required.
• Support sales forecasting, pipeline development, and market analysis efforts.
• Facilitate smooth transitions from sales to implementation, ensuring technical accuracy, consistency, and completeness of handoff documentation.
• Stay current on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices; relay insights to product and engineering teams.
• Gather and communicate customer and sales feedback to support continuous improvement of products, solutions, and go‑to‑market strategies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 3–5 years of experience in a B2B sales engineering or design environment, preferably within data centers, telecom, networking, or high‑tech facilities.
• Proven experience designing high‑density data center solutions, including power, cooling, airflow, and space optimization.
• Familiarity with AI and high‑performance computing environments; knowledge of liquid cooling technologies and industry best practices.
• Strong understanding of data center power distribution, UPS systems, electrical standards, network architecture, fiber optics, connectivity solutions, and data center security principles.
• Proficiency with CAD tools such as AutoCAD, Visio, or similar (CFD modeling experience preferred) and with Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat.
• Experience using Salesforce and basic engineering tools; ITIL Expert and/or project management certifications desirable.
• Ability to travel and work onsite as required.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation range: $140,000–$160,000. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, 401(k) match, disability benefits, wellness and education benefits, employee stock purchase plan, paid time off, holidays, and more. Additional benefits, such as cash bonus or commissions, and equity awards may apply.