Staff Solution Sales Engineer - Confluent

IBM Computing; Brookhaven (GA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Global Sales seeks a seasoned Solutions Engineer to drive technical adoption of Confluent-based data streaming solutions. You will partner with account executives to design architectures, deliver proofs-of-concept, and guide customers through deployment across environments.

The role emphasizes hands-on engineering, customer storytelling, and collaboration with product teams to mature deployments and accelerate value realization.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience as a Solutions Engineer or similar role.
• Experience with event-driven architectures, data integration/processing.
• Hands-on exposure to cloud architecture, migrations, deployment and app development.

Responsibilities

• Advance new data streaming use-cases from conception to go-live.
• Lead technical proofs of concept and architectural discussions.
• Conduct discovery sessions and whiteboard workshops to derive new use-cases.

Skills

Solutions engineering

Event-driven architecture

Cloud architecture

Kubernetes

Java

Python

SQL

GitOps

presentation & communication

self-starter

Tools

Kubernetes

GitOps

Job description

Introduction

At IBM Global Sales, we bring together innovation, collaboration, and expertise to help clients solve their most complex business challenges. Working across industries and geographies, you’ll partner with colleagues, clients, and partners to co-create solutions that drive digital transformation and lasting impact.Success in Global Sales is built on curiosity, empathy, and collaboration. You’ll connect technical understanding with strong people skills, building trusted relationships and shaping solutions that improve business and society. With world-class onboarding, continuous learning, and a supportive culture, IBM offers the tools and opportunities to grow your career. Join us and be part of a global team that’s passionate about driving innovation and making a difference.

Your role and responsibilities

Staff Solution Sales Engineers at Confluent drive not only the early-stage evaluation within the sales process, but also play a crucial role in enabling ongoing value-realization for customers, all while helping them move up the adoption maturity curve. In this role you'll partner with Account Executives to be the key technical advisor in service of the customers. You'll be instrumental in surfacing the customers' stated or implicit Business Needs, and coming up with Technical Designs to best meet these needs. You may find yourself at times facilitating art of the possible discussions and storytelling to inspire customers in adopting new patterns with confidence, and at other times driving creative solutioning to help get past difficult technical roadblocks. Overall, we look upon Solutions Engineers to be a key cog within the Customer Success Team that help foster an environment of sustained success for the customer and incremental adoption of Confluent's Technology.

What You Will Do:

Help advance new & innovative Data Streaming use-cases from conception to Go-LiveExecute on and lead Technical Proofs of Concept

Conduct Discovery & Whiteboard Sessions to develop new use-casesProvide Thought Leadership by delivering Technical Talks and Workshops

Guide customers with hands‑on help and best practice to drive operational maturity of their Confluent Deployment

Analyze Customer Consumption trends and identify Optimization opportunitiesWork closely with Product and Engineering teams, and serve as a key Product advocate across the Customer, Partner and Industry ecosystem

Forge strong relationships with key customer stakeholders and serve as a dependable partner for them

Required technical and professional expertise

Extensive Experience as a Solutions Engineering or similar work experience

Experience with Event-Driven architecture, Data Integration & Processing Techniques, Database & Data Warehouse technologies

First-Hand exposure to Cloud Architecture, Migrations, Deployment & Application Development

Experience with Automation, GitOps and Kubernetes

Proficiency in Java, Python or SQL

Technical certifications - Cloud Developer/Architect, Data Engineering & Integration

Clear, consistent demonstration of self-starter behavior, a desire to learn new things and tackle hard technical problems

Exceptional presentation and communications capabilities.

Confidence presenting to a highly skilled and experienced audience, ranging from developers to enterprise architects and up to C-level executives

Preferred technical and professional experience

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.