Strategic Pre-Sales Lead - Security Systems Integration

Kastle Systems; Falls Church (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) plan

Generous paid time off

Tuition and training assistance

BrightHorizons lifestyle assistance

Life and disability insurance

Wellness programs

Job summary

Kastle Systems in Falls Church, VA is seeking a Strategic Pre-Sales Program Manager to lead the presales cycle for regional and national security systems opportunities. You will coordinate sales engineers, solutions engineers, subcontractors, and operations to craft winning proposals.

This role requires strong program management, executive presence, and ability to align client outcomes from qualification through go-live.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, project management, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 710+ years of experience in project management, program management, or business development — with demonstrated success managing complex, multi-stakeholder pursuits or deployments.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive accountability without direct management authority.
• Experience managing technically complex projects in the field — particularly systems integration, security, AV, construction, or similar — is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with physical security platforms (access control, CCTV, visitor management) is a plus; deep technical design expertise is not required.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; comfortable presenting to ownership groups, developers, and executive-level clients.
• Strong command of project scheduling tools (MS Project, Smartsheet, or equivalent).
• Analytical and problem-solving mindset with strong attention to scope and risk.
• PMP certification is a plus, but not required
• This position requires approximately 25-30% travel across Kastle regions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the overall pre-sales team leader for all Regional and National strategic account opportunities, coordinating the activities of sales engineers, solutions engineers, sub-contractors, and operations resources.
• Partner with Strategic Account Managers to define client outcomes, establish win strategy, and shape the overall proposal approach.
• Identify and define the full pre-sales resource requirements - people, skills, schedule, and budget needed to compete and win.
• Lead client-facing outcome alignment sessions from initial qualification through go-live, ensuring client expectations are clearly defined and documented throughout.
• Develop and maintain a detailed pre-sale project plan and pursuit strategy for each active strategic opportunity.
• Own the full proposal package for strategic pursuits: project scope of work, exclusions, preliminary project schedule (Gantt), sub-contractor RFQs and quotes, assumptions, and risk log.
• Review sales engineering BOMs for completeness, dependencies, and unique site requirements; flag gaps prior to proposal submission.
• Draft scope of work exclusions to protect Kastle from post-contract scope creep and change orders.
• Ensure all proposal deliverables — drawings, BOMs, assumptions, pricing, and project schedule — are accurate, complete, and aligned with client requirements.
• Lead large project reviews with sales and operations leadership on strategic opportunities to confirm scope, pricing model, and approval timeline.
• Develop and deliver client presentation strategy for strategic pursuits; present with the account team when required.
• Own the contract-to-kickoff handoff- establishing the project channel, populating the project SharePoint folder (BOM, drawings, photos, sub quotes, outcome notes), and conducting a formal kickoff with the regional PM and Sales.
• Develop the post-sale PM transition plan and ensure all project management continuity documentation is complete before transferring accountability to operations.
• Identify post-sale project management involvement requirements and escalation protocols at proposal stage.
• Co-own the Gantt chart with the regional PM during installation; update weekly and flag schedule risks to the National Account Manager before they reach the client.
• Coordinate cross-functional dependencies — elevator vendors, GC schedules, turnstile sub-contractors, tenant provisioning, Kastle operations — to keep strategic projects on track.
• Serve as the escalation point when operations encounters design ambiguity or scope questions during installation.
• Serve as the connective layer between sales, sales engineering, solutions engineering, integrations, operations, and strategic sub-contractors throughout the pre-sales lifecycle.
• Provide feedback to product and engineering teams on client needs, field integration challenges, and recurring proposal gaps.
• Support development of client-specific marketing materials and executive-level presentations in partnership with the National Account Manager.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

Executive presence

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, project management, or related field

Tools

MS Project

Smartsheet

SharePoint

Job description

Kastle Systems in Falls Church, VA is seeking a Strategic Pre-Sales Program Manager to lead the presales cycle for regional and national security systems opportunities. You will coordinate sales engineers, solutions engineers, subcontractors, and operations to craft winning proposals.

This role requires strong program management, executive presence, and ability to align client outcomes from qualification through go-live.