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Senior Sales Engineer - Key Accounts

Source: Datadog · open 256 days (source date) · original posting ↗ · client name hidden in drafts
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Senior sales engineer for key (Fortune 100-class) accounts at a public observability and security software company, remote in the western US. Owns the technical side of long enterprise pursuits: demos, proof-of-value evaluations, executive and SRE/platform-level presentations, and competitive positioning through to close.

sales_eng · senior · drafted by analyst session (Claude Code)

Must-haves (5)

3+ years in a sales engineering or DevOps engineering role
Someone with a minimum of 3+ years in a Sales Engineering or DevOps Engineering role
The JD explicitly accepts DevOps engineers without SE titles, which widens the pool to hands-on practitioners who can present.
Programming or scripting in at least one language (Python, Go, Java) and working familiarity with CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code
Experienced in programming/scripting with one or more languages (i.e. Python, Go, Java, etc.) and familiarity with DevOps practices such as CI/CD and IaC workflows
POVs are run in the customer's real stack; an SE who cannot script an integration or read a Terraform module stalls the evaluation.
Track record of technically closing complex, multi-quarter enterprise deals, including net-new logos
Technically close complex opportunities through advanced competitive knowledge, technical skill, and credibility; Demonstrated ability to land into net new logo accounts and collaborate with prospects through long, multi-quarter or multi-year cycles.
Key Accounts is the top segment; the manager will want named deals and cycle lengths, not demo counts.
Executive-level presentation and workshop skills across CIO, SRE/platform, security and engineering audiences
Present at executive and technical forums, lead workshops, and translate technical detail to business impact for CIOs, SRE/Platform teams, security/compliance, and engineering leadership
The same person has to run a CIO business-value session and a hands-on SRE workshop; both must be verified in screening.
Able to travel up to 45% within the western US
Able to travel via auto, train or air up to 45% of the time
High for a remote role; confirm early so it does not surface at offer.

Nice-to-haves (3)

Observability or monitoring domain depth (metrics, traces, logs, APM, security monitoring)
Passionate about educating customers on observability risks that are meaningful to their business, and able to build and execute an evaluation plan with a customer
Experience feeding product teams structured customer and competitive feedback
have a voice with the product team to help prioritize features based on input from customers, competitors, and partners
Disciplined CRM hygiene on wins and losses
Maintain accurate notes and feedback in CRM regarding customer input both wins and losses

Title variants and synonyms

Senior Sales EngineerEnterprise Sales EngineerSenior Solutions EngineerStrategic Solutions EngineerPrincipal Sales EngineerSolutions Architect (pre-sales)Technical Account Manager (pre-sales)DevOps Engineer
Observability: monitoring, APM, tracing, logging, metrics, OpenTelemetry, OTel, SIEM
Pre-sales: sales engineering, solutions engineering, POC, POV, proof of concept, proof of value, technical win
DevOps: SRE, platform engineering, CI/CD, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI
Infrastructure as code: IaC, Terraform, Pulumi, CloudFormation, Ansible, Helm
Cloud: AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, EKS, GKE, AKS
Languages: Python, Go, Golang, Java, Bash
Exclude: post-sales only, customer success manager, account executive, implementation consultant, support engineer, junior, associate

LinkedIn Recruiter boolean strings

("Sales Engineer" OR "Solutions Engineer" OR "Solution Engineer" OR "Solutions Architect" OR "Pre-Sales" OR "Presales" OR "DevOps Engineer" OR "Site Reliability Engineer") AND (Senior OR Sr OR Principal OR Enterprise OR Strategic OR Lead)
(observability OR monitoring OR APM OR "OpenTelemetry" OR Datadog OR "New Relic" OR Dynatrace OR Splunk OR Grafana OR Elastic) AND (POC OR POV OR "proof of concept" OR "proof of value" OR "technical win" OR "pre-sales" OR presales OR demo) AND (Terraform OR Kubernetes OR "CI/CD" OR Python OR Go OR Java) AND (enterprise OR "Fortune 500" OR "Fortune 100" OR "strategic accounts" OR "key accounts") NOT ("customer success" OR "account executive" OR "post-sales" OR "support engineer" OR intern)

Natural-language query

Senior pre-sales engineer in the western US (California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon or Washington, remote) with 3+ years in sales engineering or DevOps, who has technically closed multi-quarter Fortune-500-class deals in observability, monitoring or security tooling, scripts in Python or Go, is fluent in Kubernetes, CI/CD and Terraform, and presents comfortably to both CIOs and SRE teams. Comfortable with up to 45% travel.

Off-LinkedIn signals (where to look, not who)

  • Competitor SE teams: New Relic, Dynatrace, Splunk, Grafana Labs, Elastic, Honeycomb and Chronosphere all list SEs on their public case studies and webinar pages; those pages name the people who ran the POVs.
  • GitHub: public Terraform modules, Helm charts or OpenTelemetry collectors written for demo environments; SEs who build their own demo stacks publish them.
  • Conference speaker lists: KubeCon, DevOpsDays (Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland), AWS re:Invent breakout sessions, SREcon; pre-sales engineers who present well get onto these agendas.
  • Vendor community and champion programs (AWS Community Builders, HashiCorp Ambassadors, CNCF ambassadors) for people with the platform depth the JD wants.
  • Technical blog posts and YouTube demos on monitoring or incident response; a public demo is a screen-share you can watch before the first call.
  • Certifications that can be verified: AWS Solutions Architect, CKA/CKAD, HashiCorp Terraform Associate, and vendor observability certifications.
  • Regional meetups: LA DevOps, SoCal Kubernetes, Bay Area SRE, and the AWS user groups in the five target states.

Screening questions

  1. Walk me through the largest enterprise deal you technically closed: the evaluation plan, how long the cycle ran, who the competitor was, and what won it.
  2. Describe a proof-of-value you built in a customer's environment: which cloud and orchestration, what you scripted or automated, and where it broke.
  3. Give an example of presenting the same solution to a CIO audience and to an SRE or platform team in the same pursuit. What changed between the two?
  4. Which languages do you actually write code in today, and what CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code tooling have you used hands-on in the last year?
  5. This role is remote in the western US with up to 45% travel. Where are you based, and is that travel level workable for you?

Questions for the hiring manager

  • The posting has been open about eight months: is the bar the enterprise close record, the western-region location, or the travel?
  • How many key accounts does this SE carry, and how many AEs do they pair with?
  • Is the target base within the posted $149,000 to $198,000 range, and what is the variable split (OTE) for this segment?
  • Would a strong DevOps or SRE engineer with informal pre-sales exposure be considered, as the JD suggests, or is a formal SE title expected at this level?
  • Which competitors show up most in these accounts, and which ones has the team lost to recently?
  • Preferred home base within the five states (proximity to specific accounts), or truly anywhere in the region?

Compliance flags (1): review items, not legal conclusions

model“Able to sit up to 4 hours, traveling to and from client sites” · review: physical requirement; keep only if it is an essential function and state it with the accommodation clause
Suggested: Travels to client sites by car, train or air, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Outreach drafts: a recruiter edits and sends these by hand

Client name hidden. Post-checks strip "Datadog" if the model slips.

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Job description as submitted
As a Key Accounts Enterprise Sales Engineer, you will provide technical expertise through sales presentations, product demonstrations, and supporting technical evaluations (POVs). Sales Engineers help qualify and close opportunities with customers and partners and have a voice with the product team to help prioritize features based on input from customers, competitors, and partners. What You’ll Do: - Partner with the Sales, Product/Engineering, Customer Success, Professional Services, and executive leadership to articulate the overall Datadog value proposition, vision and strategy to customers - Lead technical strategy for both short-term and long-cycle pursuits by driving the end-to-end technical sales agenda for Fortune 100 and comparable prospects — from pipeline generation through purchase decision - Technically close complex opportunities through advanced competitive knowledge, technical skill, and credibility - Present at executive and technical forums, lead workshops, and translate technical detail to business impact for CIOs, SRE/Platform teams, security/compliance, and engineering leadership - Maintain accurate notes and feedback in CRM regarding customer input both wins and losses - Proactively engage and communicate with customers and Datadog business/technical teams regarding product feedback and competitive landscape Who You Are: - Passionate about educating customers on observability risks that are meaningful to their business, and able to build and execute an evaluation plan with a customer - Someone with strong written and oral communication skills. This role requires an ability to understand and articulate both the business benefits (value proposition) and technical advantages of our offering - Experienced in programming/scripting with one or more languages (i.e. Python, Go, Java, etc.) and familiarity with DevOps practices such as CI/CD and IaC workflows - Demonstrated ability to land into net new logo accounts and collaborate with prospects through long, multi-quarter or multi-year cycles. - Someone with a minimum of 3+ years in a Sales Engineering or DevOps Engineering role - Able to sit up to 4 hours, traveling to and from client sites - Able to travel via auto, train or air up to 45% of the time Datadog values people from all walks of life. We understand not everyone will meet all the above qualifications on day one. That's okay. If you’re passionate about technology and want to grow your skills, we encourage you to apply. Benefits and Growth: - Best-in-breed onboarding - Generous global benefits - Intra-departmental mentor and buddy program for in-house networking - New hire stock equity (RSUs) and employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) - Continuous professional development, product training, and career pathing - An inclusive company culture, able to join our Community Guilds and Inclusion Talks Benefits and Growth listed above may vary based on the country of your employment and the nature of your employment with Datadog. #LI-Remote Datadog offers a competitive salary and equity package, and may include variable compensation. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, Datadog offers a wide range of best in class, comprehensive and inclusive employee benefits for this role including healthcare, dental, parental planning, and mental health benefits, a 401(k) plan and match, paid time off, fitness reimbursements, and a discounted employee stock purchase plan. The reasonably estimated yearly salary for this role at Datadog is: $149,000-$198,000 USD About Datadog: Datadog is the leading observability and security platform for the AI era, providing businesses with unified visibility across the technology stack to manage complexity at scale. It brings applications, infrastructure, data, models, and security into one place, using AI to detect and resolve issues before they impact customers. Trusted globally by Fortune 500 companies and high-growth AI leaders, Datadog enables businesses to move faster with clarity and confidence. Learn more about #DatadogLife on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Datadog Learning Center. Equal Opportunity at Datadog: Datadog is proud to offer equal employment opportunity to everyone regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, and other characteristics protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. Here are our Candidate Legal Notices for your reference. Datadog endeavors to make our Careers Page accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please complete this form. This form is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications. Privacy and AI Guidelines: Any information you submit to Datadog as part of your application will be processed in accordance with Datadog’s Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice. For information on our AI policy, please visit Interviewing at Datadog AI Guidelines.