Manager, Sales Engineering - Protection Group

Manager, Sales Engineering - People Protection Group

Proofpoint is the leader in human‑centric cybersecurity. Half a million customers, including 87 of the Fortune 100, rely on us to protect their organizations. We turn innovation into action with the goal of staying ahead of bad actors and safeguarding the digital world.

About the role

As a Sales Engineering Manager at the People Protection Group you will specialize in Adaptive Email Products (Security, Misdirected and Exfiltration). You will build and sustain customer relationships while driving adoption of these solutions and serve as a technical evangelist, field enabler, and cross‑functional bridge between product, sales, marketing, and customer success. The role operates globally across multiple time zones.

Responsibilities

• Global Team Leadership & Talent Development
- Lead and mentor a distributed team of advanced technology Sales Engineers across multiple regions.
- Drive consistency in technical excellence and field support across all markets.
- Hire, onboard, and retain top SE talent aligned to emerging technologies.
- Promote a culture of inclusion, continuous learning, and operational rigor.
- Conduct regular 1:1s, team meetings, performance reviews, and coaching sessions.

• Overlay Sales Support & Execution
- Provide advanced pre‑sales expertise, POCs, demos, and architectural reviews to regional sales teams.
- Act as an escalation point for strategic deals requiring deep technical validation.
- Collaborate with account teams to map solution value to customer pain points, especially in highly regulated or security‑conscious industries.

• Advanced Technology Evangelism
- Serve as the internal and external SME on the latest Adaptive Email innovations.
- Lead customer‑facing webinars, technical sessions, and briefings to articulate the value of Adaptive Email solutions.
- Collaborate with marketing to refine messaging, competitive positioning, and go‑to‑market strategies.

• Strategic Influence & Cross‑functional Collaboration
- Work closely with Product Management and R&D to provide field feedback and influence the roadmap.
- Partner with Enablement teams to scale training content, certifications, and lab environments.
- Act as liaison between customer success, support, and services to ensure post‑sale success of complex deployments.

• Technical Standardization & Best Practices
- Define and enforce global SE standards for solution design, security architecture, and demo environments.
- Establish repeatable playbooks and reference architecture for key verticals and use cases.
- Track and optimize KPIs such as win rate, time to POC, and SE utilization.

• Executive Presence & Indirect Influence
- Align with regional Sales VPs and GTM leadership to influence deal strategy and territory planning.
- Present to customer executives and internal senior leadership on technical trends and team impact.
- Support executive briefings, board‑level presentations, and strategic partner engagements.

Qualifications

• Strong affinity to technology and sales.

• Enthusiastic self‑starter with an outgoing personality, comfortable working independently and in a team.

• 5–10 years in cybersecurity pre‑sales or technical roles, with 3–5 years in a leadership role; experience working with commercial teams and quota‑driven performance management.

• Proven success managing global or matrixed teams in fast‑paced environments.

• Strong communication, storytelling, and executive influencing skills.

• Able to travel internationally (~20‑30% if needed).

• Strong customer‑facing relationship‑building and listening skills that help see the big picture and create amazing experiences for customers.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation.

• Comprehensive benefits.

• Learning & Development – leadership and professional development workshops, stretch projects, and mentoring opportunities.

• Flexible work environment – remote options, hybrid schedules, and flexible hours.

• Annual wellness and community outreach days.

• Recognition for contributions.

• Global collaboration and networking opportunities.

Culture

Our culture is rooted in values that inspire belonging, empower purpose, and drive success every day for everyone. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. If you need accommodation during the application or interview process, please reach out to .

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