Director, Solutions Engineering

The Role

It will be your mission to lead a growing technical team of Solution Engineers. You will hire, develop your team, deliver training, oversee and balance the group’s workload, ensure goals and expectations are being met and more. Though your leadership responsibilities are at the core of this position, you’ll make an impact across multiple functions as you work collaboratively with your peers, act as a solutions expert, and as the communications hub between cross-functional internal teams, Sales, and customers. This is a role for a hands-on leader that cannot be managed purely from a desk. Not only will you work with your team, you’ll leverage your skill as a Solutions Engineer to interact directly with large clients, understanding their needs from a technical infrastructure point-of-view, then helping to drive decisions and consensus with Digital Realty teams including Sales, Design, Construction, Property Management, Legal, Finance and all those involved with project delivery. You’ll respond directly to customers, speed the sales process, drive project delivery, etc. You’ll evangelize our message to the marketplace, solicit market trends, and deliver the acquired information to Operations, Design, Planning, Construction…any group who will benefit from the intel. More specifically, you will:

• Lead the Sales team in technical sales and solutions.
• Direct prospect engagements, including leading building and site tours, sales calls, proposal generation, pricing and contract negotiations.
• Serve as the “hub” for project communication.
• Evaluate customer needs and then design and present a preliminary solution.
• Assist with customer RFPs.
• Develop cost-engineering and profitability models for large customer opportunities.
• Act as a subject matter expert related to the infrastructure, nuances and pitfalls associated with various buildings.
• Act as an "eyes-on" resource and provide support to remote Design and Construction teams during bid, construction and commissioning processes.
• Participate in forecasting, pipeline and market analysis.
• Liaise with the professional community, including attending technical forums and presenting papers at industry events.
• Monitor and evaluate trends in prospect, customer and target tenant base.

The Requirements

The ideal candidate for this role will have experience as a Sales Engineer in a data centre or colocation environment, and a track record of success in a sales leadership role. To be a strong fit for the Director, Solution Engineering and Design, you will have:

• 5+ years of relevant experience working with a data centre or colocation provider, OR
• 8+ years working in engineering consulting, hosting high tech facilities, mission-critical construction or other related field.
• The ability to work directly with customers to understand their needs, then work cross-functionally with multiple internal stakeholders to provide a solution including cabinet configuration, electrical design, cooling strategies and connectivity.
• Exceptional interpersonal and polished presentation skills and the ability to speak intelligently with big data / power users.
• Experience and skill leading and motivating a technical sales team.
• Technical savvy and a solid understanding of at least one of the following:
  • Electrical provisioning / configuration.
  • Mechanical cooling systems.
• Proven project management skills including experience with document management and project tracking.
• The ability to work well under pressure and take a proactive approach in handling issues, providing solutions and/or acting as a change manager.
• Good organizational skills, attention to detail and openness to new ideas and procedures.
• Expert application software skills including, MS Word and Excel; Visio; AutoCAD; and Adobe Acrobat.
• A bachelor's degree, ideally in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics or Computer Engineering, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
• You should be willing to travel between 20% to 40% of the time.

Preferred but not required:

• Experience leading data centre / telecom projects, including coordinating design, subcontractors and construction.
• Experience leading multi-regional teams within the APAC/SEA region.
• Experience estimating and tracking costs associated with client installations or similar projects.
• Familiarity with telecom carrier operations / business models.
• Knowledge of all applicable rules, laws and ordinances in performing data / communications projects particular to meet-me room (MMR) and colocation areas.

What we can offer you

Our rapidly evolving business sector offers the opportunity to be part of a courageous and passionate team who work together to understand and meet the changing needs of our global customers.

Join us and you’ll be part of a supportive and inclusive environment where you can bring your whole self to work. As part of our team, you’ll get to work with people from different business areas, challenge the way we do things and put your ideas into action. We’ll also give you plenty of development opportunities so you can build a rewarding and successful career with us.

Apply today, take charge of your career and grow your talents with us.

Health and Safety

Safety isn't just a priority here at Digital; it's critical to everything we do. Safeguarding lives, protecting assets, and securing data aren't just ideals - they're essential pillars of our commitment to excellence for our people, our partners and our customers. We have a culture of care where every member of Team Digital embraces a relentless pursuit of working safely across Digital Realty. Together we are Safely Powering Progress.

Our Compensation Philosophy

Digital Realty offers its employees a highly competitive compensation package, excellent benefits, and an environment that recognizes and rewards your contributions. Central to our compensation philosophy is rewarding our employees for achieving the values and objectives aligned to the company's overall goals and values.