Leads and develops the Solutions Engineering team across the UK and France. Partners with Sales on enterprise opportunities, technical discovery, demonstrations, proofs of concept, and executive presentations. Establishes scalable pre-sales processes, allocates resources, improves technical win rates, and collaborates with Product and R&D on customer needs. Supports hiring, coaching, strategic customer engagements, and organizational growth while maintaining expertise in cloud security and emerging threats. Frequent customer and partner travel is required.
DescriptionAbout Upwind
Upwind is a cloud security company founded by the team that pioneered runtime-powered cloud security. Our platform delivers real-time visibility and protection across cloud environments, enabling organizations to detect, understand, and respond to threats with greater context and precision.
We’re looking for a Solutions Engineering (Pre-sales) Manager to help scale our Solutions Engineering organization. In this role, you’ll lead and develop a high-performing team, partner closely with Sales leadership, and collaborate with Product and R&D to drive customer success and business growth.
- Lead and develop the Solutions Engineering team across UK & France: Manage, mentor, and coach Solutions Engineers, strengthening their technical expertise, customer-facing skills, and commercial impact.
- Partner with Sales leadership: Work closely with Account Executives and Sales leaders to shape account strategies, qualify opportunities, and drive deals forward throughout the sales cycle.
- Lead strategic technical engagements: Support complex enterprise opportunities through technical discovery, product demonstrations, proof of concepts (POCs), and executive-level customer presentations.
- Build a scalable pre-sales organization: Establish and refine best practices, processes, and methodologies for technical discovery, demonstrations, POC execution, and opportunity qualification.
- Drive team performance and resource allocation: Prioritize resources across opportunities, ensure effective coverage of strategic accounts, and maintain a high standard of execution across the team.
- Collaborate cross-functionally: Act as the voice of the customer, partnering with Product and R&D to communicate customer needs, influence the product roadmap, and drive continuous product improvement.
- Maintain technical excellence: Ensure the team develops deep product knowledge and stays ahead of developments in cloud security, emerging threats, and the broader cybersecurity landscape.
- Support hiring and organizational growth: Recruit, onboard, and develop Solutions Engineers as the organization expands.
- Lead by example: Stay close to customers and strategic opportunities, stepping in to lead complex technical discussions and support high-priority deals when needed.
- Continuously improve execution: Identify opportunities to improve team efficiency, customer engagement, technical win rates, and collaboration across the sales organization.
- Proven experience in Solutions Engineering, Sales Engineering, or Pre-Sales within the cybersecurity or cloud security industry.
- At least 5 years of hands-on people management experience, including leading, hiring, and developing pre-sales teams.
- Ownership & Execution: A proactive, get-it-done mindset - taking ownership, identifying gaps, and driving initiatives forward to achieve the best possible outcomes and win.
- A strong technical foundation and the ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and business audiences.
- Experience supporting enterprise sales cycles, including technical discovery, product demonstrations, POCs, and stakeholder presentations.
- Strong understanding of cloud technologies, cloud infrastructure, and modern security concepts.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
- Strong commercial acumen and the ability to partner effectively with Sales teams to drive revenue outcomes.
- A hands-on, proactive approach and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
- Strong organizational and prioritization skills, with the ability to balance people leadership with direct involvement in strategic opportunities.
- A growth mindset and a genuine passion for coaching, developing talent, and building high-performing teams.
- Ability and willingness to travel frequently for customer meetings, on-site engagements, and partner activities.
- Based in the UK
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