Responsibilities

As the Senior Systems Engineering Director (Senior SED) for Majors, you will lead the pre-sales engineering organization across our highest-revenue majors accounts. You are a second-line leader responsible for managing first-line Systems Engineering Directors (SEDs), Principal Architects, and senior Individual Contributors.
Partnering directly with Area Vice Presidents (AVPs) of Sales, you will own technical go-to-market execution, capacity planning, and technical win rates across the region. You will move the team beyond reactive technical demonstrations and open-ended POCs into a disciplined engineering motion: validating deals against clear C-level business metrics, generating technical pipeline, and scaling practical AI workflows across the field.
Regional GTM Strategy & Capacity Governance
Partner with Regional Sales VPs on quarterly territory reviews, account tiering, and technical coverage planning.
Balance and govern SE team capacity across accounts, setting clear criteria to allocate engineering resources where win probability and deal value are highest.
Manage second-line operational metrics: technical win rates, POV cycle times, and resource utilization across the region.
Proof-of-Value (POV) Governance & Deal Execution
Enforce clear entry and exit criteria for all customer evaluations, requiring documented executive business goals and CISO/CIO alignment before committing technical resources.
Hold SE Directors and Managers accountable for operational rigor: tracking 30-day technical validation milestones, maintaining shared customer war rooms, and preventing scope creep.
Act as executive technical sponsor on flagship deals, partnering with account teams during late-stage negotiations and high-stakes executive playbacks.
SE Pipeline Generation (SE PG) & Account Expansion
Drive a culture of technical pipeline generation, leading teams to proactively uncover new expansion opportunities through architectural reviews, zero trust maturity workshops, and executive threat briefings.

Qualification

Deep knowledge of Zero Trust principles$215

Required

12+ years of technical pre-sales engineering experience in enterprise software, cybersecurity, cloud architecture, or networking infrastructure.
5+ years in a formal leadership capacity, with demonstrated experience managing managers (second-line leadership) or leading large, distributed field engineering organizations ($100M+ ARR scope).
Demonstrated curiosity and active exploration of AI tools, with a proven history of integrating new technologies to enhance daily workflows and augment problem-solving
Proven track record partnering with Senior Sales Leadership (RVPs/AVPs) on quota attainment, capacity forecasting, and complex MEDDPICC-governed sales motions.
Deep knowledge of Zero Trust principles, SASE/SSE architectures, cloud security, and enterprise networking.

Preferred

Prior experience establishing or overhauling POV governance frameworks, reducing evaluation cycle times, and improving technical win rates.
Demonstrate strong AI fluency by leveraging coding assistants, LLMs, and Generative AI tools to accelerate troubleshooting, solution design, automation, and customer problem-solving, while applying sound technical judgment to validate outputs.
Direct experience engaging with Fortune 500 / Global 2000 C-level security and IT executives.
Track record of incorporating modern AI-assisted engineering tools and automation into pre-sales workflows.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or equivalent enterprise experience.
Zscaler’s salary ranges are benchmarked and are determined by role and level. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations and could be higher or lower based on a multitude of factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
The base salary range listed for this full-time position excludes commission/ bonus/ equity (if applicable) + benefits.
$215,250—$307,500 USD

Senior Director, Sales Engineering - Majors at Zscaler · LumiJobs

Senior Director, Sales Engineering - Majors

Responsibilities

Qualification

Required

Preferred

Benefits

Company

Zscaler

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