- Workplace
- Remote, Hybrid
- Type
- Full-time
- Department
- Engineering
- Seniority
- Director
- Experience
- 4+ years
- Source
- RecruiterFlow
Description
Director of Solutions Engineering – ANZ
Company Overview
We are a global leader in open networking systems and commercial-grade disaggregated networking solutions. Our flagship Network Operating System (NOS) powers carrier-grade service provider routing, data center fabrics, and AI workloads across hundreds of major operators worldwide. As the market for open, disaggregated networking grows across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), we are seeking a strategic and technically exceptional leader to scale our engineering presence in the region.
Job Summary
As the Director of Solutions Engineering for ANZ, you will lead, scale, and mentor a high-performing team of Pre-Sales and Field Solutions Engineers. You will serve as the primary technical executive in the region, bridging the gap between sales strategies and complex network architectures. You will collaborate closely with Tier-1 telecommunications carriers, regional internet service providers (ISPs), and major data center operators across Australia to displace traditional legacy vendor lock-in with high-performance, open-networking solutions.
- Location: Sydney or Melbourne, Australia (Hybrid / Remote options available)
- Reports To: VP / Global Head of Solutions Engineering
- Travel: Up to 35% across the ANZ and APAC region
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Team Scaling
- Build and lead a world-class team of Solutions Engineers across Australia, managing regional hiring, training, and performance metrics.
- Define the regional go-to-market (GTM) technical strategy alongside the ANZ Sales Director to hit regional revenue targets.
- Allocate engineering resources dynamically to support high-value proof-of-concepts (PoCs), Request for Proposals (RFPs), and architecture validation.
Technical Pre-Sales & Architecture
- Act as the principal trusted advisor to C-level executives and chief architects at major Australian telecommunications and data center providers.
- Architect end-to-end solutions utilizing our open Network Operating System across Service Provider Routing (SR-MPLS, Segment Routing, IPoDWDM) and Data Center Fabric (EVPN-VXLAN, RoCEv2) environments.
- Oversee complex technical evaluations, product demonstrations, and deep-dive architectural workshops to validate the economic and performance benefits of disaggregated networking.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Channel field insights and feature requirements back to global Product Management and R&D teams to shape our core software roadmap.
- Partner with hardware ecosystem vendors (Whitebox ODMs) and regional systems integrators to deliver seamless, single-support network offerings.
- Ensure seamless deployment handoffs from pre-sales technical validation to the Post-Sales Customer Success and Professional Services groups.
Required Skills & Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Telecommunications Engineering, or a highly related technical field.
- Experience: Minimum of 10+ years in technical pre-sales, systems engineering, or network architecture, with at least 4+ years in a direct management or leadership position.
- Deep Networking Expertise: Authoritative knowledge of L2/L3 routing and switching protocols, including BGP, OSPF, ISIS, MPLS, Segment Routing (SRv6/SR-MPLS), EVPN-VXLAN, and multicast.
- Open Networking Ecosystem: Solid understanding of disaggregated networking, Whitebox hardware, the Linux networking stack, ONIE, and the benefits of whitebox operating systems over legacy ASIC architectures.
- Commercial Acumen: Proven history of partnering with enterprise or telecom sales teams to close multi-million dollar deals and navigate long, complex procurement cycles.
- Communication: Flawless presentation and technical writing capabilities, with an innate ability to translate highly complex protocols into clear business outcomes for non-technical stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior working experience at a traditional networking vendor (e.g., Cisco, Juniper, Nokia) or an independent whitebox/NOS provider.
- Strong technical networks and established relationships within the engineering organizations of major Australian telecom providers (e.g., Telstra, Optus, TPG, Vocus) and data center operators.
- Familiarity with network automation tools (Ansible, Terraform) and centralized network management software suites.
Skills
TerraformAnsibleLinuxProcurementTechnical Writing