Manager, Solutions Engineering

Manager Of Solutions Engineering

We're not just building better tech. We're rewriting how data moves and what the world can do with it. With Confluent, data doesn't sit still. Our platform puts information in motion, streaming in near real-time so companies can react faster, build smarter, and deliver experiences as dynamic as the world around them. It takes a certain kind of person to join this team. Those who ask hard questions, give honest feedback, and show up for each other. No egos, no solo acts. Just smart, curious humans pushing toward something bigger, together. One Confluent. One Team. One Data Streaming Platform.

About the Role :

As the Manager of Solutions Engineering at Confluent, you will be leading a team of Enterprise Solutions Engineers and partnering with our sales leadership team covering our West Coast based accounts. As a Manager, you will be responsible for creating an environment where Solutions Engineers can thrive and grow in their careers, by planning development, coaching, and enablement across the team. This is a technical, customer-facing role that will lean on your experience in leading customer engagements, building customer relationships, and being our customers' biggest advocate. As a technical leader, your insights and strategic solutions will both elevate customer solutions and help propel Confluent's growth. And as a partner to our sales leadership team, you will lead defining account strategy, orchestrating team alignment, and engaging in Sales and Customer Success pursuits, while setting clear goals for the team to support business growth. In this pivotal role, you're not just managing; you're inspiring. You'll be the architect of innovation and collaboration, crafting scalable, powerful technical solutions that resonate with our most significant customers. Your commitment to technical excellence and continuous growth will ensure your team remains at the forefront of industry trends and Confluent's pioneering technologies.

What You Will Do :

Lead a team of Solutions Engineers with tenets of strong customer engagement, product & use-case knowledge, and sales acumen.

Partner closely with Sales Leadership on key Business Metrics and Consumption forecasting.

Design and implement strategies for the Solutions Engineering team to achieve sales and customer success targets, with a focus on consumption goals.

Provide mentorship and career development opportunities to team members, ensuring high levels of engagement and professional growth.

Lead by example in customer engagements, demonstrating advanced technical expertise and problem-solving skills as well as building key customer relationships.

Provide timely guidance for the team on unblocking customer technical hurdles and handling escalations.

Collaborate closely with sales, product, and engineering teams to ensure seamless integration of technical solutions and customer feedback into product development.

Build and scale the team through hiring and recruiting efforts.

What You Will Bring :

2+ years of experience in a leadership role within Solutions Engineering or other customer-facing teams.

Strong technical background with a solid understanding of cloud services, streaming data platforms, and enterprise architecture.

Proven track record of leading teams to achieve sales targets and deliver exceptional customer outcomes.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels.

A commitment to fostering an inclusive and collaborative team environment.

Demonstrated ability to navigate and succeed in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

What Gives You an Edge :

Prior experience in the software or cloud services industry, especially with streaming data technologies like Apache Kafka.

A track record of innovation and the ability to think creatively to solve complex technical problems and propose new solutions.

Experience in leading teams through change, including process improvements, organizational restructuring, or adoption of new technologies.

Come As You Are. Belonging isn't a perk here. It's the baseline. We work across time zones and backgrounds, knowing the best ideas come from different perspectives. And we make space for everyone to lead, grow, and challenge what's possible. We're proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Employment decisions are based on job-related criteria, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other classification protected by law.