What does a director of sales engineering do?
A Director of Sales Engineering spearheads and oversees a company's sales engineering operations. They have the authority to make corporate decisions, set goals and budgets, establish guidelines and timelines, liaise and build positive relationships with external business partners, and develop strategies to optimize workflow and workforce operations. They must also monitor the progress of operations and address issues and concerns. A Director of Sales Engineering leads and encourages staff to reach goals, all while promoting and implementing safety standards and policies.
Director of sales engineering responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real director of sales engineering resumes:
- Manage the design and development of Kryterion software-as-a-service (SAAS) products.
- Support the design and deployment of an IP multicast application by managing the pilot program.
- Support multiple client web application in SaaS manage services environment.
- Manage relationships with toll manufacturers and logistics providers to exceed cost reduction and inventory turn targets.
- Initiate regional campaign to assess and grow field readiness of sales team to effectively communicate corporate software solutions and capabilities.
- Develop the largest aerospace aftermarket business in the company world-wide.
- Target industries including automotive, aerospace, telecommunications, military, pharmaceuticals, and education.
Director of sales engineering skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Directors Of Sales Engineering are proficient in Pre Sales, Cloud, and Product Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Directors Of Sales Engineering that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Pre Sales, 13%
Understand the fact that every market has its own culture, regulations policy and different pre sales.
- Cloud, 10%
Focused on delivering business solutions through the use of on premise and Cloud software technology.
- Product Management, 9%
Led a Global Business Architecture and Product Management team of over 30 people.
- Professional Services, 5%
Teamed with Professional Services delivering customer post-sales support.
- Sales Process, 4%
Mentored Sales Engineers in the 2ndWave architecture and sales process.
- Customer Feedback, 4%
Facilitated customer feedback for new product features to PM and R&D organizations.
"pre sales," "cloud," and "product management" are among the most common skills that directors of sales engineering use at work. You can find even more director of sales engineering responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a director of sales engineering to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "sales managers must collect and interpret complex data to target the most promising geographic areas and demographic groups, and determine the most effective sales strategies." Directors of sales engineering often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "completed needs/fit analysis, return-on-investment (roi) and business case documents. "
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling director of sales engineering duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly." According to a director of sales engineering resume, here's how directors of sales engineering can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "author white-papers on rcs, the future of ip communications and role of rich content in the telco eco-system. "
Customer-service skills. directors of sales engineering are also known for customer-service skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to director of sales engineering responsibilities, because "when helping to make a sale, sales managers must listen and respond to the customer’s needs." A director of sales engineering resume example shows how customer-service skills is used in the workplace: "served as main liaison between customers/prospects and product development. "
Leadership skills. A big part of what directors of sales engineering do relies on "leadership skills." You can see how essential it is to director of sales engineering responsibilities because "sales managers must be able to evaluate how their sales staff performs and must develop strategies for meeting sales goals." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical director of sales engineering tasks: "worked cooperatively with leadership to create and implement sales programs and results tracking. "
The three companies that hire the most director of sales engineerings are:
- Snowflake Computing10 directors of sales engineering jobs
- Visa8 directors of sales engineering jobs
- QuintilesIMS4 directors of sales engineering jobs
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Compare different directors of sales engineering
Director of sales engineering vs. Sales vice president
Sales vice presidents are top-level executives at a sales, retail, or marketing corporation. Primarily these executives are tasked to direct and lead a sales department or team within the organization. Their objective is to meet or even exceed the sales or marketing standards set for a successful business operation. They manage brands, deploy sales, and distribute the channels of the company. Also, they oversee the internal operations of the organization to establish customer relationships.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, director of sales engineering responsibilities require skills like "pre sales," "cloud," "product management," and "professional services." Meanwhile a typical sales vice president has skills in areas such as "healthcare," "customer service," "sales management," and "crm." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Sales vice presidents tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $150,209. In contrast, directors of sales engineering make the biggest average salary, $147,387, in the telecommunication industry.The education levels that sales vice presidents earn slightly differ from directors of sales engineering. In particular, sales vice presidents are 5.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a director of sales engineering. Additionally, they're 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of sales engineering vs. National sales director
A national sales director is responsible for monitoring the sales targets and performance of the sales force across the country's regions. National sales directors handle the execution and release of goods and services according to market trends and public demands. They strategize on related business opportunities to identify additional resources that would increase the company's revenue and profitability. A national sales director conducts data and statistical analysis to determine pricing techniques, considering the availability of supplies and its market demands.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that director of sales engineering responsibilities requires skills like "pre sales," "cloud," "product management," and "professional services." But a national sales director might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "crm," "healthcare," "revenue growth," and "salesforce."
National sales directors may earn a lower salary than directors of sales engineering, but national sales directors earn the most pay in the pharmaceutical industry with an average salary of $110,884. On the other hand, directors of sales engineering receive higher pay in the telecommunication industry, where they earn an average salary of $147,387.Average education levels between the two professions vary. National sales directors tend to reach lower levels of education than directors of sales engineering. In fact, they're 6.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of sales engineering vs. Regional sales director
A regional sales director is responsible for monitoring sales quotas for a specific area or region, developing sales strategies, and adjusting existing techniques to increase revenues and achieve its profitability goals. Regional sales directors manage marketing campaigns, analyze current market trends to meet consumer demands, plan promotional events, handle employees' sales training programs, and coordinate with multiple sales teams to implement effective sales processes. A regional sales director must have excellent leadership and communication skills, especially managing customers' inquiries and concerns and resolving complaints.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a director of sales engineering is likely to be skilled in "cloud," "product management," "professional services," and "customer feedback," while a typical regional sales director is skilled in "regional sales," "healthcare," "crm," and "customer service."
Regional sales directors make a very good living in the pharmaceutical industry with an average annual salary of $157,646. On the other hand, directors of sales engineering are paid the highest salary in the telecommunication industry, with average annual pay of $147,387.Most regional sales directors achieve a lower degree level compared to directors of sales engineering. For example, they're 5.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Director of sales engineering vs. Senior sales director
A senior sales director is in charge of spearheading and overseeing the sales operations in a company, prioritizing customer satisfaction and profit growth. Their responsibilities revolve around developing strategies to reach sales targets, devising and defining sales objectives, coordinating with fellow directors and managers, and creating extensive sales reports. Furthermore, as a senior sales director, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach sales goals, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Types of director of sales engineering
Updated January 8, 2025
