Pre- Sales Engineer

This is an incredible opportunity to be part of a company that has been at the forefront of AI and high-performance data storage innovation for over two decades. DataDirect Networks (DDN) is a global market leader renowned for powering many of the world's most demanding AI data centers, in industries ranging from life sciences and healthcare to financial services, autonomous cars, Government, academia, research and manufacturing.

"DDN's A3I solutions are transforming the landscape of AI infrastructure." – IDC 

“The real differentiator is DDN. I never hesitate to recommend DDN. DDN is the de facto name for AI Storage in high performance environments” - Marc Hamilton, VP, Solutions Architecture & Engineering | NVIDIA 

DDN is the global leader in AI and multi-cloud data management at scale. Our cutting-edge data intelligence platform is designed to accelerate AI workloads, enabling organizations to extract maximum value from their data. With a proven track record of performance, reliability, and scalability, DDN empowers businesses to tackle the most challenging AI and data-intensive workloads with confidence. 

Our success is driven by our unwavering commitment to innovation, customer-centricity, and a team of passionate professionals who bring their expertise and dedication to every project. This is a chance to make a significant impact at a company that is shaping the future of AI and data management. 

Our commitment to innovation, customer success, and market leadership makes this an exciting and rewarding role for a driven professional looking to make a lasting impact in the world of AI and data storage. 

Job Title:

PreSales System Engineer - China

Job Description:

We are currently seeking candidate for the position of PreSales System Engineer based in China

The ideal candidate will have great presentation skills, knowledge of the storage industry. This position provides technical support to the Sales team/s.  The candidate will design solutions and proposals to meet customer-defined specifications, help customers define solution specifications, provide POC and Benchmark support.  The candidate will provide written reports to management on status and issues within the business sector. The role includes providing installation and training to customers on DDN solutions when required.  The candidate should have the ability to travel internationally.  Additional responsibilities include mentoring junior SEs, designing services and product offerings to support the building DDN's Services.  This hire performs Pre-Sales work supporting team as well as Professional Service work.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The duties and responsibilities for this role include but are not limited to;

• Pre-sales activity supporting cloud, content & media sales.
• Assist in closing new business opportunities by gaining a thorough technical and business understanding of clients' needs and helping sales qualify, identify, and close new opportunities.
• Understand the sales process and how to utilize company resources to close accounts.
• Participate in customer-focused seminars, tradeshows, events, and training.
• Provide RFP responses, technical drawings, presentations, and recommendations.
• Acquire and maintain a thorough technical and procedural understanding of DDN Sales cycles, products/services and a thorough technical understanding of like industries.
• Develop a substantial knowledge of the company's SAN appliances product line.
• Develop innovative solutions to customers' business needs. Installation status reports.
• Assist DataDirect sales representatives in qualifying potential customer deals.
• Create of Bill of Materials (BOMS) of proposed customer solutions for submission to Inside Sales for quoting.
• Weekly status report of activities to manager.
• Build and implement professional services solutions around DDN product offerings.
• Expand professional services offerings outside of DDN product offerings, helping to develop products, process and procedures to facilitate engagements.
• Create blueprint solutions for implementation within the DDN sales offerings. Mentoring of junior SE's.
• May supervise staff on project engagements.
• Must be able and willing to travel occasionally.

Qualifications:

• BSc or higher degree or equivalent

Skills:

• Ability to manage customer relationship post-sale, including strategy to close repeat business.
• Great people skills and be a great presenter.
• Ability to Multitask and develop innovative solutions for client needs.
• Requires the ability to listen, understand and articulate the customer's needs and how to solve it.
• Dynamic team leader.
• The ability to form and lead teams is a requirement.
• Relationship building and people skills are very important

Experience:

• 5+ years experience in a presales role; a
• Proven understanding and knowledge of the storage industry and solutions as must.
• Strong background in CDN workflow and deep archive storage.
• Experience in WEB 1.0 and 2.0 from conception to deployment.
• 5+ years’ experience in Operating systems debugging Linux and Windows Environments.
• Red Hat, SUSE, Windows XP, Server, 2000, 2003 and 2008. Scripting (Shell), C++, Java, Perl.
• Strong knowledge in file system deployment and concepts: XFS, ZFS, EXT3/4.
• Desired experience in clustering packages, SNFS, GPFS, Red Hat Clustering, Lustre.
• 5+ years’ experience in SAN and NAS RAID Appliance is required. BS or work equivalent in Computer Information Systems.
• Deep knowledge of networking concepts is required; NAS protocol levels (CIFS, NFS, SMB, etc.) and ability to integrate and trouble shoot at all layers of OSI model. Specifically, the Network and Data link layers as well as Session and Application.
• Proven project management skills.

• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Flexible and ability to remain composed in hectic environments
• Ability to work independently.

• Competitive, refuse-to-lose attitude, strong work ethic, and excellent team working and influencing skills.

• Good communication skills, written and oral in English/ Must have strong communication skills, including: developing and delivering presentations; and connecting with customers via phone, face to face, and in written correspondences.
• Ability to work with DDN Subject Matter Experts from different geographies and time zones

DDN Core Competencies:

DDN has a very strong orientation towards these four characteristics and any successful employee will demonstrate these capabilities: 

• Self-Starter - Takes independent action to identify and solve problems. Seeks out relevant information needed to make decisions. Gets involved with new initiatives. 
• Success/Achievement Orientation - Delivers quality results consistently. Targets, achieves (or exceeds) measurable results. Sets challenging goals, focuses on critical priorities, and is accountable. 
• Problem Solving - Recognizes problems and responds with a systematic assessment that identifies and addresses cause of issue. Practical, realistic, and resourceful. 
• Innovative - Builds and improves key business processes that enhance the effectiveness of DDN. Generates new ideas, challenges the status quo, and solves problems creatively.

DataDirect Networks, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, sex stereotyping, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.