SE Director

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. 

The Director, Sales Engineering – Americas leads and scales DDN’s regional Sales Engineering organization, partnering closely with Sales, Product, and Engineering leadership to drive technical strategy, customer success, and revenue growth. This role is responsible for building a high-performing team of Sales Engineers, setting technical standards, and ensuring consistent execution across enterprise, hyperscale, and regulated industry customers.

The ideal candidate is a proven technical leader with deep infrastructure expertise, strong people leadership skills, and the ability to align technical execution with business outcomes across a diverse regional footprint.

Key Responsibilities

Regional Leadership & Strategy

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Sales Engineering team across the Americas
• Define regional SE strategy aligned with global go-to-market objectives
• Establish best practices for discovery, solution design, POCs, and technical close
• Partner with Sales leadership to support pipeline growth, deal strategy, and forecast accuracy

Technical Oversight & Customer Engagement

• Serve as an executive technical sponsor for strategic and high-value customer engagements
• Provide escalation support for complex deals, competitive situations, and executive presentations
• Ensure consistent technical messaging and architectural standards across the region
• Guide teams in positioning DDN solutions for performance-critical, data-intensive, and regulated environments

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as the voice of the field to Product Management and Engineering, influencing roadmap priorities
• Partner with Marketing and Enablement teams on messaging, demos, and technical training
• Work closely with Professional Services and Support to ensure seamless customer transitions post-sale

Team Development & Operations

• Recruit, onboard, and retain top Sales Engineering talent
• Set performance goals, coach career development, and conduct performance reviews
• Support capacity planning, regional coverage models, and resource alignment
• Drive operational rigor through metrics, reporting, and continuous improvement

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Sales Engineering, Solutions Architecture, or Systems Engineering
• 5+ years of people management experience leading distributed technical teams
• Strong background in enterprise storage, data infrastructure, or distributed systems
• Proven experience partnering with Sales leadership to drive complex, multi-stakeholder deals
• Excellent executive communication, presentation, and leadership skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading SE teams supporting enterprise, hyperscale, or regulated industries (e.g., Financial Services)
• Familiarity with AI/ML, HPC, cloud-adjacent, or large-scale data environments
• Track record of scaling teams and processes in high-growth environments
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience)

Why Join DDN

• Lead and shape a critical customer-facing organization at a global technology leader
• Work alongside top sales, product, and engineering executives
• Influence both regional execution and global technical strategy
• Competitive compensation, benefits, and long-term career growth

DDN has a very strong orientation towards these 4 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.

#LI-Remote