Mgr, Solutions Engineering

About the role

Are you a mission-first leader ready to shape the data and AI foundations for national security? NetApp is seeking a Solutions Engineering (SE) Manager to lead our elite USPS Federal Department of War (DoW) pre-sales team. In this role, you will lead, mentor, and continuously uplevel a team of senior engineering experts to design NetApp's intelligent data infrastructure into multi-year defense programs of record and mission command platforms. This role requires strategic vision, operational discipline, and a hands-on approach to coaching elite technical talent.

Responsibilities

• Lead Defense Architectures: Guide your SE team in designing secure, high-performance data architectures for joint-force programs and tactical edge deployments.
• Uplevel Elite SE Talent: Actively mentor and upskill your senior engineering team, challenging them to master emerging technologies in AI, modern virtualization, and cyber resiliency.
• Win the Lab Phase: Champion NetApp adoption in defense battle labs and prototyping environments to secure "designed-in" status early in the capture lifecycle.
• Secure Mission Compliance: Navigate complex DoD security boundaries, guiding your team to position NetApp securely within DoD Impact Levels (IL4/IL5/IL6).
• Enforce Operational Discipline: Drive absolute precision in Salesforce (SFDC) hygiene, ensuring your team maps pre-sales milestones, proof-of-concepts, and architectural wins with military-grade rigor.

Requirements

• Proven Pre-Sales Leadership: A track record of inspiring, coaching, and developing senior pre-sales engineers into a high-performing unit.
• DoD Domain Expertise: Deep familiarity with the Department of War structure, tactical military commands (COCOMs), and the defense acquisition landscape.
• Technical Acumen: Familiarity with tactical-edge data storage, hybrid multi-cloud, and secure data services.
• Competitive Mindset: The drive to help SEs successfully differentiate NetApp against legacy storage and cloud competitors.
• Executive Presence: Ability to translate complex technical architectures into clear, mission-focused outcomes for senior military leadership and defense integrators.
• Location: Must reside in the Washington, DC / Maryland / Virginia (DMV) area (strict requirement for on-site collaboration with local defense headquarters).
• Security Clearance: Active Top Secret (TS/SCI eligibility) clearance is strictly required.
• Management Experience: Minimum of 5 years of direct experience managing Solutions Engineering (SE) or pre-sales teams is strictly required.
• Total Experience: 8+ years of technical sales or engineering experience within the DoD/Federal sector.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, engineering, or equivalent practical defense/industry experience is highly desired.

Pay

The target salary range for this position is 287,300 - 338,000 USD. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. The range is based on 'On Target Earnings' (OTE) representing the total potential earnings, which is the sum of the base salary and potential commission earned when performance targets are achieved. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off, various Leave options, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU's). These offerings are subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. Detailed information about the specific benefits for your region will be provided during the recruitment process.

Benefits

NetApp embraces a hybrid working environment designed to strengthen connection, collaboration, and culture for all employees. Most roles have some level of in-office and/or in-person expectations, which will be shared during the recruitment process. Our culture celebrates mold breakers, bold thinkers, and problem solvers. We reward initiative, impact, and ownership. We provide flexibility so you can balance professional ambition with your personal life. Here, differences are not just welcomed—they drive everything we do. NetApp is the trusted partner for organizations transforming data into opportunity. As the only enterprise-grade storage service natively embedded in Google Cloud, AWS, and Microsoft Azure, we empower customers to run everything from traditional workloads to enterprise AI with unmatched performance, resilience, and security.