Senior Sales Engineer - Public Sector

About the role

As a Public Sector Solutions Consultant at Zendesk, you'll be instrumental in transforming how leading government agencies leverage our AI-powered platform. Your role involves leading technical and business discovery, architecting AI-driven CX & ES solutions, driving technical strategy through the sales cycle, integrating and scaling solutions, collaborating and influencing, measuring and optimizing impact, and championing AI adoption.

Responsibilities

• Lead Technical & Business Discovery: Conduct thorough discovery sessions to understand customer challenges, perform AI readiness assessments, and design tailored demos, and proofs of value that demonstrate Zendesk's differentiated value.
• Architect AI-Driven CX & ES Solutions: Translate advanced AI/ML capabilities (such as automation, conversational bots, predictive analytics, and orchestration) into clear, business-focused narratives for diverse audiences from IT to the C-suite.
• Drive Technical Strategy Through the Sales Cycle: Own the end-to-end technical engagement, from qualification and design through pilot execution, ensuring each solution aligns with customer goals and compliance standards.
• Integrate & Scale: Architect secure, scalable solutions leveraging Zendesk APIs, middleware, telephony systems, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) that enable seamless workflows and automation.
• Collaborate & Influence: Work cross-functionally to align customer needs with Zendesk's product roadmap, influence future innovations, and ensure a unified go-to-market strategy.
• Measure & Optimize Impact: Use Zendesk analytics and AI performance metrics (sentiment analysis, ticket deflection, time-to-resolution) to demonstrate ROI and inform continuous improvement.
• Champion AI Adoption: Collaborate with Customer Success to drive AI adoption through value realization initiatives and continued promotion of new AI capabilities.
• Stay Ahead of the Curve: Continuously build your expertise in AI, automation, and evolving CX and ES technologies, sharing insights that position Zendesk as a market thought leader.

Requirements

• 5+ years of presales experience, including traditional Solutions Consulting but may include equivalent experience as a developer, customer engineer, Forward Deployed Engineer, or Technical Account Manager in similar environments.
• Proven experience designing and executing customer pilots and proofs of concept that demonstrate business value.
• Business Value Literacy: Ability to conduct basic ROI discovery and use standardized TCO/ROI templates for business case development.
• Understanding of AI technologies (LLMs, ChatGPT, NLP, MCP automation frameworks) and their practical applications in CX.
• Expertise in one or more of the following domains: CCaaS, Customer Service software, ITSM, Business Intelligence, Workforce Management, or Integration & Middleware.
• Strong analytical and storytelling abilities, able to connect technical capabilities to strategic business impact.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, presentation, and writing skills.
• Strongly Desired: Working knowledge or awareness of Federal, State, Local, and Education (FSLED) compliance requirements (e.g., basic knowledge of HIPAA, CJIS, FERPA, FedRAMP, or similar mandates).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience (graduate degree a plus).
• Willingness and ability to travel as required.

Skills

• Strategic & Consultative: Think beyond features. Frame solutions around measurable customer outcomes.
• Tech Fluency: Deep curiosity for how AI and automation are reshaping customer experience.
• Collaborative Influencer: Work seamlessly across functions, aligning teams and earning stakeholder trust.
• Customer-Obsessed: Listen deeply, empathize authentically, and design with the customer at the center.
• Analytical Storyteller: Turn data and metrics into compelling business insights.
• Innovative Problem Solver: Approach challenges creatively leveraging technology to unlock new opportunities and value.

Pay

The US annualized OTE (On Target Earnings) range for this position is $188,000.00-$282,000.00 with a pay mix of 80/20 (base/commission). This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives.