Location: Remote position, preferably
based in the DC Metro Area, Charleston, SC, Norfolk/Suffolk, VA or Raleigh/Durham, NC (occasional local/regional travel)
About Our Client:
They are mission-focused IT
consultants and a trusted Federal Value-Added Reseller. They specialize in
delivering tailored, innovative cybersecurity and IT solutions that unify
diverse technologies to strengthen national defense and empower our clients’ missions.
Their expertise spans modern SOC and DevSecOps, Zero Trust, Big Data
Architecture, Kubernetes strategy, adaptive IT infrastructure, and secure
software development.
Why Join Our Client's Team
Mission-driven work supporting
federal clients and national security.
Opportunity to work with
cutting-edge technologies and top-tier partners such as Nutanix, F5, Palo Alto
Networks, Arista Networks and Rancher Government Solutions.
Collaborative, growth-focused
environment where your expertise directly impacts client success.
Our client is seeking a high-caliber Presales
Engineer who operates at the intersection of technical expertise, architectural
vision, and mission alignment. This is not a demo-only or slide-level role. The
ideal candidate serves as a trusted technical advisor to senior federal
stakeholders while confidently engaging in detailed engineering discussions
with customer technical teams.
You must be able to translate complex
mission requirements into secure, scalable, and compliant architectures—while
clearly articulating the strategic and operational value to executive
leadership.
This role demands intellectual
curiosity, hands-on capability, architectural discipline, and the ability to
communicate clearly at every level - from systems engineers to program
leadership.
The Presales Engineer will:
Function as both a technical
strategist and a solution architect throughout the sales lifecycle
Engage directly with DoD and federal
customers to align technology solutions with mission outcomes
Demonstrate deep familiarity with the
technologies across our strategic partner ecosystem
Contribute technically—not just
conceptually—through proof-of-concept builds, lab work, and architecture
validation
Elevate technical conversations beyond
surface-level sales dialogue
Key Responsibilities
Technical Strategy & Sales
Enablement
Partner with Account Executives to
develop technically sound pursuit strategies aligned with federal mission
objectives
Translate customer requirements into
secure, compliant, and scalable solution architectures
Support capture efforts with technical
positioning, competitive differentiation, and architectural guidance
Vet technical feasibility before
opportunities are advanced and help shape realistic, defensible solution paths
Solution Architecture &
Engineering Depth
Architect solutions across domains
including Zero Trust, DevSecOps, SOC modernization, Kubernetes security, AI
infrastructure, hybrid cloud, and adaptive IT environments
Design reference architectures and
deployment models that account for IL levels, compliance mandates, and
operational constraints
Engage directly with customer
engineers in detailed technical validation
discussions
Surface technical insights that
inform executive-level messaging and sales positioning
Proof of Concept & Hands-On
Validation
Design and build proof-of-concepts in
cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI), customer environments, home lab, or
lab infrastructure
Stand up representative workloads to
validate architectural patterns
Support on-site or remote technical
validation engagements
Troubleshoot, adapt, and iterate based
on real-world feedback
Technical Content & Thought
Leadership
Contribute to the development of
solution briefs, architectural diagrams, whitepapers, and technical blog
content
Contribute to refining our
client's solution articles and capability narratives
Research on emerging technologies,
federal mandates, and evolving partner capabilities
Evaluate and provide input on
potential future strategic partners
Partner & Customer Engagement
Maintain alignment with key technology
partners to stay aligned on roadmaps, capabilities, and field strategy
Build long-term technical
relationships with client engineers and
architects
Conduct periodic customer check-ins to
understand evolving mission requirements
Operate as a long-term technical
advisor, not a transactional presales resource
Federal & Compliance Awareness
Stay current on federal cybersecurity
directives, Zero Trust frameworks, DevSecOps mandates, and compliance
requirements
Ensure solution designs align with DoD
security, accreditation, and operational realities
Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science,
Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
10+ years in a technical presales,
solutions engineering, or consulting
Strong knowledge of cybersecurity,
cloud, and infrastructure technologies.
Experience supporting DOW or federal
agencies strongly preferred.
Excellent communication and
presentation skills
Ability to simplify complex technical
concepts
Advanced and professional-level
certifications preferred.
Candidates should demonstrate
subject-matter expertise through recognized industry certifications (e.g.,
professional, expert, or specialty-level), rather than entry-level or
associate-only credentials. Associate-level certifications are not disqualifying,
but depth of domain mastery should be evident. Relevant certifications may
include, but are not limited to:
CISSP, CCSP
Kubernetes (CKA, CKAD, CKS)
Palo Alto Networks (PCNSE or
equivalent)
Nutanix (NCP-MCI, NCM-MCI, or higher)
F5 (CA, CTS, or higher)
CyberArk (Defender/Sentry level)
Dell (Expert-level infrastructure or
AI-focused credentials)
Rancher Government Solutions
(RKE2/Kubernetes-focused certs)
AWS Professional-level (Solutions
Architect, DevOps Engineer) or Specialty certifications
Trellix
Elastic (Engineer or higher)
Cloud & Infrastructure
Expectations
Candidates must demonstrate the
ability to architect, deploy, and operate production-grade workloads in at
least one hyperscale cloud environment. Experience should go beyond basic
provisioning and reflect an understanding of cloud-native architecture, networking,
security, and service integration. (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud
Platform, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or other stack utilizing CNNF
solutions).
Examples of relevant experience
include (but are not limited to):
VPC/VNet design (subnets, routing,
NAT/IGW, Transit Gatway,peering)
Compute deployment and
security
Implementing identity and access
controls (IAM, RBAC, conditional access, service principals)
Managed services, integration
(databases, storage, messaging, serverless)
Hybrid connectivity (VPN, Direct
Connect, ExpressRoute, Interconnect)
Encryption, segmentation, logging, and
monitoring
Infrastructure-as-code (Terraform,
CloudFormation, ARM/Bicep)
Candidates must understand
architectural tradeoffs, operational constraints, and security implications -
not simply provisioning workflows.
Demonstrated Area of Technical Mastery
We are seeking candidates who can
demonstrate true subject matter expertise in a tlest one technical domain. In
that domain, the candidate must be able to:
Design and defend architectural
decisions
Whiteboard complex systems from first
principles
Troubleshoot nuanced technical issues
Explain tradeoffs, limitations, and
performance considerations
Engage in peer-level discussions with
senior engineers
Demonstrate hands-on implementation
experience
Examples of mastery domains
include:
Cloud infrastructure architecture
(AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI)
Kubernetes and container orchestration
Infrastructure as Code (Terraform,
CloudFormation, Bicep)
Application delivery and ingress
technologies
Network security
Identity and access management
DevSecOps pipeline engineering
SOC and security operations tooling
Data platforms and AI/ML
infrastructure
Breadth is important. But depth is
mandatory.
We are not looking for surface
familiarity across many tools. We are looking for demonstrable
depth.
Strongly Preferred
Active Secret or TS/SCI clearance
strongly preferred
Ownership mentality
High internal accountability
Strong written and verbal communicator
Comfort with ambiguity
Self-directed learner
Benefits
Our client offers medical, dental, vision insurance and cover 80% of your premium starting on your first day of employment. (they cover 50% of your family members' premiums
Unlimited paid time off plus 11 holidays per year (following the federal government holiday schedule)
They offer a health savings account for pre-tax savings for eligible out-of-pocket healthcare expenses
401K retirement plan with a match dollar-for-dollar up to 3%, plus 50% of the next 2% you contribute