Director Solutions Engineering, Key Accounts (West Coast)

<div class="content-intro"><p><strong>Secure Every Identity, from AI to Human<br><br></strong>Identity is the key to unlocking the potential of AI. Okta secures AI by building the trusted, neutral infrastructure that enables organizations to safely embrace this new era. This work requires a relentless drive to solve complex challenges with real-world stakes. We are looking for builders and owners who operate with speed and urgency and execute with excellence.<br><br>This is an opportunity to do career-defining work. We're all in on this mission. If you are too, let's talk.</p></div><p><strong>The Okta Key Accounts Solutions Engineering Team</strong></p> <p>The Okta Solutions Engineering team has the rare combination of technical savviness and business insight. We advise Okta's largest, most strategic customers on how to provide secure digital experiences to their employees, partners, and customers. As a team, we empathize with our customers to discern their true technical needs, ask detailed and clarifying questions, and present solutions that drive significant business outcomes.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>The Director, Solution Engineering - Key Accounts Opportunity</strong></p> <p>Reporting into the Senior Director, AMER Presales Strategic and Key Accounts, this role will lead the Solutions Engineering team focused on Okta’s most strategic and highest-potential customers. As a leader, you will be adept at seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies. You will be results-focused, partnering closely with our Key Account sales leadership and the cross functional team to create and execute a plan of action to achieve our ambitious growth targets.</p> <p>You will also be a key leader in driving a standardized set of repeatable SE processes and artifacts designed to increase our technical win rate and drive multi-million dollar wins.</p> <p><strong>What you’ll be doing&nbsp;</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Build and Lead a World-Class Team: </strong>You will be leading a team of five Principal+ Solutions Engineers with an expectation that the Key Accounts segment will grow to include a leadership team reporting to you. You will drive the full hiring process—from sourcing to closing—to attract top talent, and foster their professional growth through hands-on development plans.&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Drive Strategic Engagements: </strong>Champion a structured approach to strategic presales engagements, ensuring the consistent use of technical strategies, roadmaps, and playbooks to win large, complex deals.</li> <li><strong>Drive Operational Excellence: </strong>Drive operational rigor across the Key Accounts SE organization. Establish and track KPIs to measure team success, and continuously refine processes and engagement models to optimize efficiency and impact.</li> <li><strong>Serve as an Executive Sponsor: </strong>Actively work on strategic deals, providing executive sponsorship and proposing innovative strategies to ensure the success of opportunities. Build deep relationships with senior technical and executive decision-makers (CIOs/CISOs) at our customers, and act as a crucial feedback loop to Okta's Product and Engineering teams.</li> <li><strong>Build Strategic Alliances: </strong>Partner closely with Sales Leadership to operationalize enterprise sales methodologies (e.g., MEDDPICC, Command of the Message). Aligning with&nbsp; Operations, Enablement, HR, and Finance to operationalize the strategy including workforce planning, skills development, and budget alignment, ensuring the team is resourced for success.</li> </ul> <p><strong>What you’ll bring to the role</strong></p> <ul> <li>Demonstrated success in a leadership capacity within a presales organization, selling to Fortune 50 companies.</li> <li>Experience building and leading geographically distributed teams of managers and a proven ability to develop talent to meet both their career goals and the organization’s goals.</li> <li>Proven experience building and scaling repeatable, strategic engagement models in a presales environment.</li> <li>Experience with and a proponent of Value and Business Outcome-based selling methodologies, including MEDDPICC and Command of the Message framework.</li> <li>Exceptional communication skills with the proven ability to influence C-level executives and navigate highly matrixed organizational structures.</li> <li>A strong vision for Okta’s market opportunity and how our customers can leverage Okta solutions to drive business outcomes.</li> <li