Principal Sales Engineer

Role

We are looking for a Principal Sales Engineer to join our team. This is a Remote (Milan, Italy) role, reporting to the Sales Engineering Manager in the Solutions Consulting department. In this position, you will set the technical direction for marquee opportunities in Italy and partner with extended teams to drive strategic outcomes for our most significant customers. You will pioneer new offerings, influence the product roadmap, establish cross-portfolio architecture standards, and represent the Solutions Consulting function in key partner and analyst forums. Additionally, you will mentor senior Sales Engineers, assess regional capability gaps, and package field insights into roadmap proposals as part of the EMEA technical advisory function.

What you’ll do (Role Expectations)

• Position Zscaler Value through technical expertise and sales experience to win the mindshare of customer technical teams
• Drive enablement and solution development with customers and partners to create opportunities and close new business
• Drive cross-portfolio architecture into strategic customers, and ensure that emerging solution areas are adapted to customer needs over the longer one- to two-year term
• Engage stakeholders from the C-level down to the Head of Department, while working with account teams to solve critical technical challenges at the individual practitioner level
• Share joint ownership of the sales forecasts together with the regional leadership team and assigned Account Executives.

Who You Are (Success Profile)

• You act like an owner with a passion for the mission that fuels a bias for action, operating with integrity and navigating seamlessly between high-level strategy and hands-on execution
• You are a dedicated problem-solver who is energized by seeking out challenges, knowing that solving hard problems delivers the biggest impact
• You are driven by innovation, possessing a deep curiosity for how things work and a strong belief in the power of technology to accelerate secure, scalable transformation
• You think at scale by connecting your day-to-day work to the larger company mission, building solutions and processes designed to support a high-growth, global organization
• You are resilient and adaptable, viewing change as an opportunity, maintaining composure in high-pressure situations, and guiding teams through complexity with a steady hand

What We’re Looking for (Minimum Qualifications)

• Demonstrated curiosity and active exploration of AI tools, with a proven history of integrating new technologies to enhance daily workflows and augment problem-solving
• More than 12 years of technical pre-sales experience, with at least 5 years in senior individual contributor level roles or technical leadership positions
• Deep experience with all aspects of the Zscaler and peer platforms, including network security, networking technologies, AI security, identity and access management, cyber risk, and EDR/XDR
• Proven ability to navigate complex multinational organizational structures
• Proven execution of high-value and technically demanding Proof of Values (PoVs), especially when minimal overlay resources are available
• Demonstrated capability in collaborating with solution architects to resolve highly complex technical edge cases within constrained timeframes

 

 

What Will Make You Stand Out (Preferred Qualifications)

• Established thought leadership within the realms of emerging security paradigms such as agentic AI security, AI guardrails, and post-quantum cryptography
• An established network of technical champions across the largest companies in the Italian region
• Multiple top-level industry certifications, such as Zscaler Architect, CCIE, CISSP, or advanced hyperscaler/cloud certifications

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