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About the Role

The Principal Sales Engineer – Vertica is a highly experienced technical leader responsible for driving technical success across complex, high-value sales opportunities for Rocket Software’s Vertica analytics platform. This role combines deep analytical database expertise, advanced presales execution, and strategic customer engagement, partnering closely with Account Executives, Solutions Architects, and partners to deliver differentiated, high-impact solutions. As a senior technical authority within the sales organisation, the Principal Sales Engineer leads complex solution design, proof-of-concept execution, and competitive positioning, while influencing deal strategy and customer outcomes. The role requires the ability to operate independently across multiple strategic opportunities, translating deep technical insights into clear business value and accelerating revenue growth.

Responsibilities

Act as the technical lead on complex and strategic sales opportunities, partnering with Account Executives to shape and close deals
Influence deal strategy, technical win themes, and competitive positioning
Engage confidently with both senior technical stakeholders and business decision-makers
Drive alignment between customer requirements and Vertica’s value proposition
Design and deliver high-impact technical presentations, demonstrations, and solution architectures
Own the technical qualification and validation process across opportunities
Provide guidance on architecture design, scalability, and performance considerations
Lead technical deep dives, workshops, and whiteboarding sessions with customers
Lead the design, execution, and optimisation of POCs and performance benchmarks under tight timelines
Build realistic data models, workloads, and evaluation frameworks aligned to customer environments
Translate query performance, compression, and throughput metrics into compelling business outcomes
Clearly articulate Vertica’s differentiation versus competing solutions
Engage deeply in customer discussions around data platforms, analytics architecture, and modernization initiatives
Position Vertica within modern ecosystems, including: Ingestion: Kafka, Spark Storage: S3, HDFS Consumption: Tableau, Power BI, Looker
Advise on data modelling, ETL/ELT pipelines, governance, and data quality practices
Write and optimise complex analytical SQL queries for large-scale workloads
Develop scripts (Python, shell) to support automation, benchmarking, and demo setup
Configure and deploy Vertica environments across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud platforms
Troubleshoot performance bottlenecks and optimise query execution
Collaborate with cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP), GSIs, and VARs to deliver joint solutions
Support co-sell motions and partner-led opportunities
Contribute to partner enablement and technical alignment
Provide guidance and mentorship to Sales Engineers, supporting skill development and best practices
Share reusable assets, tools, and learnings across the Sales Engineering community
Contribute to continuous improvement of technical sales processes and methodologies

Requirements

8–12+ years of experience in sales engineering, presales, or technical consulting roles
Proven track record as a technical lead on complex, enterprise sales cycles
Strong experience with analytical database platforms (columnar, MPP, OLAP), such as: Vertica, Teradata, Greenplum, ClickHouse, or equivalent
Deep expertise in analytical database architectures, query optimisation, and workload management
Demonstrated success designing and executing POCs and performance benchmarks
Ability to translate technical results into business-impact narratives
Strong understanding of modern data stack components, including: Data ingestion frameworks (Kafka, Spark) Storage layers (S3, HDFS) BI and visualisation tools (Tableau, Looker, Power BI)
Ability to position Vertica within complex enterprise data ecosystems
Advanced proficiency in ANSI SQL and analytical query optimisation
Experience with SQL dialects such as PL/SQL, T-SQL
Practical experience using Python or shell scripting for automation and data processing
Strong knowledge of: Data warehousing and Data Lake analytics Data modelling and schema design ETL/ELT pipeline development Data governance and data quality practices
Experience working with cloud and hybrid infrastructures (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Working knowledge of: AI/ML integrations in data platforms Data wrangling techniques Model Context Protocol (MCP) and modern data workflows
Strong presentation, storytelling, and consultative selling skills
Ability to engage and influence both technical and business stakeholders
Proven ability to manage technical objections and drive customer confidence
Proven ability to work cross-functionally with Sales, Solutions Architects, Product, and Engineering teams
Experience supporting partner ecosystems (GSIs, VARs, infrastructure vendors)
Ability to manage multiple concurrent, high-priority opportunities
Advanced problem-solving and analytical thinking
Leadership through influence and technical credibility
Strong customer focus and business acumen
Ability to operate independently in complex, fast-paced sales environments
Continuous learning mindset and adaptability
Information security is everyone’s responsibility.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.
Background and reference checks are part of the hiring process.
Rocket is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with physical and mental disabilities.

Skills

Analytical database platforms
Analytical database architectures
Query optimisation
Workload management
POC and performance benchmark execution
Modern data stack components
Data ingestion frameworks (Kafka, Spark)
Storage layers (S3, HDFS)
BI and visualisation tools (Tableau, Looker, Power BI)
ANSI SQL
SQL dialects (PL/SQL, T-SQL)
Python scripting
Shell scripting
Data warehousing
Data Lake analytics
Data modelling
Schema design
ETL/ELT pipeline development
Data governance
Data quality practices
Cloud infrastructures (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Hybrid infrastructures
AI/ML integrations
Data wrangling techniques
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Modern data workflows
Presentation skills
Storytelling
Consultative selling
Customer engagement
Technical objection management
Cross-functional collaboration
Partner ecosystem support

Location

Worldwide

Work Type

Full-time

Experience Level

Principal
Senior

About the Company

Companies around the world trust Rocket to solve their most complex business challenges by powering their critical infrastructure, business processes, and data.
We help extend the value of these assets, enabling our customers to embrace the potential of cloud and mobile computing, advanced analytics, and the innovations of tomorrow.
From the clothes we wear to the cars we drive, Rocket solutions power the back-end systems that thousands of brands rely on every day.
At Rocket, software is about more than just code—it’s about people.
We are passionate problem-solvers, working to make a difference for others.
Our foundation is built on empathy, humanity, trust, and love, and we strive to embody these core values in everything we do.
Whether we’re serving our customers, partners, or fellow Rocketeers, we are committed to treating everyone with the respect and care they deserve.
Founded in 1990, Rocket Software is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, and has 20 offices worldwide, bringing people and technology together to build a better future.

Equal Opportunity

Rocket Software Inc. is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
Rocket Software Inc. is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.