Principal Technologist (Req#1230)

*Candidates must be geographically located in the Irvine, CA with the ability to work on-site up to three days per week.*

Overview

As the Principal Technologist, you will serve as a customer-oriented liaison between sales, pre-sales engineering and customer stakeholders. The position requires a strong understanding of how technology drives business outcomes and enables the development of strategies aligned to customer objectives The Principal Technologist will be involved in the entire sales cycle, including leading meetings to discuss key business and technology issues, assess clients' needs and identify the ePlus targeted product and service solutions that best meet those needs. You will lead a matrix cross- functional team of technology leaders in helping define customers’ business and technical vision and strategy. Candidates should have deep experience across leading enterprise OEM ecosystems (Cisco, Juniper, Arista, Palo Alto, Dell, NetApp, HPE, etc.) and strong hybrid capabilities, with exposure to both on-premises and cloud environments.

Your Impact

The essential functions of this position include:

• Define end-state architecture vision, strategy, and go-to-market plans leveraging Plus services and OEM solutions.
• Utilize technical vision and strategy plans to productize service and product offerings, creating high-value solutions.
• Assist in designing and architecting solutions tailored to customer requirements. Facilitate design architecture and conduct peer reviews with customers to ensure thorough documentation.
• Develop vertical and horizontal customer relationships and expose customer technical stakeholders to emerging technologies.
• Provide thought leadership to ePlus Sales, Engineering, and Strategy teams by sharing insights and trends to guide strategic decisions.
• Evangelize ePlus services with customers, OEM partners and across ePlus, using a consistent message and method for planning and delivery.
• Serve as a communication conduit from customer technical stakeholders to the internal engineering team.
• Engage internal pre-sales engineering teams to identify and map new opportunities, facilitate issue resolution, and expedite solutions, providing frequent updates to Account Management and Engineering teams.
• Act as the primary interface and trusted advisor with Enterprise Account Executives, Customer Executives, and IT professionals, working with Solution Architects to scope and price strategic solutions.
• Plan and lead executive and technical briefings for customers and OEM partners. Co-present project plans and Level of Effort to customers, guiding technical resources to meet customer program requirements.
• Consolidate and convey solution requirements and technical responses by coordinating with subject matter experts (SMEs).
• Facilitate technical scoping/reviews and assist presales engineers and SMEs in developing Statements of Work (SOW).
• Engage with customer operational and technical staff to measure progress on projects and identify new opportunities.

As a manager, you are also expected to:

• Lead and guide team members, fostering growth through mentoring, coaching, and development, while ensuring effective communication and collaboration.
• Promote an environment of inclusivity and respect, valuing diverse perspectives and encouraging open dialogue among all team members.
• Collaborate on strategic initiatives, leveraging your expertise to drive innovation and positive change within the organization.
• Cultivate a proactive approach to conflict resolution, striving for amicable solutions and escalating concerns as needed.

Qualifications

Required Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or Master’s degree in a technical or business discipline is preferred or equivalent relevant industry experience
• A minimum of 3 years of experience in a field-based services management position with a minimum of 5 direct staff is preferred.
• Experience in managing and enhancing a world-class field services organization, as well as growing a Professional Services Consulting practice.
• Experience in operations and project management.
• Proven ability to drive revenue and services growth through OEM-aligned solutions, not limited to advisory or consulting roles.
• Candidates should demonstrate multi-domain experience and familiarity with OEM or partner ecosystems, whether from a customer, partner, or provider environment
• 8 or more years of experience in designing or implementing complex networks, systems/storage solutions and ability to articulate deep technical knowledge of infrastructure services, data center design and cloud integration for enterprise customers.
• Enterprise networking architecture experience with at least one of the following: Cisco, Arista, Juniper, or HPE Aruba
• Security architecture experience with Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Cisco Security, or Zscaler
• Data center infrastructure experience with Dell Technologies, HPE, Lenovo, Pure Storage, NetApp, VMware, or Nutanix
• Hybrid cloud architecture experience, with strong preference for Microsoft Azure (AWS knowledge a plus)
• Familiarity with Infrastructure-as-Code concepts (e.g., Terraform) and modern automation frameworks
• Certifications in relevant technologies: CCIE, CCDE, AWS, GCP, CCSP, CISSP, CSA, CCDP 
• Broad exposure to a variety of technologies/concepts and management experience in a distributed environment
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills, as well as presentation, customer, business, and negotiation skills
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills
• Comprehensive experience in the strategy, process and methodology for business enablement and transformation through technology
• Knowledgeable and able to facilitate pre-sales discussions acting as a liaison between cross functional team within customer organization and ePlus.
• Candidate will have a general understanding of design, plan, deployment and support of following: Network Infrastructure Solutions, Data center and Cloud, Storage, Security, Software Licensing, Managed Service support and engagement.

Preferred Experience:

• AI-ready infrastructure and high-performance networking exposure (e.g., NVIDIA ecosystem)
• Experience designing multi-architecture enterprise solutions across networking, security, data center, and cloud

Position Specifics

The initial base salary range for this position is expected to be between $160,000 and $210,000 annually. The final base salary offered will be determined by multiple factors, including, but not limited to, job-related knowledge, depth of experience, skills, certifications, and geographic location. In addition to the base salary, our compensation structure may include other components such as commissions and discretionary bonuses.

ePlus offers a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility, employee stock purchase program and various paid time off benefits, such as vacation, sick time, and personal leave), dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an offer of employment is extended. 

If hired, employee will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

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Corporate Values

• Respectful communication and cooperation: We prioritize respectful communication, fostering an environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
• Teamwork and employee participation: Collaboration and teamwork thrive through diverse perspectives, both within our teams and in our interactions with our customers.
• Work/life balance that supports our employees’ varying needs: We value the well-being of our employees, recognizing that a healthy work-life balance is pivotal to our collective success.
• Embracing communities: We embrace and support the communities that nurture us. Our employees' dedication to fostering positive change is a source of immense pride for us.

Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

• We are an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate or allow discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law.
• ePlus is dedicated to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture that represents diversity, enables inclusion, and makes our employees feel comfortable bringing their full, unique selves to work.