Senior Manager, Customer Engineering, India

About the Role

Day-to-day, the Senior Manager will be responsible for leading and developing the India Customer Engineering team, maintaining strong individual technical contribution, and enabling the team to achieve its goals. This involves serving as a point of reference for the team on complex customer architecture, escalations, and solution design, as well as owning the regional technical strategy for various aspects of customer engagement.

The team context for this role is dynamic and fast-paced, with a strong emphasis on collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning. The successful candidate will be part of a global organization that values iteration, AI-driven solutions, and the sharing of knowledge and best practices across teams.

What You Will Do

• Lead and develop the India Customer Engineering team across enterprise and strategic accounts, acting as a player-coach to maintain strong individual technical contribution while enabling the team.
• Serve as the point of reference for the team on complex customer architecture, escalations, and solution design.
• Own regional technical strategy for discovery, demos, architecture design, proofs of concept, onboarding support, quarterly business reviews, renewal support, and expansion plays.
• Partner with Account Executives to drive technical validation and help close new business.
• Keep workloads balanced, support the onboarding of new team members, and ensure the team is set up for success.
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, provide constructive feedback, and coach team members on discovery, solution architecture, executive communication, and business-value translation.
• Build and run the operating cadence for pipeline inspection, technical deal support, adoption reviews, and account expansion planning.
• Hire, retain, and develop top customer engineering talent; build succession plans and bench strength.
• Facilitate cross-team coordination with Sales, Product, Engineering, and Customer Support to resolve issues quickly and keep customers moving forward.
• Surface regional feedback, product gaps, and competitive insights to product and engineering, and represent Cloudflare in executive customer meetings, regional events, and partner discussions.

What We Are Looking For

• Demonstrated experience in customer-facing technical roles, such as pre-sales engineering, solutions architecture, or a similar function.
• Strong technical background, with the ability to understand and communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven leadership and management experience, with the ability to motivate and develop high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders.
• Experience with cloud-based technologies and solutions, including but not limited to network security, performance, and reliability.
• Strong business acumen, with the ability to drive business growth through technical innovation and customer satisfaction.
• Ability to travel as required, up to 20% of the time.

Nice to Have

• Experience with AI and machine learning technologies, and their application in customer-facing technical roles.
• Knowledge of the Indian market and customer base, with experience working in or with Indian enterprises.
• Certification in relevant technical areas, such as cloud security, network architecture, or data science.
• Experience with agile development methodologies and DevOps practices.

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive salary and benefits package, tailored to the Indian market.
• Opportunity to work with a global, leading-edge technology company, with a strong culture of innovation and collaboration.
• Flexible working hours and remote work options, to suit different work styles and needs.
• Access to cutting-edge technologies and tools, with opportunities for continuous learning and professional development.
• Comprehensive health insurance and wellness programs, to support the physical and mental well-being of employees.
• Generous parental leave policies, to support work-life balance and family needs.

• Ensure your resume and online profiles highlight your technical expertise, leadership experience, and business acumen, as these are key requirements for the role.
• Develop a solid understanding of Cloudflare’s products and services, as well as the broader technology landscape, to demonstrate your interest and potential for growth.
• Prepare examples of how you have driven business growth through technical innovation and customer satisfaction in your previous roles.
• Brush up on your communication and presentation skills, as these are critical for success in a customer-facing technical leadership role.
• Be prepared to discuss your experience with AI and machine learning technologies, and how you see these evolving in the future.
• Research the company culture and values, to understand how you can contribute to and thrive in Cloudflare’s dynamic and fast-paced environment.