Solution Engineer/ Sales Consultant
Are you able to build successful relationships with customers?
Are you a natural problem solver who enjoys applying this skill in solutions-based selling?
Join our Research Intelligence – Software Solution Sales Team
We are a team of experts specializing in helping Research Leaders & Information managers turn information into actionable knowledge. We provide research software solutions to advance research performance, grow global reputation, expand funding streams, and enable collaboration.
About the Role
The Solution Engineer/ Sales Consultant within the Research Intelligence (RI) department works on the in-depth sales of our software solutions like Pure, Funding Institutional, and Digital Commons (Research Data Management, Institutional Repository, and Publishing Services) in close collaboration with our RI Sales team. The in-depth sales process includes elements like the solution features, customer business processes, workflows, integration with other systems and/or applications, the use of APIs, hosting options, compliance with national policies and regulations, implementation/customer service, and so on. As a Solution Engineer, you will engage with senior management stakeholders to identify and analyze short and long-term customer needs, success criteria, and possible business cases. You propose the best possible software solutions for our customers, conduct advanced customer needs analysis and solution development, deliver presentations, demonstrate the software products within the Research Intelligence portfolio, drive tender processes, lead in-depth tender requirements and responses, oversee the implementation processes until after delivery and work closely with the Product teams towards designing software solutions for our customers. You support the RI Solution Sales Managers in creating the commercial proposal and may also be requested by them to participate in some of their prospecting/discovery calls. You are also expected to represent the company/our software solutions at thought leader events.
To ensure success as a Solution Engineer, you should have a deep understanding of customer priorities and processes, in-depth knowledge of software systems, a passion for sales and customer satisfaction, and excellent communications skills. Ultimately, a top-notch Solutions Engineer drives sales by securing the solution fit in complex projects aligned to the customer's needs.
You will report to the Regional Software Solutions Manager, The Americas.
Responsibilities
- Establishing and building new relationships with universities in your territory to understand customer’s needs and future opportunities for growth
- Delivering presentations with in-depth information on targeted software products, performing extensive demos of our software solutions, and handling strategic as well as detailed questions that come up during the sales process.
- Deliver the client’s needs and promised functionality of the solution, achieving high customer satisfaction based on client success metrics.
- Generate referrals and turn them into active reference customers, to support finding new potential clients through the network.
- Contribute to Product roadmap discussion and strategy; strategizing with the Sales & Product team to create feasible software solutions.
- Developing a thorough understanding of our competitor landscape to be able to position our solutions against them successfully.
- Driving the content of the tender process: understanding tender requirements, leading detailed tender requirements and responses, in close cooperation with the tender team on tender write-ups
- Collaborating successfully using a team-selling approach to ensure the growth of our portfolio.
- Creating and managing a territory plan to work sales opportunities from needs analysis to successful implementation.
Requirements
- Have a proven extensive 3+ years’ experience with selling, servicing, and implementing software systems e.g., as a Solution Engineer/ (Pre-) Sales Consultant/Technical Sales or similar
- Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or Management Information Systems, or similar or comparable expertise built up in a professional career.
- Show an understanding of Academia, Research, or Business environments.
- Demonstrate experience in complex solution sales to C-suite using a value-based, consultative sales approach.
- Demonstrate excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, including communicating complex technical content to a range of audiences.
- Be able to collaborate with teams in a global matrix environment.
- Be able to travel within your region frequently to meet with customers (up to 50%)
- Have a natural ability to engage, influence, and build relationships with customers, stakeholders, and teams across the business.
- Demonstrate a "Growth mindset” to keep pace in this fast-changing world.
- Publishing expertise and experience with publishing systems and workflows are a plus.
Work in a way that works for you:
We promote a healthy work/life balance across the organization. With an average length of service of 9 years, we are confident that we offer an appealing working prospect for our people. With numerous well-being initiatives, shared parental leave and tuition assistance, and training resources, we will help you meet your immediate responsibilities and your long-term goals.
- Working remotely from home or any other location
- Working flexible hours - flexing the times you work in the day.
Working with us
We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to helping you succeed. Here, you will find an inclusive, collaborative, innovative, and fun environment where everyone has a part to play. Regardless of the team you join, we promote a diverse environment with co-workers who are passionate about what they do and how they do it.
Working for you
At Elsevier, we know that your well-being and happiness are critical to a long and successful career. These are some of the benefits we are delighted to offer:
- Competitive base salary commensurate with experience
- Generous Commission/bonus plan based on performance.
- Excellent medical, dental, and 401K benefits.
- All expenses and travel fully paid.
- Excellent hands-on training program and a team to support you.
- Numerous online resources to assist with self-development and career Progression.
- Opportunity to advance within the organization among many divisions worldwide.
About Us
A global leader in information and analytics, we help researchers and healthcare professionals' advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. Building on our publishing heritage, we combine quality information and vast data sets with analytics to support visionary science and research, health education, interactive learning, exceptional healthcare, and clinical practice. At Elsevier, your work contributes to the world’s grand challenges and a more sustainable future. We harness innovative technologies to support science and healthcare to partner for a better world.
Join Us
Are you ready to help us progress in science and health? Our technology leads to innovation, so join a forward-thinking digital business tackling world-scale challenges and align your ambitions with our passion for driving global knowledge-sharing.
Please contact us if this challenge is for you!