Director - Solutions Engineering - France / Italy

**Get to know Okta**

Okta is The World’s Identity Company. We free everyone to safely use any technology—anywhere, on any device or app. Our Workforce and Customer Identity Clouds enable secure yet flexible access, authentication, and automation that transforms how people move through the digital world, putting Identity at the heart of business security and growth.

At Okta, we celebrate a variety of perspectives and experiences. We are not looking for someone who checks every single box - we’re looking for lifelong learners and people who can make us better with their unique experiences.

Join our team We’re building a world where Identity belongs to you.

The** Director of Solutions Engineering, France and Italy** works closely with the France & Italy Leadership and will lead our team of Solution Engineers who are the go-to Solution Specialists assisting the sales team in generating growth all over the region. This team values collaboration, flexibility and has a strong emphasis on continued learning and development. You will lead the technical pre-sales operations and achieve revenue generation, customer growth and individuals/teams/organizational goals.

We’re looking for a new leader for Solutions Engineering France & Italy, who will operate as a second line leader covering all segments in France and Italy. You will also lead from the front and keep Okta a destination organization.
- (Location Paris, France, minimum 3 Days per week)_

**As a leader for Solutions Engineering France & Italy you would**
- Directly manage a team of first-line leader(s) and a team of IC’s
- Recruit, develop, and mentor pre-sales staff, from IC to (senior) managers in the region
- Build strong partnerships with leadership across cross functional teams like Sales, Enablement, Partners, and Marketing to ensure alignment of technical strategy and business goals. Work with regional sales teams to develop tailored solutions and messaging that resonate with local customers and address regional business needs.
- Drive operational rigor across the France & Italy Presales organization, setting clear performance expectations and ensuring timely and high-quality delivery of regional goals. Establish and track KPIs to measure the success of the team in the region. Continuously refine processes and workflows to optimize team efficiency and impact across the region.
- Partner with HR, Finance and Operations to look at skills gaps, workforce planning and budget alignment.
- Partner with Recruitment to build best in class hiring plans and go to market strategies. Interview, assess, conduct case studies and navigate offers to secure the best talent for Okta.
- Collaborate with your Manager peers around best practices, market trends, employee internal moves and the overall functions strategy to support the team as they scale.
- Collaborate closely with the Regional office of the Field CTO and our Global Innovation Center in Poland
- Exhibit a growth mindset and be able to outline the long-term vision and strategy for Presales in France and Italy.

**What you’ll bring to the role**
- Proven experience in a leadership role within a technical, pre-sales, or field engineering environment; experience leading managers is strongly preferred.
- Significant experience operating with multiple countries
- A leader who can inspire and motivate a team, as well as collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
- Broad understanding of Okta’s Workforce and Customer Identity solutions.
- Proven success working with/selling into SMB, but also large, strategic customers.
- Strong technical expertise in security and/or identity and access management
- Strong operational skills, including the ability to manage cross-functional teams and processes at scale.
- Demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performing teams, with a focus on collaboration, mentorship, and driving results.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to tailor messages to different audiences.
- Proven experience with Sales Methodologies like MEDDPICCC
- Ability to travel as needed within the region, EMEA and globally.

**And extra credit if you have experience in any of the following**
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, MIS or a comparable field is preferred.
- Leadership experience building and scaling highly effective teams

Okta’s Top 5 Core Leadership Competencies are part of the deeply ingrained principles that guide all of our company’s actions. They also align strongly to our cultural cornerstones, our Okta values: love our customers, empower our people, never stop innovating, act with integrity, and maintain transparency.

It’s our expectation that our managers and leaders embody these core competencies:

- Demonstrates Self-Awareness (EQ): Using a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses.
- Develops Talent: Developing people to meet both their career goals and the