Manager, Enterprise Sales Engineering - New York
Chainguard · Remote · US
- Base
- Not disclosed
- OTE
- Not disclosed
- Quota attainment
- Not disclosed
- Posted
- 5h ago
Why it matters: OTE tells you what you could earn. Attainment tells you how realistic it is.
Ask: “What percentage of fully ramped reps hit quota last year?”
Still open · checked 2h agoon Chainguard's careers page
What Chainguard sells
Safe, ready-made open source software for engineering teams
Software teams build their apps from open source parts, and many of those parts carry hidden security holes. Chainguard rebuilds that open source software so it arrives secure and ready to use. Teams can then build faster, stay compliant, and worry less about risk.
In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell us
More Developer & IT tools companies →The Braun Read
Proceed with cautionA few things here deserve a hard look before you spend time on it.
- Pay
- No pay listed at all.
- Transparency
- Says nothing about quota, attainment, deal size, territory or sales cycle.
- Pipeline
- Doesn't say where pipeline comes from. Ask.
- Time on market
- Brand new.
- Company hiring
- Ramping up: posted 8 sales roles in the last 30 days.
Based only on what the posting says. Flags are a starting point for your first call, not a final judgment.
Questions to ask on the first call
Built from what this posting leaves out. How they answer tells you as much as what they say.
- 1.
What percentage of fully ramped reps hit quota last year?
OTE is what you could earn. This is how likely you are to earn it.
- 2.
What percentage of reps on the team have been here more than 18 months?
Tenure shows whether people stay long enough to get paid.
- 3.
Has the comp plan changed in the last 12 to 18 months? What changed?
A plan that changes every year means the goalposts keep moving.
- 4.
Who sits with reps and reviews calls each week?
Coaching is often what's behind a good or bad attainment number.
- 5.
What are the base and the OTE for this role?
No point investing hours before you know the number.
- 6.
Why is this role open? Did someone leave, or is it new?
New headcount is growth. A replacement means someone left. Ask why.
When the offer comes
Save these for later. They land better once they've said yes to you.
- 1.
Can I see the full comp plan in writing, including clawbacks and accelerators?
What's in writing is what gets paid. Read it before you sign.
- 2.
Can I see the actual comp distribution for the team last year, not just the OTE?
The spread shows what most reps really take home. OTE is just the target.
- 3.
I'd be walking away from earned commission to join. Is there room for a sign-on bonus to help cover that?
Leaving money behind is a fair reason to ask. The worst answer is no.
Josh's top five questions for any sales interview →
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The role
Leads a team of enterprise sales engineers supporting Chainguard's Fortune 500 accounts, running proofs of value and technical sales strategy with regional sales leadership. Not a quota-carrying role.
Enterprise
Selling motion
Who you're selling to
- Buyer:
- Not stated in the posting.Ask: “Who's the economic buyer, and who else is in the deal?”
- Company size:
- Enterprise
Pipeline expectations
Compensation
What is not disclosed
This posting doesn't tell you:
- Base salary
- OTE
- Quota size
- Quota attainment
- Average deal size
- Territory
- Sales cycle length
The questions above cover the big ones.