Braun Board

VP of Sales Engineering (Pre-sales)

HiddenLayer · Remote · US

Base
Not disclosed
OTE
Not disclosed
Posted
1mo ago

Still open · checked 2h agoon HiddenLayer's careers page

What HiddenLayer sells

Defends AI systems from attacks

Organizations that use AI can be hit by attackers who try to trick it into misbehaving. HiddenLayer protects these AI systems by detecting and defending against those attacks. That lets organizations adopt AI more safely.

In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell us

More Security companies →

The Braun Read

Proceed with caution

A 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
Open 35 days. Normal, but not fresh.
Company hiring
Ramping up: posted 5 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. 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. 2.

    What are the base and the OTE for this role?

    No point investing hours before you know the number.

  3. 3.

    What's the annual quota, and how was it set?

    A quota built from real data is a target. Otherwise it's a hope.

  4. 4.

    Where does pipeline come from: inbound, SDRs, or me?

    Tells you how much of your week is prospecting versus selling.

  5. 5.

    How long is ramp, and what's the quota during it?

    Full quota on day one means you start behind.

  6. 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. 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. 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. 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 →

Got an offer from HiddenLayer? Not sure about it?Ask me. I read every message myself. · JoshAsk Josh
+ Add offer details (optional)

Goes straight to my inbox. I never share it with employers or recruiters.

The role

Leads the global Sales Engineering org for an AI security platform, owning technical win rates, the POC process, and SE hiring. Partners with sales leadership on deal strategy for enterprise CISOs and AI/ML buyers.

Enterprise

Selling motion

Not stated in the posting.

Who you're selling to

Buyer:
CISOs, AI/ML leaders, and security architectsIn their words: “Act as a trusted advisor to CISOs, AI/ML leaders, and security architects at our largest customers and prospects.”
Industry:
Defense and financeIn their words: “deployments across defense, finance, and the world's largest AI platforms”
Company size:
Enterprise

Pipeline expectations

Not stated in the posting.

Compensation

The posting doesn't list pay.

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.

Full posting
VP of Sales Engineering (Pre-sales) Remote – US-Based ABOUT THE ROLE: HiddenLayer is hiring a VP of Sales Engineering to continue to build out and lead our global SE organization. You will own how we win technically: from first discovery call through POC, security review, and close. You’ll partner with sales leadership on pipeline, forecast, and deal strategy, and you’ll be accountable for technical win rates across complex enterprise cycles. This is a leadership role for someone who has built, scaled, and run Sales Engineering teams in enterprise security, not an individual-contributor architecture role. A strong grounding in AI and ML systems matters because our buyers are securing them, but we’re looking first for a proven SE leader who has carried a number alongside sales. ABOUT HIDDENLAYER: HiddenLayer protects the world’s most valuable technologies from adversarial AI attacks. Our team of AI professionals and security experts built a patent-pending platform to help organizations adopt AI securely. Our rapid growth and innovation have earned recognition from RSA Innovation Sandbox, CB Insights AI 100, and more. WHAT YOU’LL DO: - Lead and scale the SE organization: Hire, coach, and develop Sales Engineers and SE managers. Build the team structure, coverage model, and career paths needed to support rapid enterprise growth. - Own the technical win: Be accountable for technical win rates, POC conversion, and SE contribution to pipeline and bookings. Step into strategic deals personally as the senior technical executive. - Partner with sales leadership: Work hand in hand with sales leaders on territory and account planning, deal strategy, forecast reviews, and qualification (MEDDPICC or similar). - Run a disciplined POC motion: Define and enforce a repeatable POC and evaluation process with clear success criteria, executive alignment, and time-bound outcomes. - Build the SE operating system: Establish demo standards, discovery frameworks, enablement programs, tooling, and playbooks that make the team consistent and efficient at scale. - Measure and report: Define, track, and report SE metrics (technical win rate, POC success rate, SE-to-AE coverage, cycle time, SE influence on bookings) to the CRO and executive team. - Be the voice of the customer: Bring structured field feedback, competitive intelligence, and feature requests to product and engineering, and make sure the field is equipped with current capabilities and differentiators. - Engage executives: Act as a trusted advisor to CISOs, AI/ML leaders, and security architects at our largest customers and prospects. WHO YOU ARE: - Excellent leadership, coaching, and mentoring skills with the ability to build and develop high-performing teams. - Proven experience in a technical sales or sales engineering role within the cybersecurity industry, preferably in the AI security space. - Exposure to 2 technologies required: Docker, Kubernetes, API Integration, Python/other scripting languages, Cloud networking - Strong understanding of cybersecurity principles, methodologies, and technologies, with a focus on AI-driven security solutions. - Proven comfort with cloud devops, cloud security, command line and leveraging APIs - Proficiency in articulating technical concepts and value propositions to both technical and non-technical audiences. - Experience with conducting product demonstrations, proof of concepts (PoCs), and technical presentations. - Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with clients and internal stakeholders. - Self-motivated with a passion for technology and a drive for continuous learning and development. - Willingness to travel as needed to client sites and industry events. WHY HIDDENLAYER? We just raised $100M in Series B funding led by Delta-v Capital, with backing from Morgan Stanley, Microsoft's venture arm, Booz Allen Hamilton, and others. It's a validation of what we've built: 10x revenue growth, 50+ new enterprise customers, and deployments across defense, finance, and the world's largest AI platforms. This funding goes straight into expanding our platform and GTM capabilities, and into growing our team globally. Attracting and retaining the very best people is our #1 priority. That’s why we offer our team best-in-class benefits, including: - Fully Remote: We are a completely remote global team. Though we’re distributed, we are intentional about getting the team together a couple of times a year. We offer a generous stipend for your home office setup, annual upgrades to ensure you have a comfortable workspace and a monthly stipend for internet/phone expenses. - Comprehensive Health & Wellness Benefits: Better than your average startup healthcare benefits. With five options to choose from, of which are fully subsidized by HiddenLayer, we offer a variety of options to fit each person’s needs. We also offer vision, dental, and 401k offerings. - Flexible Time Off: Enjoy unlimited and flexible time off for all salaried employees, in addition to 15 paid company holidays. - Commitment to Learning and Development: We support personal growth and education through a dedicated L&D fund that can be used for training, conferences, certifications and industry events. - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: We are committed to building a diverse team with individuals from various backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. To learn more about HiddenLayer visit HiddenLayer and follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter. HiddenLayer is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. We are committed to providing a workplace free of any discrimination or harassment.
Apply →