Sales Solutions Engineer Jobs in Illinois

Overview

At NetApp, we have a history of helping customers turn challenges into business opportunities. As part of our sales organization, your role will require a strategic blend of technical acumen and charismatic client engagement, ensuring that every partnership is nurtured towards its maximum potential. As a pivotal link between NetApp and our clients, your contributions will directly influence the growth and direction of our department, making a lasting impact on the organization's success. This is more than a job—it's a chance to be part of a team that values innovation, supports professional growth, and celebrates shared victories.

Own Every Moment at NetApp

At NetApp, your ideas power innovation. We lead in intelligent data infrastructure—delivering unified storage, integrated data services, and solutions that help organizations unlock the full potential of their data, from AI to multicloud.

Ready to innovate and contribute to our path to $10B? Here, you'll collaborate with passionate teams, tackle real-world challenges, and see your impact in how customers transform and grow. If you're ready to bring curiosity, creativity, and drive to every moment, NetApp is where your journey begins.

LOCATION

This is a remote position; however, candidates must be based in the greater Chicago, Illinois metro area to effectively support customers and partners across the territory.

INTRODUCTION

The market has shifted. AI is accelerating. The key to AI success is intelligent data and the infrastructure to manage it. Customers are urgently rethinking how they modernize, secure, and unlock value from their data. NetApp is built for this exact moment, with a differentiated platform, deep enterprise credibility, and a clear strategy to win. Joining NetApp now means operating in a high-performance environment where you are empowered to own every moment. Our culture is grounded in three principles: innovate to elevate, drive results, and excel as a team. These are more than words; they define how we show up, how we sell, and how we grow.

JOB SUMMARY

Behind every great sales rep is a Solutions Engineer who makes the magic happen. As a Commercial Solutions Engineer, you will partner closely with Commercial Account Managers to drive business outcomes across a dynamic mix of existing customers and net-new opportunities throughout the territory. This is a highly collaborative, field-facing role that blends technical expertise, strong relationship building, and a fast-moving sales environment where no two days look the same. You will help customers modernize infrastructure, solve business challenges, and unlock the value of their data by positioning solutions across the NetApp portfolio. Success in this role comes from curiosity, strong discovery skills, technical credibility, and the ability to operate as a true partner to both your sales reps and channel ecosystem.

This is a team-first culture where Solutions Engineers work closely with sales reps, channel partners, partner SEs, Solutions Architects, and leadership to win together while building long-term customer relationships across the territory.

• Serve as the technical lead and trusted advisor across commercial accounts within your territory
• Partner closely with Commercial Client Executives to develop territory strategy, build pipeline, and drive customer success across both install base and net-new opportunities
• Build and maintain strong relationships with channel partners, VARs, and partner Solutions Engineers; collaborate closely in the field to co-sell and drive successful customer outcomes
• Lead thoughtful discovery conversations to uncover business priorities, technical challenges, growth initiatives, and modernization opportunities
• Position, demonstrate, and configure NetApp solutions across storage and data infrastructure environments including ONTAP, SAN, NAS, block, file, hybrid cloud, and data protection technologies
• Support multiple customer opportunities simultaneously across a broad territory while maintaining strong responsiveness and customer engagement
• Drive protect-and-expand motions within existing accounts while identifying and pursuing whitespace opportunities throughout the region
• Engage customers in conversations around AI readiness, hybrid cloud, cyber resiliency, modernization, and data management strategies
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Solutions Architects, Professional Services, Channel teams, and Engineering resources to deliver seamless customer experiences
• Stay current on industry trends, competitive technologies, and emerging customer challenges to bring fresh ideas and differentiated value to customer conversations
• Travel throughout the territory to support customer meetings, partner engagements, onsite presentations, and regional events

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of experience in technical pre-sales, solutions engineering, systems engineering, or a customer-facing infrastructure technology role in a quota-driven environment
• Experience supporting commercial, mid-market, or enterprise customers throughout the sales lifecycle
• Strong background in infrastructure technologies; storage and storage-adjacent technologies are highly preferred
• Knowledge of on-prem environments including SAN, NAS, block, and file architectures, along with familiarity integrating those environments into broader IT ecosystems
• Experience positioning and configuring infrastructure solutions within customer environments and translating technical concepts into practical business value
• Familiarity with hybrid cloud platforms, virtualization technologies, backup and recovery solutions, and data protection strategies
• Ability to manage multiple customer engagements simultaneously while operating with urgency, organization, and strong attention to detail
• Experience working alongside channel partners and partner technical teams in a collaborative go-to-market model
• Strong communication, presentation, and discovery skills with the ability to build credibility across both technical and business audiences
• Self-motivated, team-oriented mindset with the ability to adapt quickly and thrive in a high-energy field environment
• Must be based in the designated metro area with the ability to support customers and partners throughout the territory

Compensation

The target salary range for this position is 197,200 - 255,200 USD. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. The range is based on 'On Target Earnings’ (OTE) representing the total potential earnings, which is the sum of the base salary and potential commission earned when performance targets are achieved. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off, various Leave options, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU’s). These offerings are subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. We will provide detailed information about the specific benefits for your region during the recruitment process.

At NetApp, we embrace a hybrid working environment designed to strengthen connection, collaboration, and culture for all employees. This means that most roles will have some level of in-office and/or in-person expectations, which will be shared during the recruitment process.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

NetApp is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability or genetic information, pregnancy, protected veteran status, and any other protected classification.

Why You'll Thrive at NetApp

At NetApp, you won't wait for the perfect moment—you'll make it. The early planning, the extra thought, the bold idea that turns good into great: That's how our people operate and how we continue to push the boundaries of data infrastructure.

NetApp is the trusted partner for organizations transforming data into opportunity. As the only enterprise-grade storage service natively embedded in Google Cloud, AWS, and Microsoft Azure, we empower customers to run everything from traditional workloads to enterprise AI with unmatched performance, resilience, and security.

Our culture

We celebrate mold breakers, bold thinkers, and problem solvers. We reward initiative, impact, and ownership. We provide flexibility so you can balance professional ambition with your personal life. Here, differences are not just welcomed—they drive everything we do.

If you're ready to innovate, rise to the challenge, and own every moment—make your next move your best one.

Submitting an application

To ensure a streamlined and fair hiring process for all candidates, our team only reviews applications submitted through our company website. This practice allows us to track, assess, and respond to applicants efficiently. Emailing our employees, recruiters, or Human Resources personnel directly will not influence your application.

Our values

Put the customer at the center. Care for each other and our communities. Think and act like owners. Build belonging every day. Embrace a growth mindset.

Benefits

Volunteer time off: 40 hours of paid volunteer time each year.

Well-being: Employee Assistance Program, fitness, and mental health resources to help employees be their best.

Time away: Paid time off for vacation and to recharge.