Principal Solution Engineer
Salesforce · South Africa - Johannesburg ·
- Seniority
- Principal
- Category
- Solutions engineering
- Experience
- 3+ years
Salesforce · South Africa - Johannesburg ·
To get the best candidate experience, please consider applying for a maximum of 3 roles within 12 months to ensure you are not duplicating efforts.
Job Category
SalesJob Details
About Salesforce
Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn’t a buzzword — it’s a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we're looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce's core values at the heart of it all.
Ready to level-up your career at the company leading workforce transformation in the agentic era? You’re in the right place! Agentforce is the future of AI, and you are the future of Salesforce.
As a Senior Account Solution Engineer (ASE), you are your accounts primary technical presales consultant for our most significant Telecommunications & Media accounts in the African market. Unlike a traditional pre-sales role, the Account Solution Engineer stays with the customer throughout their journey, as they mature on our platform.
Your mission is to work with our customers to scope plan and derive value from their investments across the full Salesforce platform. A key component of this role is the coordination and co execution of the specialist solution engineering and technical and enterprise architect teams (Cloud specialists, Data Architects, AI Specialists, Security Experts, etc.) to ensure the customer realizes continuous, compounding value.
1. Driving Business Value
Strategic Discovery: Lead architectural and business discovery to identify friction in legacy OSS/BSS or broadcast ecosystems, unlocking avenues for digital transformation.
Value-Led Solutioning: Tie every technical demo and architectural proposal directly to specific business outcomes, elevating conversations from features to measurable impact.
Executive Visioning: Deliver value-driven narratives to the C-suite, proving how Salesforce accelerates go-to-market strategies and f.e. monetizes 5G or D2C streaming investments.
Business Value Mapping: Partner with AEs and Business Value Services to translate complex industry use cases into quantifiable ROI and concrete business justifications.
2. Strategic Account Orchestration
Technical Roadmap Ownership: Develop and maintain a 3-year technical maturity roadmap for the account, aligning platform capabilities with the business goals (e.g., reducing churn, ARPU growth, or 5G monetization).
Deployment Governance: Review platform usage and consumption trends post-sale to validate that the implemented solution is actively delivering the promised business value.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Act as the "Conductor of the Orchestra." You will brief and coordinate internal and external specialist teams (e.g., AI/Data Cloud specialists, Implementation Partners, or Cybersecurity leads) to ensure a unified technical front.
Executive Technical Advisory: Build "Trusted Advisor" relationships with CTOs, CIOs, and Enterprise Architects within the African Communications and Media hub.
3. Full-Stack Architectural Proficiency
Ecosystem Articulation: You must be able to discuss and whiteboard not just the Salesforce platform, but its interaction with f.e. Downstream Systems (e.g.,OSS, Billing engines, Data Lakes, ERPs).
Domain Expertise: Lead high-level discussions on:
Cloud & Infrastructure: Transitioning from legacy on-prem to Cloud First architectures.
AI & Automation: Moving from basic chatbots to predictive AI for network maintenance and generative AI for personalized customer service.
Security & Data: Navigating POPIA, data sovereignty, and complex encryption requirements within a high-compliance Telco environment.
Integration: Mastery of API-led connectivity and real-time event-driven architectures.
Experience: 8+ years in Solutions Engineering or Enterprise Architecture, with a preference for 3–5 years specifically within the Telecommunications and/or Media vertical.
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field.
Platform Mastery: Deep knowledge of the Salesforce Portfolio (specifically Communications / Media Cloud), but with the ability to "zoom out" to the wider enterprise landscape.
Technical Literacy: . Familiarity with Telco Industry Standards (e.g., TM Forum, MEF). Good understanding of Integrations (REST/SOAP, Middleware, Pub/Sub).
Leadership: Proven ability to lead virtual teams of specialists without having direct reporting authority over them.
Local Context: Understanding of the South African Telco and Media regulatory environment and the specific challenges of the African "Mobile-First" economy.
You are a Technical Generalist with Specialist Depth. You can talk about "Business Value" with a CMO at 9:00 AM, "API Latency" with a Developer at 11:00 AM, and "Data Privacy/POPIA" with a Legal Counsel at 2:00 PM. You don't just solve the problem in front of you; you anticipate the dependencies three steps down the line.
This is a high-visibility role in the Johannesburg office. You are the bridge between global innovation and local execution for the companies that provide the backbone of Africa's digital economy.
Hiring Manager Note: We aren't looking for a "demo-god". We are looking for a Technical Partner who can sit across from a Telco CTO and hold their own in a debate about system dependencies and long-term digital transformation. Can you motivate your internal teams and create a vision of what the platform unlocks for your customers.
Unleash Your Potential
When you join Salesforce, you’ll be limitless in all areas of your life. Our benefits and resources support you to find balance and be your best, and our AI agents accelerate your impact so you can do your best. Together, we’ll bring the power of Agentforce to organizations of all sizes and deliver amazing experiences that customers love. Apply today to not only shape the future — but to redefine what’s possible — for yourself, for AI, and the world.
Accommodations
If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please submit a request via this Accommodations Request Form.
Please note that Salesforce uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help our recruiters assess and evaluate candidates’ resumes and qualifications throughout the recruiting process. Humans will always make any candidate selection and hiring decisions. Please see our Candidate Privacy Statement for more information about how we use your personal data and your rights, including with regard to use of AI tools and opt out options.
Posting Statement
Salesforce is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a policy of non-discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. What does that mean exactly? It means that at Salesforce, we believe in equality for all. And we believe we can lead the path to equality in part by creating a workplace that’s inclusive, and free from discrimination. Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal. Any employee or potential employee will be assessed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications – without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, political viewpoint, or other classifications protected by law. This policy applies to current and prospective employees, no matter where they are in their Salesforce employment journey. It also applies to recruiting, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, assessment of job performance, discipline, termination, and everything in between. Recruiting, hiring, and promotion decisions at Salesforce are fair and based on merit. The same goes for compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, reduction in workforce, recall, training, and education.