Field Application Engineer

Company Description

At Western Digital, our vision is to power global innovation and push the boundaries of technology to make what you thought was once impossible, possible.

At our core, Western Digital is a company of problem solvers. People achieve extraordinary things given the right technology. For decades, we’ve been doing just that. Our technology helped people put a man on the moon.

We are a key partner to some of the largest and highest growth organizations in the world. From energizing the most competitive gaming platforms, to enabling systems to make cities safer and cars smarter and more connected, to powering the data centers behind many of the world’s biggest companies and public cloud, Western Digital is fueling a brighter, smarter future.

Binge-watch any shows, use social media or shop online lately? You’ll find Western Digital supporting the storage infrastructure behind many of these platforms. And, that flash memory card that captures and preserves your most precious moments? That’s us, too.

We offer an expansive portfolio of technologies, storage devices and platforms for business and consumers alike. Our data-centric solutions are comprised of the Western Digital®, G-Technology™, SanDisk® and WD® brands.

Today’s exceptional challenges require your unique skills. It’s You & Western Digital. Together, we’re the next BIG thing in data.

Job Description

JOB RESPONSIBILITY / SUMMARY:

This position is to develop, grow and support Enterprise Account base in France and other countries in Europe and meet the assigned sales quotas in a defined territory in strong collaboration with the international Sales Team. Through a combination of deep storage expertise and extensive field experience manage all technical activities during the sales cycle. The Candidate must possess the ability to convince technical decision makers of the merits of WESTERN DIGITAL’s portfolio and must be comfortable with live customer demonstrations, presentations and solution architectural design.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Technical PreSales of Western Digital storage products (HDD,JBOD & NVMeoF JBOF storage solutions). Present WESTERN DIGITAL products and technologies to customers and partners and represent WESTERN DIGITAL at industry conferences, trade shows and User's Group meetings.
• Assess and understand customer requirements and infrastructure to design appropriate solutions. Identify risks and provide recommendations to implement these. Facilitate, deliver and manage customer evaluations of the storage system. Convey the message internally to engineering and marketing teams. Coordinate complex technical projects and programs and define project plans and subsequent project management.
• Drive and lead the whole qualification / POC process (provide samples, regular follow up on qualification status, solve technical problems during qualification). Conduct hands-on demonstrations of the Platform Solution along with Enterprise HDD’s and SSD’s. Document final test results and subsequent lessons learned.
• Develop tight relationships with customer technical personnel which result in incremental opportunities for WESTERN DIGITAL’s portfolio.
• Work hand-in-hand with Engineering and other cross-functional organizations to resolve issues.
• Develop technical responses to RFls and RFPs
• Work with Ecosystem ISV / IHV in combination with WESTERN DIGITAL’s Engineering and Business Development and Marketing Team to prepare storage solutions and maintain strong relationship to create new opportunities 
• Develop tight relationships with customer technical personnel which result in incremental opportunities for WESTERN DIGITAL’s portfolio.
• Mentors to Sales, Business Development and Marketing Teams. 
• Regular exchange inside worldwide engineering team.
• Provide customer and market input to Product Management, Engineering, Customer Service, and other pertinent groups within WESTERN DIGITAL’s portfolio.
• Stay update on major competitive landscape and industry developments be capable of handling customer inquiries on these matters. Explore and analyze different designs and applications to evaluate new opportunities or requirements
• Perform Hands on testing of the storage product in customer applications, software and hardware. Perform technical and benchmark tests
• Develop white papers, technical briefs, case-studies, and other tools to be leveraged by the Platforms and eSSD’s.

Qualifications

JOB SPECIFICATIONS:

• Minimum Education: Bachelor’s in Computer Science / Electronics engineering or equivalent field experience.
• Experience of Technical Pre-Sales Storage related experience with server/storage vendors preferred.
• Strong technical skills.
• Fluent English and French language skills.
• Highly competent, self-directed. Excellent writing and verbal communication skills
• Ability to develop and effectively communicate business cases and justifications to internal and external stakeholders as required to drive business forward
• Strong team-player who can collaborate with colleagues
• Flexibility to Travel

KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS:

• General storage industry knowledge and understanding; interoperability; competitive landscape.
• Experience in working with server environment running UNIX, Linux or Windows
  Hands-on networking experience and troubleshooting technologies.
• Expertise in customized storage solutions such as object storage, backup, archive, data migration, storage systems S3, NAS and SAN and application storage provisioning and backup and recovery procedures.

Additional Information

Western Digital thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution.

Western Digital is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at [email protected] to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.