Principal Sales Engineer

Calix provides the cloud, software platforms, systems and services required for communications service providers to simplify their businesses, excite their subscribers and grow their value.

This is a remote-based position located in North America.

As a Principal Sales Engineer at Calix, you will drive business growth by engaging major accounts, designing advanced broadband and cloud solutions, and leading the adoption of AI-driven initiatives. You will serve as a technical advisor and trusted partner to clients, collaborating closely with sales and product teams to deliver measurable business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

Account Management & Business Development

• Manage assigned major accounts to foster ongoing business relationships and support revenue growth.
• Proactively identify and cultivate prospective accounts, expanding Calix’s market reach and driving new opportunities.

Technical Solution Design

• Develop network and cloud solution architectures using Calix’s full suite of offerings, with a consultative approach that aligns technical solutions to client business requirements and desired outcomes.
• Lead the design and implementation of AI-powered solutions for customer engagement, network analytics, and operational automation.
• Integrate Calix Cloud SaaS offerings with customer BSS/OSS environments.

Client Engagement & Representation

• Represent Calix by sharing expertise on Calix solutions and staying informed on external technologies and trends; apply this knowledge to assist clients and internal teams.
• Deliver technical presentations and demonstrations to client technical staff and senior management, including C-level executives (CTOs, CNOs, CIOs).
• Support the preparation and response process for RFx.

Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on continuous product, education, training, testing, and demonstration enhancements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field (BSEE or BSCS preferred).
• Demonstrated excellence in customer engagement and relationship management
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and a proven ability to synthesize and interpret complex issues into actionable solutions, effectively collaborating with diverse audiences across organizational levels.
• Superior presentation, written communication, and public speaking abilities at all organizational levels.
• Recognized as a proactive self-starter and effective change agent within organizations.
• Strong work ethic, consistently exhibiting determination, integrity, and urgency to meet deadlines and deliver outcomes.
• Proven track record in building and maintaining strategic relationships with key stakeholders.
• Expertise in Cloud SaaS and AI
• Expertise in SaaS and cloud technologies, with hands-on experience deploying and managing SaaS solutions in a service provider environment.
• Experience identifying, designing, and launching AI-driven initiatives, including agentic workflows, data readiness assessments, and cloud integration, to achieve measurable business outcomes for major accounts.
• Experience implementing agentic AI solutions to automate customer engagement and support processes (e.g., AI-powered support agents, predictive analytics, automated troubleshooting).
• Functional understanding of BSS/OSS software integrations using RESTful APIs.
• Proven experience in broadband service provider technologies, including: Layer 2 and Layer 3 broadband access network architectures and fiber-based broadband access systems (e.g., XGS-PON, GPON), Wi-Fi technology and in-home network solutions (RGs, mesh extenders, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 7, etc.), Service provider network architecture and technologies (BNG, MPLS, L2/L3 access, photonic transport), service provider routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, ISIS, SR) and transport functions (L2/3 VPN), and protocols and standards for broadband CPE management (TR-069/CWMP, TR-369/USP, TR-181, TR-098, TR-157, etc.).
• Willingness and ability to travel within North America up to 60% of the time to support customer engagements. Must have a valid driver's license.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with large Tier 1 & 2 service providers.
• Experience working with Open Access service providers.
• Experience with AI/ML frameworks and cloud native architecture
• Industry certifications (e.g., MEF, Cisco, Juniper, AWS Certified Solutions Architect).

The on-target earnings for this position varies based on the geographic location. More information about the pay range specific to candidate location and other factors will be shared during the recruitment process. Individual pay is determined based on location of residence and multiple factors, including job-related knowledge, skills and experience.

San Francisco Bay Area:

256,000 - 384,000 USD Annual

Select US Metros and States:

222,000 - 333,000 USD Annual

Other US Locations:

200,000 - 300,000 USD Annual

For information on our benefits click here.