Senior Solutions Engineer - Partners

<div class="content-intro"><p><strong>About Tailscale&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>Tailscale is making safe connection effortless by delivering software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and their devices, no matter where they are. From hobbyists to multinational corporations, teams of every size use Tailscale each day to protect their networks, share access to internal tools, and more. We're building a future for the Internet that's easy, sensible, and safe, like it used to be. Founded in 2019 and fully distributed, we're backed by Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital.</p></div><h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;">About the Role</span></h3> <p>We are hiring a <strong>Senior Solutions Engineer </strong>focused on <strong>Channel Partners</strong> to drive technical success with resellers, MSPs, system integrators, and technology alliance partners. You will act as the primary technical counterpart for our channel motion—enabling partners to sell, deploy, and expand Tailscale successfully while co-selling complex deals alongside Account Executives and Partner/Channel Sales Managers.</p> <p>This is a senior individual-contributor role that blends deep networking/security expertise, consultative selling, partner enablement, and influence on product and go-to-market strategy. You will co-own pipeline outcomes, lead sophisticated technical engagements, and build scalable resources that multiply the impact of our partner community. This role is ideal for a senior SE who enjoys multiplying impact through partners while staying deeply technical and customer-obsessed. You will help shape how Tailscale scales through the channel at a pivotal growth stage.</p> <h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Key Responsibilities</span></h3> <ul> <li>Collaborate with Channel Account Managers and AEs to identify, qualify, and close new and expansion opportunities through the channel.</li> <li>Lead technical discovery, solution architecture, demos, and proofs-of-concept (POCs) for partner-sourced and co-sell deals, often involving multi-stakeholder enterprise or mid-market environments.</li> <li>Serve as a trusted technical advisor to partners and their end customers on zero-trust networking, secure connectivity, identity integrations, and emerging use cases (including AI gateway / Aperture-related scenarios &amp; PAM).</li> <li>Develop and deliver partner technical enablement: training programs, certification content, demo environments, solution blueprints, reference architectures, and battle cards that help partners win and deploy Tailscale independently.</li> <li>Architect and guide complex multi-party deals (partner + customer + Tailscale), aligning technical requirements with business outcomes and navigating competitive landscapes.</li> <li>Provide structured field feedback from partners and joint customers to Product, Engineering, and GTM teams to influence roadmap priorities and packaging.</li> <li>Build and maintain high-trust relationships with key technical stakeholders at strategic partners; act as the escalation point for advanced architectural and integration questions.</li> <li>Collaborate cross-functionally (Sales, Partner, Product, Customer Success, Support) to improve handoffs, technical win rates, and partner-sourced revenue.</li> <li>Contribute to scalable SE processes, including reusable demo assets, partner-facing documentation, and best-practice playbooks.</li> </ul> <h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What We Are Looking For</span></h3> <ul> <li>6+ years in a customer-facing Solutions Engineer, Sales Engineer, or Solutions Architect role within networking, security, infrastructure, or related software (prior experience supporting or selling through channel partners strongly preferred).</li> <li>Direct experience enabling or co-selling with MSPs, OEMs, VARs, system integrators, or technology alliance partners in the networking, security, or cloud infrastructure space.</li> <li>Proven track record of co-owning pipeline and influencing quota outcomes in partnership with sales and/or channel teams.</li> <li>Deep understanding of zero-trust networking principles, secure remote access/connectivity, and identity &amp; access management integrations (SSO, SAML, OIDC, SCIM).</li> <li>Strong networking fundamentals and troubleshooting skills: TCP/IP, DNS, routing, firewalls, NAT traversal, and related concepts.</li> <li>Hands-on architecture and deployment experience with at least two major cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure) and hybrid environments.</li> <li>Excellent communication and executive presence: ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business value for both technical and non-technical audiences (partners, end customers, and internal stakeholders).</li> <li>Experience designing and delivering technical training or enablement content.</li> <li>Comfort operating in a high-growth, fully distributed environment with a high degree of autonomy and ownership.</li> <li>Willingness to travel occasionally (approximately 15-25%) for partner workshops, key customer meetings, conferences, and internal collaboration.</li> </ul> <h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Nice to Have</span></h3> <ul> <li><strong>Experience:</strong></li> <ul> <li>Prior experience at a high-growth networking, security, or infrastructure SaaS company (WireGuard, VPN, SASE, ZTNA, PAM, or adjacent domains is a plus).</li> <li>Background working with regulated industries or compliance frameworks (SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI, etc.) in a pre-sales context.</li> </ul> <li><strong>Technical Skills:</strong></li> <ul> <li>Hands-on experience with scripting or automation (Python, Bash, Go, Terraform/HCL, K8s or similar) for demos, POCs, or partner tooling.</li> <li>Familiarity with AI gateway, LLM access governance, or related emerging use cases.</li> <li>Knowledge of the competitive landscape in zero-trust, SASE, and secure connectivity solutions.</li> <li>Previous exposure to Tailscale, WireGuard, or similar mesh-networking technologies.</li> </ul> <li><strong>Enablement:</strong></li> <ul> <li>Experience building reusable solution architectures, partner playbooks, or technical certification programs.</li> </ul> </ul> <p>As a company, we strive to maintain fair and equitable compensation practices within our team across all roles and all levels. Tailscale's compensation package includes base salary, equity, and comprehensive benefits. The salary range displayed on each job posting represents the target range for a new hire's base salary. Individual offers may vary based on experience and skill set.</p><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="description"><p>For this position, our pay ranges reflect target OTE (on target earnings), inclusive of base salary and variable compensation tied to the attainment of quarterly sales targets.</p></div><div class="title">CAN Pay Range (OTE)</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$335,000</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$335,000 CAD</span></div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion"><p><em data-stringify-type="italic">Frequently cited statistics show that people who identify with historically marginalized groups are likely to apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications.&nbsp;</em><strong data-stringify-type="bold"><em data-stringify-type="italic">We encourage you to help us break that statistic!</em></strong></p> <p><strong>What We Offer</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>An inclusive, flexible environment where you can be your authentic self.</strong> We recognize the impact of diverse voices and backgrounds on the growth of our people, product, and company. And that flexibility in how and when you work empowers our team to integrate work and life.</li> <li><strong>A competitive total compensation package.</strong> This includes a base salary, an equity incentive plan and variable commission (for quota-based roles).</li> <li><strong>Comprehensive group benefits with no waiting per