Principal Sales Engineer (SE) – AI Security Solutions

Proofpoint is a global leader in human- and agent-centric cybersecurity, and they are seeking a Principal Sales Engineer to drive the adoption of their AI-driven security portfolio. This role involves engaging with customers, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and translating complex AI security concepts into business value.

Responsibilities:

• Build credibility with security, AI/ML, and IT stakeholders, including CISOs, security architects, and data leaders
• Lead technical workshops on AI risk, governance, and secure adoption strategies
• Support proof-of-value (POV) and proof-of-concept (POC) engagements focused on real-world AI use cases
• Provide best practices for integrating AI security into existing security and data protection architectures
• Partner with Product Management to provide field feedback on AI Security capabilities and roadmap
• Collaborate with Marketing to develop thought leadership on AI security, agentic risk, and governance
• Work with Customer Success to ensure successful onboarding and expansion of AI Security deployments

Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience in Sales Engineering, Solutions Engineering, or similar technical pre-sales roles
• Strong background in cybersecurity
• Experience discussing AI/ML concepts, AI risk, or emerging AI security challenges
• Proven ability to deliver compelling technical presentations and product demonstrations
• Strong consultative skills with the ability to map technology to business outcomes
• Experience in enterprise software deployments on end user devices and cloud environments
• Experience in AI Agent development in environments such as Amazon EKS, Google GKE and Azure AKS
• Familiarity with networking concepts, including TCP/IP, Proxy, Firewall, CASB and SIEM
• AI security domain expertise
• Technical storytelling and value articulation
• Solution architecture and systems thinking
• Customer-facing communication
• Analytical and problem-solving skills