Principal Security Sales Engineer

Avalara is expanding its global SaaS platform and is seeking a Principal Security Sales Engineer to serve as the technical security authority throughout the customer lifecycle. This role will accelerate customer trust, support strategic revenue growth, and strengthen Avalara’s competitive position by addressing customer security requirements and influencing product strategy.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary security and privacy subject matter expert supporting enterprise sales opportunities and strategic customer engagements
• Partner with Account Executives, Sales Engineering, Legal, Product Management, and Engineering teams to address customer security, privacy, and compliance requirements
• Lead customer trust discussions, technical security reviews, and third-party risk management engagements that accelerate deal progression
• Develop and deliver compelling presentations, demonstrations, and security narratives that clearly communicate Avalara’s security posture and differentiators
• Influence product and engineering roadmaps by identifying recurring customer security requirements, emerging risks, and market opportunities
• Support responses to security questionnaires, RFPs, RFIs, audits, and due diligence requests while improving scalability and consistency of the response process
• Provide guidance on cloud security, data protection, privacy, AI governance, and compliance frameworks relevant to Avalara’s solutions
• Support contract negotiations involving information security, privacy, and AI-related provisions
• Act as a trusted advisor to internal and external stakeholders regarding cybersecurity, privacy, and AI risk management practices

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Security, or a related technical discipline
• 10+ years of relevant professional experience in security engineering, security consulting, technical sales, or security architecture
• Experience supporting complex enterprise software sales cycles involving multiple stakeholder groups
• Deep understanding of cybersecurity controls, cloud security, identity and access management, data protection, encryption, and security architecture
• Working knowledge of security, privacy, and AI governance frameworks including NIST CSF, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, GDPR, and ISO 42001
• Experience engaging customers, auditors, and executives on cybersecurity, privacy, compliance, and risk management topics
• Strong understanding of public cloud environments including AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and OCI
• Demonstrated experience applying AI technologies to improve business outcomes and operational effectiveness
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills
• CISSP, CCSP, CISM, Google Cloud Architect, AWS Security Specialty, or similar certifications
• Experience supporting SaaS, enterprise software, or cloud platform organizations
• Experience with AI governance, AI security, and emerging regulatory frameworks
• Experience influencing product roadmaps based on customer security requirements
• Public speaking, conference presentation, or industry thought leadership experience