BY: Jackie McGuire, jackiesinsecurity
In the vast and rapidly expanding universe of cybersecurity, we often picture the heroes as hoodie-clad figures in dark rooms, hunting for threats, or as C-level executives in boardrooms, making high-stakes decisions. While these roles are vital, there is a powerful, influential, and highly lucrative career path that remains one of the industry’s best-kept secrets: the Sales Engineer.
For women looking to enter or elevate their career in cybersecurity, the Sales Engineer (SE) or Solutions Engineer role isn’t just another option; it’s a strategic gateway to influence, financial empowerment, and a more manageable learning curve. At Women in Cyber Security (WiCys), we are passionate about illuminating all viable paths to success, and we believe this one deserves a spotlight.
This role is the ultimate fusion of deep technical expertise and strategic business acumen. If you’ve ever felt you have more to offer than just technical skills, if you enjoy solving problems, building relationships, and connecting technology to tangible business outcomes, then this article is your call to action. Let’s break down why the Sales Engineer role is a game-changer and how it systematically addresses some of the biggest hurdles professionals face in their security careers.
The Influence Equation: From Cost Center to Revenue Driver
One of the most persistent cultural challenges in cybersecurity is the perception of security teams as a “cost center.” Traditional security roles, such as analysts or internal engineers, are fundamentally defensive. They are budgetary line items, essential for protecting the business but not for generating revenue. This can lead to a constant battle for budget, resources, and a seat at the decision-making table. While their work is critical, their influence can be indirectly felt rather than directly measured in dollars and cents.
The Sales Engineer, however, operates on a completely different plane. The SE is a direct and indispensable part of the revenue-generating engine.
Working alongside an Account Executive (the “what” and “why” of the sale), the Sales Engineer is the “how.” They are the technical authority in the room, the trusted advisor who shows a prospective customer not just what a product does, but how it will solve their specific, complex problems. They build and run proof-of-concepts, answer deep technical questions, and neutralize objections. When the deal closes, the SE’s contribution is directly quantifiable.
This proximity to revenue changes everything. It transforms your position from a protector of value to a creator of value. This creates two powerful forms of influence:
- Organizational Influence: Because SEs are tied to sales quotas and revenue targets, their voices carry significant weight within the organization. They are seen as essential assets for growth. This influence extends far beyond the sales department. SEs are the front-line ambassadors of the technology, gathering priceless, unfiltered feedback from the market. They hear every customer objection, every feature request, and every competitive threat. This makes them an invaluable resource for:
- Product Teams: SEs provide the real-world context that product managers and developers need to build a better, more competitive product. Their feedback directly shapes the product roadmap.
- Marketing Teams: They can articulate the technical value proposition in a way that resonates with practitioners, helping to refine messaging and campaigns.
- Executive Leadership: When leadership wants to understand market trends or customer pain points, they turn to the pre-sales team.
- Customer Influence: A great Sales Engineer is more than a product expert; they are a trusted advisor. Customers don’t see them as salespeople; they see them as problem-solvers and partners. Building this trust allows an SE to influence not just a single purchasing decision but a customer’s entire security strategy. This relationship-building aspect is a powerful way to create a lasting personal brand and a network of advocates across the industry.
The Compensation Advantage: Know Your Worth
Let’s talk about money. While passion for security is a driving force for many, fair and competitive compensation is a critical component of a sustainable and rewarding career. It provides security, enables freedom, and is a tangible measure of the value you bring to an organization.
In this regard, the Sales Engineer role offers a significant and often startling advantage over many traditional security positions.
Research and salary data consistently show that cybersecurity Sales Engineers are among the highest earners in the field. When comparing median salaries, an SE can expect to earn 20-40% more than a Cybersecurity Analyst or a mid-level Security Engineer.
But the base salary is only part of the story. The real differentiator is On-Target Earnings (OTE). An SE’s compensation is typically structured with a base salary and a variable component (commission or bonus) tied to sales performance. A standard package might be a 70/30 or 80/20 split (e.g., 70% base salary, 30% variable commission).
Let’s look at a conservative example based on 2025 market data:
- Cybersecurity Analyst: Median Salary: $110,000. Total Compensation: ~$110,000.
- Security Engineer: Median Salary: $130,000. Total Compensation: ~$130,000.
- Cybersecurity Sales Engineer: Median Base Salary: $150,000. With a standard commission structure, their On-Target Earnings (OTE) could be $215,000 or more.
And that’s just the target. High-performing SEs on successful teams regularly exceed their quotas, leading to commission accelerators that can push their total compensation even higher. This structure directly rewards you for your hard work and success. You are no longer just earning a salary; you are building wealth.
This financial empowerment is transformative. It accelerates financial goals, whether it’s achieving independence, supporting a family, investing, or funding other passions. For an industry struggling with burnout, having your financial compensation directly tied to your success provides a powerful and motivating feedback loop.
The Learning Curve: Depth Before Breadth
One of the most intimidating aspects of breaking into or advancing in cybersecurity is the sheer breadth of knowledge that seems to be required. Job descriptions for analyst or engineering roles often demand hands-on experience with a dizzying array of technologies: SIEMs, SOARs, EDRs, firewalls, cloud platforms, scripting languages, and more. It can feel like you need to know everything about everything, which is a recipe for imposter syndrome.
The Sales Engineer role offers a more focused and manageable approach to technical mastery: depth before breadth.
Your primary mission as an SE is to become the foremost expert on your company’s product. You need to know it inside and out, including architecture, features, APIs, limitations, and value proposition. This is your universe and your initial learning is deep, but narrow. You don’t need to be an expert in ten different security domains on day one. You need to be an expert in one.
From that foundation of deep product knowledge, your learning expands organically and with context. You begin to learn about:
- Integrations: You master the platforms your product connects with. If you sell an EDR, you become an expert on how it integrates with various platforms (SIEM, SOAR, XDR, Identity, etc). You learn their APIs and workflows because you must, in order to do your job.
- Competitors: You learn about competing products in granular detail so you can articulate your unique advantages.
- Customer Environments: You are exposed to hundreds of different customer security stacks, giving you an incredible real-world education on how security is actually implemented in different organizations.
This “just-in-time” learning is incredibly effective. You are not studying for a certification in a vacuum, you are learning to solve a real customer’s problem. Over a few years, a Sales Engineer develops a T-shaped skill set: incredibly deep knowledge in their core product domain and broad, practical knowledge across the wider security ecosystem.
This pathway lowers the barrier to entry without lowering the ceiling for growth. It provides a structured way to build comprehensive expertise while delivering immense value from the very beginning.
A Strategic Imperative for Women in Cyber
The unique advantages of the Sales Engineer role align perfectly with overcoming some of the systemic challenges women face in the tech industry.
- Combating Under-Valuation: The direct link between performance and compensation in an SE role provides an objective measure of value. The commission structure is transparent, removing the ambiguity and bias that can creep into subjective performance reviews and salary negotiations for traditional roles.
- Building Influential Networks: The role is, by its nature, about building relationships and influence. It offers a platform to establish yourself as a respected expert both inside your company and across the industry, creating a powerful professional network.
- Showcasing Diverse Skills: The SE role celebrates a blend of skills. It requires not just technical prowess but also empathy, communication, strategic thinking, and problem-solving—skills that are immensely valuable but not always formally recognized in purely technical roles.
Your Path Forward
If you are a technical professional feeling stuck, undervalued, or overwhelmed, it’s time to look at your career through a new lens. If you are looking to break into the industry and want a role with a clear path to growth and impact, this is your opportunity.
The Sales Engineer career is not a “soft” technical role. It is a demanding, strategic, and deeply technical position that sits at the epicenter of the business. It’s for the builders, the problem-solvers, and the connectors. It’s for those who want to do more than just defend the perimeter—they want to help build the business.
We encourage you to explore this path. Talk to women who are already in these roles. Look at job descriptions with fresh eyes. At WiCys, we are committed to providing the resources and network to help you succeed. This is more than a job; it’s a launchpad for leadership.