Director Of Sales Engineering, India & SAARC

Director Of Sales Engineering (SE) For Thales Cybersecurity Products (CSP) Division In India

Location: MUMBAI, India

Thales is a global technology leader trusted by governments, institutions, and enterprises to tackle their most demanding challenges. From quantum applications and artificial intelligence to cybersecurity and 6G innovation, our solutions empower critical decisions rooted in human intelligence. Operating at the forefront of aerospace and space, cybersecurity and digital identity, we're driven by a mission to build a future we can all trust.

Present in India since 1953, Thales is headquartered in Noida and has other operational offices and sites spread across Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru and Mumbai, among others. Over 2200 employees are working with Thales and its joint ventures in India. Since the beginning, Thales has been playing an essential role in India's growth story by sharing its technologies and expertise in Defence, Aerospace and Cyber & Digital sectors. Thales has two engineering competence centres in India - one in Noida focused on Cyber & Digital business, while the one in Bengaluru focuses on hardware, software and systems engineering capabilities for both the civil and defence sectors, serving global needs. The Group has also established an MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) facility in Gurugram to provide comprehensive avionics maintenance and repair services to Indian airlines and support the growth of the local aviation industry.

Position Summary: As the Director of Sales Engineering (SE) for the Thales Cybersecurity Products (CSP) division in India, you will lead a specialized team of sales engineers responsible for the technical success of the unified Thales CSP portfolios. This role is pivotal in driving the convergence of Application Security (WAAP, DDoS Protection, Bot Management) and Data Security (DAM, Encryption, Tokenisation, HSM, Key Management) across the region. You will act as a strategic technical advisor to India's largest enterprises, BFSIs and government sectors, helping them secure their digital transformation journeys from the edge to the core.

Key Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Strategic Execution
  • Manage & Mentor: Lead a high-performing SE team, providing technical coaching and career development.
  • Portfolio Integration: Drive the regional technical sales strategy for the integrated AppSec and DataSec platforms.
  • Operational Excellence: Oversee the execution of complex PoCs, technical workshops, and high-stakes RFP responses.
• Technical Solution Architecture
  • End-to-End Security: Design architectures that protect the entire data lifecycle, combining Imperva WAAP (Web Application & API Protection) with Thales CipherTrust and Luna HSMs.
  • Cloud & Hybrid Expertise: Guide customers in securing multi-cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP) using centralized key management and edge-based application defense.
  • Regional SME: Serve as the technical authority for India-specific regulatory compliance, including RBI cybersecurity frameworks and the DPDP Act.
• Market & Product Growth
  • Stakeholder Influence: Partner with Sales Directors to identify market trends and technical barriers in the Indian cybersecurity landscape.
  • Feedback Loop: Collaborate with Global Product Management to prioritize features relevant to the India market, particularly regarding local data residency and sovereign cloud requirements.

Required Skills & Qualifications

Domain Expertise

• Application Security: Deep knowledge of WAF, Advanced Bot Protection, DDoS mitigation and API Security.
• Data Security: Proficiency in Hardware Security Modules (HSM), Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), Encryption, Tokenization, and Database Security/Activity Monitoring (DAM).
• Cryptography: Understanding of advanced concepts, including Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Lattice-Based algorithms.

Professional Profile

• Experience: 10+ years in Pre-Sales/Solution Engineering within the cybersecurity sector, with 5+ years in a people management role.
• Technical Breadth: Strong background in Linux, networking protocols, API integration, network security, data security, and DevSecOps pipelines.
• Education: Degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field.
• Certifications: CISSP, CISM, or advanced cloud security certifications (e.g., CCSP) a bonus.

At Thales, we're committed to fostering a workplace where respect, trust, collaboration, and passion drive everything we do. Here, you'll feel empowered to bring your best self, thrive in a supportive culture, and love the work you do. Join us, and be part of a team reimagining technology to create solutions that truly make a difference – for a safer, greener, and more inclusive world.