Sales Engineer, Kubernetes

Hammerspace is a fast-growing software company building the data foundation for the AI era. We are changing how organizations access, move, and use unstructured data by eliminating data silos and creating a single, high-performance data environment across sites, clouds, and storage systems, so AI, GPUs, HPC, and data-intensive applications can operate at full speed.

Our technology combines a high-performance parallel global file system with intelligent data orchestration to make data available wherever compute needs it, without disruptive migrations or infrastructure lock-in. The result is faster AI pipelines, higher GPU utilization, quicker time-to-insight, and a radically simpler way for researchers, developers, and enterprises to put their data to work.

About the role

This seat is the named technical specialist for Kubernetes-shaped deals. Field CTOs should not be the default resource on operators, CSI, and 'does this run on our cluster.'

You own the technical motion when the opportunity is orchestration, container platforms, and running Hammerspace in a Kubernetes environment. You prove the data path in the cluster, not a slide about cloud-native. You make account SEs good enough on those questions that a Field CTO is not required on the call.

What you will do

• Own the technical work when the deal is Kubernetes: operators, CSI, storage classes, and the Hammerspace data path inside the cluster.
• Enable account SEs to run first-pass Kubernetes discovery and a routine container-platform POC without a Field CTO.
• Design and run POCs that prove the data path in Kubernetes: attach, performance, failover, and how applications actually consume the namespace.
• Work with platform teams, not only storage teams. Sit with platform engineering, SRE, and cloud-native architects.
• Surface real Kubernetes-boundary gaps to Product the same week they show up in the field: CSI, operator, upgrade, multi-cluster, and performance issues that block a deal.
• Flag stuck POCs, severity-level problems, and coverage holes to the Director the same day.
• Deliver technical presentations, workshops, and hands-on enablement that field SEs can reuse.
• Know when to finish the work yourself and when to pull a Field CTO, cloud, or the Director.

What good looks like in six months

• Kubernetes motions have a named specialist and a repeatable POC path.
• Field CTOs are not the default on routine container-platform technical work.
• Account SEs can do first-pass Kubernetes discovery without you.
• Stuck POCs, severity-level issues, and coverage holes reach the Director the same day.

What you bring

Required

• You have been the technical owner on Kubernetes-shaped storage or data-platform deals.
• You can talk CSI, operators, storage classes, and the actual data path, and you can run a POC that proves it.
• You have worked with platform teams, not only storage teams.
• Five or more years in pre-sales, solutions engineering, or a comparable technical sales role in storage, data management, or cloud-native infrastructure.
• Working knowledge of Linux, containers, and how a data platform attaches to Kubernetes.
• Clear written and verbal communication with platform engineers, customer architects, and Hammerspace field teams.

Nice to have

• OpenShift, EKS, GKE, AKS, or on-prem Kubernetes at enterprise scale.
• You have taught other SEs this motion.
• Experience with GPU operator / device-plugin environments and AI pipelines running on Kubernetes.
• Familiarity with CSI sidecars, snapshot / clone workflows, RWX file workloads, and object access from the cluster.
• Knowledge of current storage architectures (NAS, SAN, object, parallel file) and of multi-cluster or hybrid-cloud operations.

You do not need to match every bullet. If you have done this work under another title, apply. We hire for the work, not a pedigree.

What this role does not own

• Field CTO architecture.
• The cloud-native product story, which sits with Presales.
• Partner Kubernetes programs, which sit with Partner Enablement.
• New-logo hunting as a primary motion.
• A named geographic book. This is a specialty seat.

Compensation and benefits

The anticipated compensation range for this role is $250,000 to $300,000 (OTE). Actual compensation will be determined by several factors including, but not limited to, level of professional/education experience, skills/abilities, internal equity, and budgetary considerations. In addition, Hammerspace offers a broad range of health plans for medical, dental, vision, life and disability. We also offer 401k plans and flexible time off.

Equal opportunity

Hammerspace is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, gender, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, military status, or national origin or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or applicable local law.

To the extent required by state or local hiring regulations, we will consider for employment any qualified applicant, including those with arrest and conviction records, in a manner consistent with the applicable regulation.

Agencies

Agencies are hereby specifically directed not to contact Hammerspace employees directly in an attempt to present candidates. To protect the interests of all parties, Hammerspace will not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. Any unsolicited resumes sent to Hammerspace will be considered Hammerspace property. Hammerspace will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. Hammerspace will consider any candidate for whom an Agency has submitted an unsolicited resume to have been referred by the Agency free of any charges or fees. Agency must obtain advance written approval from Hammerspace's recruiting function to submit resumes, and then only in conjunction with a valid fully-executed contract for service and in response to a specific job opening. Hammerspace will not pay a fee to any Agency that does not have such agreement in place.