Director, Solution Engineering

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Director of Solution Engineering to lead a team of Lead Solution Engineers responsible for providing white glove Technical Support and Appian Cloud services to Appian's most important customers. This role plays a crucial part in delivering outstanding customer support throughout the development, deployment, and production use of the Appian platform.

The ideal candidate has a deep technical background, a knack for creative problem-solving, and proven leadership skills. In this role, you will be responsible for the overall success and development of your team, as well as the technical health of the accounts they serve. You will act as an escalation point for your team and for Appian's leadership on critical technical issues, coordinating a response across multiple departments and ensuring seamless communication with our customers, including C-Level executives.

You will also act as a mentor for the broader APJ Solution Engineering team, helping to define best practices, contribute to our technical knowledge base, and mentor engineers at all levels. This is a unique opportunity to lead a team that is vital to Appian's customer relationships and long-term growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Lead Solution Engineers accountable for driving customer satisfaction and success across their assigned accounts.
  
  
• Support Lead Engineers in managing customer relationships, handling escalations, and coordinating cross-functional dependencies, while ensuring balanced workload distribution.
  
  
• Collaborate with specialized support teams and engineering stakeholders to manage critical incidents and ensure timely resolution.
  
  
• Conduct regular performance reviews, providing clear, constructive feedback to foster continuous growth and accountability.
  
  
• Drive professional development through coaching, mentoring, and structured career planning, aligned with both individual aspirations and business goals.
  
  
• Oversee team operations including account assignments, availability planning (PTO), and expense management.
  
  

• Lead onboarding sessions for new customers to ensure a smooth transition and strong initial engagement.
  
  
• Own the coordination of Appian's response during escalated customer incidents, ensuring timely, transparent communication with both internal and external stakeholders.
  
  
• Ensure customers realize ongoing value from the Lead Engineer service by monitoring engagement health and proactively addressing risks.
  
  

• Collaborate closely with Sales teams to position and articulate the value of Appian's Success Plans to prospects and existing customers.
  
  
• Serve as the primary point of escalation for Sales and Customer Success leadership within the region, including engagement with c-level executives.
  
  
• Proactively engage with account teams and internal stakeholders to address customer challenges and ensure alignment across functions.
  
  
• Identify opportunities for expanded product or service adoption, and partner with account teams to drive those initiatives.
  
  

• 10+ years of experience leading technical support or solution engineering teams.
  
  
• 8+ years of experience successfully managing escalations and resolving complex customer issues, both internally and externally.
  
  
• Strong familiarity with service management tools, monitoring systems, and best practices for documentation.
  
  
• Exceptional leadership, coaching, and interpersonal communication skills.
  
  
• Experience managing international customer communications and escalations, including availability for off-hours engagement when necessary.