Technical Support Engineering Manager at VHRS

Role summary:

We are seeking a seasoned Technical Operations Manager with expertise in managing a team of 3 cybersecurity pre-sales engineers and 3 technical support staff. The help desk operates during SAT and EAT business hours, Monday to Friday with the majority of the team in Cape Town and 1 engineer in Nairobi, covering 23 African countries. The ESET offering covers ESET Home and ESET Protect platforms which covers the consumer, SoHo, SMB and Enterprise segments. There are growth plans in place to bring on other vendors.

This role requires a leader who can oversee diverse technical functions, from ensuring the team delivers compelling product demonstrations to driving sales of cybersecurity solutions with a focus on service delivery. The ideal candidate will excel in team management and mentorship, customer engagement largely through a vast network of resellers but also with end clients, technical pre-sales support, and supporting technical infrastructure to drive operational excellence and client satisfaction.

This is a new position in the company and there is room in the role to shape it and work with senior management to meet the needs of the business.

Daily Responsibilities:

Team Management: 

• Lead and mentor cybersecurity pre-sales engineers and technical support staff to ensure high performance, collaboration and professional development, creating personal development plans where necessary.
• Establish and enforce best practices, processes and procedures to optimise service delivery, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency across all technical functions.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing, facilitating technical training sessions within and externally to the team, and mentoring opportunities among team members, as well as management of ongoing skills development and certifications.
• Keep abreast of developments in cybersecurity, including emerging threats, industry trends, and best practices, to inform decision-making and planning.

Pre-sales Engineering Support:

• Collaborate closely with sales teams, particularly Business Development, to understand client requirements and provide technical expertise, leading the creation and delivery of compelling product demos and Proof of Concepts (POCs).
• Manage technical delivery within the sales process to ensure team members, clients and other stakeholders are kept abreast of projects and to ensure the highest quality of customer service is delivered.
• Leverage technical expertise and industry knowledge to enable our team to position our cybersecurity offerings effectively, address client concerns, and assist Business Development in closing deals.
• With the assistance of the IT team, oversee the development and maintenance of demo environments, ensuring they accurately represent our product’s capabilities and align with client and team needs.

Technical Support Management:

• Work closely with the Sales Operations Manager to oversee technical support operations, including team SLAs and KPIs, ticket management, QA requirements and escalation procedures, and resource allocation to ensure timely and effective resolution of client issues and inquiries. 
• Work closely with the Sales Operations Manager to ensure support on technical operations is delivered.
• Implement strategies and initiatives to enhance customer satisfaction, support effectiveness, and knowledge base management.
• Maintain high levels of technical support – a cornerstone of our cybersecurity offering – to both vendors and clients, ensuring their needs are met promptly and professionally.
• Manage assistance with consumer portfolio related product queries and knowledge for the Inside Sales team. 

Product Roadmap Management:

• As a distributor, the company is reliant on product releases coming from vendors. Keep abreast of vendor product road maps and communicate updates and enhancements to internal teams and stakeholders, ensuring alignment and transparency.
• Evaluate vendor offerings and understand product capabilities. There are currently discussions around building out the product offering with multiple vendors.
• Manage technical training and development processes and certifications of new features or products within the technical team, through early access programmes to ensure products are well understood and can be well supported and absorbed throughout the sales teams.

• Manage vendor product certifications with clients ensuring they are correctly skilled and internal stakeholders are managed through ongoing reporting of client certification.

Educational qualifications/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field; advanced certifications in cybersecurity preferred.
• Familiarity around NIST, SOC2 , ISO/IEC 27001 , HIPAA
• At least 5 year’s experience in managing technical staff.
• Experience in technical pre-sales is preferable.

Requirements:

• You are a strong leader with a genuine interest in and experience with cybersecurity technologies.
• You are a quick learner with a strong desire to expand your technical and cybersecurity knowledge. 
• You possess a humble and collaborative leadership spirit with a proven ability to build rapport and trust with your teams.
• You have experience in technical project delivery and technical pre-sales support, as well as day-to-day technical support.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities effectively.