Senior Solutions Engineer - Partners

About Tailscale Tailscale is building the new Internet by delivering software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and their devices, no matter where they are. From hobbyists to multinational corporations, teams of every size use Tailscale each day to protect their networks, share access to internal tools, and more. We're building a future for the Internet that's easy, sensible, and safe, like it used to be. Founded in 2019 and fully distributed, we're backed by Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital. About the Role We are hiring a Senior Solutions Engineer focused on Channel Partners to drive technical success with resellers, MSPs, system integrators, and technology alliance partners. You will act as the primary technical counterpart for our channel motion—enabling partners to sell, deploy, and expand Tailscale successfully while co-selling complex deals alongside Account Executives and Partner/Channel Sales Managers. This is a senior individual-contributor role that blends deep networking/security expertise, consultative selling, partner enablement, and influence on product and go-to-market strategy. You will co-own pipeline outcomes, lead sophisticated technical engagements, and build scalable resources that multiply the impact of our partner community. This role is ideal for a senior SE who enjoys multiplying impact through partners while staying deeply technical and customer-obsessed. You will help shape how Tailscale scales through the channel at a pivotal growth stage. Key Responsibilities Collaborate with Channel Account Managers and AEs to identify, qualify, and close new and expansion opportunities through the channel. Lead technical discovery, solution architecture, demos, and proofs-of-concept (POCs) for partner-sourced and co-sell deals, often involving multi-stakeholder enterprise or mid-market environments. Serve as a trusted technical advisor to partners and their end customers on zero-trust networking, secure connectivity, identity integrations, and emerging use cases (including AI gateway / Aperture-related scenarios & PAM). Develop and deliver partner technical enablement: training programs, certification content, demo environments, solution blueprints, reference architectures, and battle cards that help partners win and deploy Tailscale independently. Architect and guide complex multi-party deals (partner + customer + Tailscale), aligning technical requirements with business outcomes and navigating competitive landscapes. Provide structured field feedback from partners and joint customers to Product, Engineering, and GTM teams to influence roadmap priorities and packaging. Build and maintain high-trust relationships with key technical stakeholders at strategic partners; act as the escalation point for advanced architectural and integration questions. Collaborate cross-functionally (Sales, Partner, Product, Customer Success, Support) to improve handoffs, technical win rates, and partner-sourced revenue. Contribute to scalable SE processes, including reusable demo assets, partner-facing documentation, and best-practice playbooks. What We Are Looking For 6+ years in a customer-facing Solutions Engineer, Sales Engineer, or Solutions Architect role within networking, security, infrastructure, or related software (prior experience supporting or selling through channel partners strongly preferred). Direct experience enabling or co-selling with MSPs, OEMs, VARs, system integrators, or technology alliance partners in the networking, security, or cloud infrastructure space. Proven track record of co-owning pipeline and influencing quota outcomes in partnership with sales and/or channel teams. Deep understanding of zero-trust networking principles, secure remote access/connectivity, and identity & access management integrations (SSO, SAML, OIDC, SCIM). Strong networking fundamentals and troubleshooting skills: TCP/IP, DNS, routing, firewalls, NAT traversal, and related concepts. Hands-on arch…