Develop and execute a go-to-market (GTM) and sales plan for data center and edge solutions in the assigned territory/segment.
Identify, qualify, and close new business opportunities with target customers (enterprise, telecom operators, ISPs, cloud/OTT providers, system integrators, OEMs).
Sr Manager - DC Soln Architect at Schneider Electric
Deliver and exceed quarterly and annual sales targets (order, revenue, margin).
Build, manage, and maintain a robust opportunity pipeline in CRM, with clear stages, probability, and timelines.
2.2 Edge Data Centre / Solution Selling
Position and sell data center offerings with a strong focus on edge applications: micro/edge data centers, modular DCs, edge colocation, managed DC services, and related infrastructure (power, cooling, racks, connectivity, security, DCIM, etc.).
Understand customer workloads and application needs (latency, availability, compliance, scalability) and map them to appropriate edge and core data center architectures.
Work closely with pre-sales/solution architects to design, size, and propose technical solutions, including TCO/ROI justification and business case development.
Lead RFQ/RFP/RFI responses, commercial proposals, and negotiations in collaboration with technical, finance, and legal teams.
2.3 Account Management & Stakeholder Engagement
Develop and manage strong relationships with key decision makers: CIOs, CTOs, Heads of Infrastructure, Network/IT managers, procurement heads, and business owners.
Act as the primary point of contact for allocated key accounts, driving cross-sell and upsell opportunities.
Conduct regular business reviews with customers to identify growth opportunities, feedback, and satisfaction levels.
Coordinate with internal delivery, operations, and customer success teams to ensure successful onboarding and handover after deal closure.
2.4 Market & Competitor Intelligence
Monitor market trends in data centres and edge computing: regulatory environment, demand drivers, vertical use cases, and technology shifts.
Track competitor offerings, pricing, and positioning; provide feedback and recommendations to product and leadership teams.
Identify new segments, partners, and use cases for edge data centre expansion (e.g., smart cities, Industry 4.0, retail, BFSI, media, gaming).
2.5 Partner & Ecosystem Development
Build and manage relationships with partners and ecosystem players: System integrators and VARs
Hyperscalers and cloud providers
Telecom operators and ISPs
Hardware OEMs (servers, storage, network, power & cooling vendors)
Drive joint GTM activities, co-selling, and lead-sharing programs where applicable.
2.6 Governance, Reporting & Compliance
Maintain accurate records of all customer interactions, opportunities, and forecasts in CRM and internal reporting systems.
Prepare periodic sales reports, forecasts, win/loss analyses, and account plans for management.
Ensure adherence to company policies, commercial approval processes, and compliance requirements (including data protection and information security guidelines).
Required Qualifications & Experience
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, IT, Electronics, or related field; MBA in Marketing / Sales / Telecom / IT (preferred).
6-10 years of total experience in B2B technology sales, with at least 3-5 years in: Data centre solutions / colocation / hosting, and/or
Cloud/edge computing, network infrastructure, or related IT infrastructure solutions.
Proven track record of achieving or exceeding sales targets in enterprise or telecom segments.
Experience selling complex, solution-based offerings with long sales cycles and multiple stakeholders.
(You may customize years of experience as "3-6 years" for a mid-level role or "8-12 years" for a senior role.)
Technical & Domain Skills
Strong understanding of data centre fundamentals: Data centre types (core, regional, edge, modular/micro DCs)
Connectivity (fiber, MPLS, internet, IX, peering) and redundancy concepts (N/N+1/2N).
Good grasp of edge computing concepts and associated workloads: IoT, 5G/MEC, industrial automation, content caching, real-time analytics, etc.
Familiarity with: Cloud architectures (public, private, hybrid) and colocation models
SLA concepts (availability, latency, performance) and commercial models (per rack, per kW, per footprint, managed services).
Ability to read and explain high-level solution designs, bills of
Additional Information
Role Summary
The Data Centre Business Development Manager - Edge Applications is responsible for driving growth of the organization's data center solution offerings with a specific focus on edge data center use cases (e.g., IoT, 5G/MEC, content delivery, low-latency workloads). The role combines strategic hunting for new business, solution selling, and account management to build a strong pipeline, close high-value deals, and develop long-term partnerships with enterprise, telecom, cloud, and channel customers.
Schneider Electric · Mumbai, India