Sales Engineer​/Proof of Concept; PoC Engineer; Entry-Level

Sales Engineer – Proof of Concept (PoC) Engineer (Entry-Level) About Gurucul

Gurucul is a cybersecurity analytics company delivering Next-Gen SIEM, UEBA, Insider Risk Management, and identity/threat detection solutions. We help enterprises reduce noise, detect threats faster, and improve security outcomes using advanced analytics and AI.

Gurucul is seeking an entry-level Sales Engineer / Proof of Concept (PoC) Engineer to support pre-sales technical activities and help customers validate the value of Gurucul in real‑world environments. This role is ideal for a recent Bachelor’s or Master’s graduate who enjoys technical problem‑solving, customer interaction, and building demos/PoCs that show measurable outcomes.

You will partner with Account Executives, Sales Engineering leaders, Product, and Support to design proof points, run PoCs, and guide technical stakeholders through architecture, data onboarding, detections, and success criteria.

This role is based on-site in El Segundo, CA.

• Assist in technical discovery calls: capture customer requirements, current‑state architecture, data sources, and success criteria.
• Support solution mapping across Gurucul modules and use cases (SIEM/UEBA/ITDR/Insider Risk).
• Help create technical validation plans that align to customer outcomes (noise reduction, time‑to‑detect, fidelity, operational workflow).

• Support PoC setup and operations: environment readiness, data ingestion, connector configuration, parsing/normalization validation, and baseline detections.
• Build and maintain PoC runbooks and checklists; keep execution on schedule with clear milestones.
• Track PoC metrics and outcomes; help prepare final readouts and results summaries.
• Deliver or co‑deliver product demos (with coaching) and maintain demo environments and scripts.
• Create and update demo talk tracks, "what to show/why it matters," and light technical collateral.
• Provide technical inputs for proposals, RFP/RFI responses, and solution documentation.

• Partner with Product/Engineering to relay PoC findings, gaps, and field feedback.
• Coordinate with Support/CS to ensure best practices and smooth handoffs when customers go live.
• Maintain disciplined documentation: notes, action items, risks, and next steps.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Strong troubleshooting and problem‑solving skills; ability to learn complex systems quickly.
• Good communication skills and comfort presenting technical concepts to mixed audiences.
• Ability to work on‑site in El Segundo, CA (not remote).

• Internship/project experience in cybersecurity, IT operations, SOC tools, pre‑sales, support engineering, or customer‑facing technical roles.
• Familiarity with:
  Linux, networking basics (ports/TLS/DNS), APIs, JSON, SQL, and log/data concepts.
• Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP) and common data sources (SIEM, EDR, IAM, AD/Azure AD/Okta, firewall, VPN, Application and platform logs).
• Experience with Jira/Confluence, ticketing systems, or basic scripting (Python/Bash).

• Customer‑first mindset with structured execution
• Strong ownership and follow‑through (“no surprises”)
• Clear communicator with a learning mindset
• Organized: timelines, checklists, and measurable outcomes
• Comfortable operating under deadlines and ambiguity
• Base salary range: $85,000 – $100,000
• OTE: $100,000 – $130,000
• Gurucul offers a competitive compensation package, including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, EAP, 401K, Paid Time Off, and paid Holidays

Gurucul Solutions, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.