The Opportunity
As a Solutions Engineer at Coursedog, you’ll lead the demos, scoping, and CX calls that align customers, Sales, and Customer Success before a deal is booked. You’ll work closely with Account Executives, Account Managers, campus IT, and institutional leaders to set clear expectations, keep scope grounded, and maintain continuity across the customer lifecycle. Much of the churn risk and margin pressure we see starts before signature, and this role is how we get ahead of it.
You’ll be responsible for technical credibility in the sales cycle, accurate scoping and SOWs, and clean handoffs to Customer Success, balancing deal momentum with scope discipline in a fast-moving, mission-driven environment. You’ll also own integration and security conversations. The through-line for your work: better early alignment → better implementation → stronger adoption → platform expansion → higher GRR and margins. This is more than demo support. Solutions Engineers at Coursedog take a proactive, lifecycle-minded approach to every deal.
This position offers a competitive base salary between $110,000 - $120,000, based on experience and qualifications. The role also includes a performance-based variable compensation component, bringing total on-target earnings (OTE) to $120,000 - $140,000 when performance objectives are achieved.
What You’ll Do
Opportunity Support & Deal Risk Management (majority focus)
- Deliver demos and proofs-of-concept configured around the customer’s true primary pain point, not a generic product tour.
- Support Account Executives and Account Managers across new logo and expansion motions.
- Run use-case validation before the first demo is scheduled so every demo is anchored to a real, named buyer workflow rather than a product tour.
- Lead integration and security discussions with prospects, campus IT, and security reviewers.
- Review requirements early, flag outliers, and secure cross-functional sign-off before commitments are made.
- Score every opportunity on the Implementation Risk model (SIS, integration method, products, FTE, enterprise/multi-campus) and surface high-risk deals ahead of signature.
- Draft and QA RFP/RFI and security questionnaire responses using Claude against the knowledge base as source of truth, then verify accuracy and close gaps between written responses and demo positioning.
- Own and maintain the RFP Response Library so answers compound with every submission instead of being rewritten from scratch.
- Support late-stage contract and MSA negotiation.
- Act as SME for product, security, and integration questions; build ROI analyses for strategic accounts.
- Travel for in-person presentations and key account support.
Scoping, SOW & the CX Call
- Own the CX call, required on every deal, as the final alignment checkpoint before revenue is booked.
- Drive use-case validation through scoping and the CX call: confirm the specific workflows, volumes, and edge cases the institution will actually run at go-live, and make sure the hour estimate and SOW reflect those use cases rather than a generic deployment.
- Produce implementation hour estimates and ISF that reflect true complexity, using the scoping model plus AI-assisted estimation from deal context and call transcripts.
- Generate the dynamic SOW from Salesforce data (products, SIS, integration method) so every SOW reflects the actual deal.
- Set explicit in-scope and out-of-scope boundaries across all core products, and identify legitimate ISF expansion where real work exists.
- Surface known “gotchas” before signature and negotiate non-standard items proactively with the client.
- Run SOW redlines through a public cross-functional Slack channel so Sales, SE, CS, and leadership align on risk and tradeoffs before concessions are made.
- Share the Implementation Readiness Guide so customers are operationally prepared before handoff.
Handoff to Customer Success
- Produce a documented handoff on every closed-won deal covering customizations, workarounds, and edge cases surfaced across discovery, demo, RFP, and CX calls.
- Use Claude-generated SE Summaries synthesized from the deal’s Gong/Glyphic calls and published to the SE Activity Table, then review and correct them before they reach CS.
- Maintain cross-functional Slack visibility on complex deals through go-live.
- Own a clean, formal transition from pre-sales to CS with documented context and named risk areas.
Demo Environment & Custom Builds
- Maintain demo environments aligned to the product roadmap and marketing priorities, with clean, consistent data and reporting.
- Use Devin and AI tooling to increase the speed and quality of custom demo builds (catalogs, syllabi, forms, and similar).
- Document every customization so it is intentional, transferable, and visible downstream.
- Feed relevant demo and customization output into early-stage outreach for targeted systems and territories.
GTM Enablement & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Maintain rapid-response support channels for GTM teams.
- Facilitate bi-weekly enablement on product updates, competitive intel, and demo best practices.
- Curate release note digests, enablement materials, and competitor research for GTM leadership.
- Serve as the GTM liaison to Product and CS; feed structured market feedback into feature requests, roadmap prioritization, and gap analysis.
- Support Marketing and SDR teams with thought leadership (webinars, white papers, blogs, conference support).
- Partner with Engineering and Security on integrations, accessibility, and compliance certifications (HECVAT, TX-RAMP, and similar).
- Contribute to the continuous feedback loop across GTM, CS, Product, and Engineering: what worked, what didn’t, and emerging trends.
Operating Standards & Swim Lanes
- Sales owns the deal, agenda, timeline, and close. SE owns technical credibility, solution fit, and risk surfacing. SEs do not negotiate pricing or timelines; those warm-pass back to the rep.
- Every SE request is logged against a template in the SE Activity Table so work is visible, trackable, and reusable.
- All customer interactions recorded and visible.
- Cross-functional alignment happens in public Slack channels, not DMs.
- Transparent SOW negotiation tracking and standardized reporting discipline.
- Reduce dependency on individual heroics. If you solve it once, document or automate it so the team can repeat it.
What Matters Most
Five things, roughly in this order:
- Know the app, and be able to bend it. Deep functional command of the platform plus the ability to configure and customize an environment around one institution’s actual problem. You should be able to build the thing, not just narrate it.
- Communicate it and sell it. Translate technical detail into business value, hold a room of Registrars, Provosts, and IT directors, and move the deal forward. Sales instinct is a requirement here, not a bonus.
- Work as a team. Solutions Engineering is a shared function. You document what you learn, ask for help early, cover for teammates, and make the rep look good rather than making yourself indispensable.
- Think bigger picture. See past the call in front of you to the pattern: what this deal implies for the roadmap, the competitive story, the next five deals like it, and the process that should exist but doesn’t.
- Protect margin through use-case validation. Confirm the workflows the institution will actually run, scope honestly against them, run a rigorous CX call, write an SOW that reflects the real deal, and hand off cleanly. What you commit before signature determines whether the implementation makes money.
Requirements
What You’ll Bring
- 3+ years in Solutions/Sales Engineering, Solutions Consulting, or Solutions Architecture.
- Customer-facing roles in higher ed operations (Registrar, Financial Aid, Institutional IT), Product, Customer Success, or Integration Engineering also considered.
- Hands-on product depth. You can configure and customize an environment yourself rather than requesting one. Strong SaaS background with real comfort in integrations and enterprise security conversations.
- Sales instinct. Proven ability to run a demo that moves a deal, read a room, and influence executive decision makers. Exceptional communication, with a talent for translating technical detail into business value.
- Team orientation. You document what you learn, ask for help early, and make the rep and your teammates better. No hoarding of context.
- Bigger-picture thinking. You spot the pattern behind a deal and turn it into a process, a piece of enablement, or a product signal.
- Scoping instinct. You can hear a requirement, estimate what it actually costs to deliver, and hold that line in an SOW.
- Working fluency with AI tools (Claude or equivalent) applied to real work: drafting and QA’ing long-form responses, summarizing call transcripts, structuring documentation, and building repeatable prompts, skills, or workflows. Equally important, the judgment to verify AI output and catch where it is wrong.
- Growth mindset and willingness to own and improve processes.
- Ability to travel for client meetings, conferences, and GTM events.
Why Join Coursedog’s Go To Market team? Solutions Engineering sits at the center of how Coursedog wins, and of whether those wins hold up. You will shape how prospects experience the platform and how customers succeed once they own it. We value transparency, ownership, and collaboration, and we give the person in this seat real authority over scope, risk, and process. If you want to build the system rather than just work inside it, this is the role.
Not sure if you should apply? Research shows that women and people from underrepresented backgrounds are less likely to apply unless they meet every qualification listed. At Coursedog, we’re focused on finding the best person for the role, and that person may come from a non-traditional background. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every requirement — our evaluation focuses on your ability to thrive in this role and make an impact.
Benefits
About Coursedog
At Coursedog, our mission is simple but ambitious: to break down barriers to student success.
Founded by former college students who were frustrated by outdated academic systems, Coursedog was built to empower higher ed administrators to deliver exceptional educational experiences and make it easier for students to achieve their goals. Since then, we’ve grown into a platform trusted by institutions across the country.
Coursedog is the Intelligent Academic Operations Platform, empowering 400+ colleges and universities to better serve over 3.3 million students. Our platform brings together academic scheduling, curriculum and catalog management, assessment, and workflow automation — all designed to adapt to each institution’s unique needs and remove administrative roadblocks so educators can focus on helping students succeed.
We’re a remote-first, fast-growing company and a Forbes Top 500 U.S. Startup Employer, with a culture that prioritizes engagement, ownership, and impact. If you’re excited about solving meaningful problems, working with thoughtful teammates, and improving education at scale, you’ll feel right at home at Coursedog.
Working at Coursedog
Healthcare, Dental & Vision
We follow a fixed contribution model to promote equity and transparency. Every employee receives the same annual dollar amount to apply toward medical, dental, and vision coverage. This approach gives you the flexibility to choose the plan that best fits your needs, whether that is a base-level option or more comprehensive coverage.
Depending on the selected coverage level, the company covers:
- Employee-only coverage: 99% to 65% of monthly premiums
- Employee plus dependents: 77% to 50% of monthly premiums
We partner with Aetna and Guardian, and offer access to best-in-class wellness and support programs, including:
- Spring Health (mental health support)
- XP Health (vision benefits)
- Carrot Fertility (family planning support)
- One Medical (primary care)
We also support pre-tax savings through Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).
Retirement Planning
To support long-term financial health, we offer a Safe Harbor 401(k) plan from day one of employment. Coursedog provides a 4% employer match on your total compensation (subject to federal limits) each pay period for employees contributing to a tax-advantaged retirement account.
Paid Time Off
We trust our employees to manage their time responsibly. That’s why we offer an unlimited Paid Time Off policy — because flexibility and balance are critical for sustained excellence and personal well-being.
Remote-First Since Inception
We were built for distributed work. Our culture emphasizes flexibility over rigidity, outcomes over hours, and transparency over gatekeeping. We are committed to being a remote-first organization indefinitely, empowering you to work where and how you thrive best.
Equity
As a valued contributor to our collective success, you’ll participate in the upside. All employees are granted equity in the company aligned to your role and tenure. Equity grants are reviewed and adjusted with promotions to reflect your evolving impact.
Paid Parental Leave
Coursedog supports all parents regardless of gender, family structure, or how you became a parent. All parents receive up to 6 weeks of Paid Bonding Leave at 100% of base pay following the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child. Birthing parents receive an additional 6 weeks of Paid Medical Recovery Leave at 100% of base pay to support physical recovery following childbirth — for a total of up to 12 weeks of fully paid leave.
3+ years in Solutions/Sales Engineering or related; hands-on product depth with SaaS; sales instinct; team orientation; scoping instinct; working fluency with AI tools like Claude; ability to travel for client meetings and events.
Key Responsibilities
- delivering demos
- scoping solutions
- supporting sales
Skills & Tools
Claude, Salesforce, Gong, Glyphic, Devin
Job Details
- Category: Sales
- Seniority: Mid Level
- Commitment: Full Time
- Workplace: Remote — United States
- Salary: USD 110,000 – 120,000 / year
- Languages: English
Benefits
- 401k matching
- Generous paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Generous parental leave
About Coursedog
A remote-first company providing an intelligent academic operations platform for higher education institutions. — Industry: Information Technology