Distinguished SE, Strategy & AI Innovation
at Okta
San Francisco, Washington DC, New York, United States
Get to know Okta
Okta is The World’s Identity Company. We free everyone to safely use any technology, anywhere, on any device or app. Our flexible and neutral products, Okta Platform and Auth0 Platform, provide secure access, authentication, and automation, placing identity at the core of business security and growth.
At Okta, we celebrate a variety of perspectives and experiences. We are not looking for someone who checks every single box - we’re looking for lifelong learners and people who can make us better with their unique experiences.
Join our team! We’re building a world where Identity belongs to you.
The Global Presales Team
The Global Presales organization at Okta unites a diverse community of experts—including Solutions Engineers, the Office of the Field CTO, Architects, and Specialists—who combine deep technical expertise with strategic business insight. This team acts as trusted advisors to our customers and partners, helping them unlock the full potential of Okta’s Identity Platform. We ask insightful questions, uncover complex challenges, and deliver tailored solutions that drive customer success.
Distinguished SE, Strategy & AI Innovation
The Distinguished SE - Strategy & AI Innovation will serve as a technical sales strategist, operator, and business partner to Okta’s AMER leadership team—accelerating strategic deals, scaling AI-driven pursuits, and enabling repeatable success across regions. This role will focus primarily on the Bay Area and Northeast markets, with a mandate to connect strategy to execution across the sales lifecycle.
You will collaborate closely with account teams, regional leadership, corporate strategy, and product stakeholders to:
- Lead pursuit strategy for select large, multi-stakeholder deals.
- Drive AI, partner strategy and strategic sales pursuits across large enterprise accounts.
- Build and operationalize repeatable sales motions, partner strategies, and
- AI-enabled sales plays.
Scale and institutionalize best practices that improve win rates and deal velocity.
What You’ll Be Doing
Strategic Planning & Execution
- Serve as a trusted advisor to sales leadership, helping to define and execute go-to-market strategies for high-impact pursuits.
- Develop frameworks and methodologies to increase consistency and predictability across strategic deal cycles.
- Partner with the Office of the FCTO to align AI and platform sales narratives with market trends.
Strategic Initiatives
- Lead the planning and execution of AI-driven and enterprise-scale sales initiatives across key industries and territories.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive pursuit discipline, storytelling excellence, and deal orchestration.
- Guide account teams on value-based selling strategies, connecting identity outcomes to measurable business impact.
Field Enablement and Collaboration
- Develop enablement tools, content, and frameworks that empower the field to execute AI-led sales plays.
- Partner with Enablement and Sales Operations to institutionalize pursuit excellence and best practices.
- Facilitate collaboration between regional teams, specialists, and executive sponsors to improve strategic account coverage.
Ecosystem & Thought Leadership
- Engage with industry and partner ecosystems to promote Okta’s leadership in AI-enabled identity sales.
- Represent Okta in field events, customer summits, and strategic planning forums.
- Foster collaboration across GTM teams to enhance pipeline growth and field readiness.
Innovation and Strategy
- Partner with Corporate Strategy and Marketing to refine Okta’s positioning around AI and next-generation identity.
- Lead initiatives that enhance Okta’s competitive differentiation and accelerate long-term growth.
- Surface field insights and customer trends to inform global GTM strategy and product roadmap alignment.
What You’ll Bring to the Role
Required:
- 15+ years of experience in identity, cybersecurity, SaaS, or AI-related domains.
Proven track record of driving strategic sales programs and large, complex deal pursuits. - Deep understanding of AI/ML applications in enterprise go-to-market and security contexts.
- Strong executive presence and ability to influence senior business and technical leaders.
- Exceptional storytelling and communication skills, including experience presenting to C-level audiences.
Preferred:
- Prior experience in a Field CTO, Strategic Advisor, or Sales Strategy role in a high-growth SaaS organization.
- Demonstrated success in designing and scaling AI-enabled or platform-based sales motions.
- Strong understanding of Okta’s platform, ecosystem, and identity security landscape.
- Experience working with Fortune 500 enterprises or large regulated industries.
- Knowledge of frameworks such as MEDDPICC, Challenger, or other enterprise sales methodologies.
- Ability to thrive in a matrixed environment, balancing strategic vision with operational execution.
- Passion for innovation, collaboration, and customer success.
#LI - Remote
#LI - CM
P24041_3291465
Below is the annual On Target Compensation (OTE) range for candidates located in California (excluding San Francisco Bay Area), Colorado, Illinois, New York and Washington. Your actual OTE, which is inclusive of base salary and incentive compensation, will depend on factors such as your skills, qualifications, experience, and work location. In addition, Okta offers equity (where applicable) and benefits, including health, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), flexible spending account, and paid leave (including PTO and parental leave) in accordance with our applicable plans and policies. To learn more about our Total Rewards program please visit: https://rewards.okta.com/us.
What you can look forward to as a Full-Time Okta employee!
- Amazing Benefits
- Making Social Impact
- Developing Talent and Fostering Connection + Community at Okta
Okta cultivates a dynamic work environment, providing the best tools, technology and benefits to empower our employees to work productively in a setting that best and uniquely suits their needs. Each organization is unique in the degree of flexibility and mobility in which they work so that all employees are enabled to be their most creative and successful versions of themselves, regardless of where they live. Find your place at Okta today! https://www.okta.com/company/careers/.
Some roles may require travel to one of our office locations for in-person onboarding.
Okta is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, or status as a protected veteran. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and convictions records, consistent with applicable laws.
If reasonable accommodation is needed to complete any part of the job application, interview process, or onboarding please use this Form to request an accommodation.
Okta is committed to complying with applicable data privacy and security laws and regulations. For more information, please see our Personnel and Job Candidate Privacy Notice at https://www.okta.com/legal/personnel-policy/.