Solaris Technical Salesperson - West Coast

Solaris Bus & Coach

$110K — $185K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 3-8 years of experience in technical sales, application engineering, or product engineering
  • Background in automotive, commercial vehicles, or heavy equipment preferred
  • Experience with tenders/RFP processes is a strong plus
  • Solid understanding of vehicle systems, particularly electric drivetrains and batteries
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Automotive Engineering

Responsibilities

  • Lead direct customer interactions with transit agencies using technical expertise
  • Conduct product presentations, technical workshops, and site visits
  • Translate customer needs into technical solutions and communicate value proposition
  • Act as Tender Captain managing multiple tenders and bid strategies
  • Prepare tender content and ensure full compliance with RfP requirements
  • Support early-stage tender shaping activities and influence procurement plans
  • Act as technical contact during early contract discussions and kick-off sessions

Benefits

  • Hybrid role allowing a mix of fieldwork and remote work
  • Opportunities for professional growth into commercial leadership
  • Initial onboarding in Poland for extensive product knowledge
  • Travel across California, Oregon, and Washington for dynamic customer engagement
  • Engagement with innovative technologies in public transit sector
Full Job Description
Overview

About the Role

We are looking for a technically strong and commercially driven Technical Salesperson to support our expansion across the West Coast public transit market.

This is a hybrid role combining technical sales, tender leadership, and early project support. You will be responsible not only for supporting customer discussions and shaping opportunities, but also for leading selected tenders end-to-end (Tender Captain responsibilities) and supporting early-stage contract execution.

The role is ideal for a candidate who wants to grow into a full commercial leader role over time, combining engineering understanding with direct sales exposure.

Key Responsibilities

1. Technical Sales & Customer Engagement
  • Lead and support direct customer interactions with transit agencies, combining technical expertise with commercial messaging
  • Conduct:
    • Product presentations and demonstrations
    • Technical workshops and specification discussions
    • Site visits, depot walkthroughs, and roadshows
  • Translate customer needs into technical solutions, aligning requirements with product capabilities
  • Clearly communicate value proposition (range, reliability, lifecycle cost, performance)
  • Build relationships with both technical and procurement stakeholders


2. Tender Leadership (Tender Captain Responsibilities)
  • Act as Tender Captain for selected opportunities, owning bid success end-to-end
  • Lead 3-4 tenders in parallel, including:
    • Initial qualification and go/no-go input
    • Bid strategy definition (technical solution, deviations, positioning)
    • Coordination of internal stakeholders (engineering, pricing, legal, aftersales)
  • Serve as primary interface with the customer during the tender process
  • Manage RfP clarification (Q&A), negotiations, and final offer alignment
  • Make or recommend key trade-offs (e.g., customization vs. standardization, compliance vs. competitiveness)


3. Tender Preparation & Bidding Support
  • Prepare and contribute to tender content, including identification and documentation of RfP deviations
  • Work closely with the Bidding Office to ensure:
    • Full RfP compliance
    • High-quality, timely submission
  • Support internal strategy and review meetings for each tender


Key Responsibilities

4. Tender Shaping & Pipeline Support
  • Support early-stage tender shaping activities before RFP release
  • Engage with agencies to:
    • Understand upcoming procurement plans
    • Influence specifications toward product strengths
  • Identify technical risks, dealbreakers, and required adaptations early
  • Contribute to prioritization of opportunities together with Sales leadership


5. Early Contract & Project Support
  • Support transition from bid to contract execution
  • Act as technical point of contact during:
    • Early contract clarification
    • Kick-off discussions with the customer
  • Ensure alignment between offer commitments and delivery capabilities
  • Support handover to project and aftersales teams


6. Cross-Functional Coordination
  • Act as the link between Sales, Engineering, and Operations
  • Coordinate with:
    • Product development
    • Supply chain
    • After-sales and service teams
  • Ensure customer expectations are feasible, deliverable, and internally aligned


Travel Requirements
  • 50-70% travel, primarily across California, Oregon, Washington
  • Frequent in-person meetings with transit agencies
  • Travel for:
    • Customer meetings and workshops
    • Demonstrations and roadshows
    • Tender discussions and negotiations
  • Initial onboarding (1-2 months) in Poland HQ to gain deep product and process knowledge


Qualifications

Experience
  • 3-8 years of experience in:
    • Technical sales, application engineering, or product engineering
    • Automotive, commercial vehicles, or heavy equipment (preferred)
  • Experience with tenders / RFP processes is a strong plus
  • Early-career candidates with strong technical and commercial potential are encouraged


Technical Skills
  • Solid understanding of:
    • Vehicle systems (electric drivetrains, batteries, charging preferred)
    • Mechanical and/or electrical engineering fundamentals
  • Ability to work with:
    • Technical specifications
    • Engineering documentation and system descriptions


Commercial & Interpersonal Skills
  • Strong communication and presentation skills (client-facing)
  • Ability to combine technical depth with sales mindset
  • Comfortable interacting with customers and building relationships
  • Structured and detail-oriented, especially under tender timelines


Mindset & Growth Potential
  • Ambitious and willing to grow into full sales / commercial ownership role
  • Proactive, hands-on, and comfortable working in a developing organization
  • Able to manage multiple parallel workstreams (customers, tenders, internal coordination)
  • Strong ownership mindset


Education
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in:
    • Mechanical Engineering
    • Electrical Engineering
    • Automotive Engineering or similar


Other requirements and/or aspects to be assessed

This position does not support immigration sponsorship.

The wage range for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $110,000 to $185,000 annually, depending on home location.

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Solaris Bus & Coach

More Manufacturing & Automotive Jobs

Find similar Solaris Technical Salesperson - West Coast jobs: