Sales Engineers
Sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering.
Also called: Business Development Engineer · Inside Sales Engineer · Product Sales Engineer · Sales Applications Engineer · Sales Engineer · Technical Marketing Engineer
Median pay (national)
$121,520
$70,580–$202,670 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
56,690
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+5.5%
~5,000 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for sales engineers shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $202,670 versus $70,580 at the bottom 10% — 2.9x. The median of $121,520 leaves roughly 67% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +5.5% from 2024 to 2034 — faster than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 5,000 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 43 states with released data, District of Columbia pays the most for this role (median $179,490, +48% vs the national median), while Missouri sits lowest at $73,700 — a 144% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Amazon Web Services AWS software, Microsoft Azure software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Active Learning
- Mathematics
- Learning Strategies
- Monitoring
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements, to promote the sale of company products, and to provide sales support.
- Create sales or service contracts for products or services.
- Identify resale opportunities and support them to achieve sales plans.
- Recommend improved materials or machinery to customers, documenting how such changes will lower costs or increase production.
- Secure and renew orders and arrange delivery.
- Develop sales plans to introduce products in new markets.
- Attend company training seminars to become familiar with product lines.
- Prepare and deliver technical presentations that explain products or services to customers and prospective customers.
- Maintain sales forecasting reports.
- Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions.
Tools & technology
- Amazon Web Services AWS software
- Microsoft Azure software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Python
- Salesforce software
- Ansible software
- Apache Cassandra
- Apache Hadoop
- Apple iOS
- Atlassian JIRA
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Border Gateway Protocol BGP
- C
- C++
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Sales and Marketing
- Engineering and Technology
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Administration and Management
- Design
- Administrative