Presales Director

The Mission

The Director – Pre-Sales will own technical solutioning and customer validation across the enterprise sales lifecycle for our CRS platform. This role is critical in influencing deal outcomes by acting as the voice of the customer and the authority on CRS capabilities, integrations, and architecture

Key Responsibilities

Pre-Sales Ownership & Technical Leadership

• Partner with Sales to deeply understand customer business models, distribution strategies, and technical ecosystems across hotel chains and independent properties.

• Lead all technical aspects of the pre-sales cycle including discovery, solutioning, demos, workshops, RFP/RFI responses, and technical validations.

• Deliver high-impact product demonstrations and exploratory workshops tailored to executive, commercial, and IT audiences.

• Own the quality and accuracy of all technical responses in RFPs/RFIs, ensuring feasibility, scalability, and alignment with product roadmap.

• Evaluate custom requirements and clearly articulate configuration options, integration approaches, and trade-offs.

Solution Design & Architecture

• Translate complex customer requirements into robust end-to-end CRS solution designs.

• Define CRS configuration including rate structures, inventory logic, distribution workflows, and control mechanisms.

• Design integration architectures involving PMS, Channel Managers, GDS/IDS, Booking Engines, RMS, Loyalty, CRM, and Payment Gateways.

• Create and present Solution Design Documents (SDDs), technical architecture diagrams, API workflows, and implementation plans.

• Act as the final technical authority on proposed solutions before commercial closure.

Technical Validation & Proof

• Lead proof-of-concept (POC) engagements to validate CRS functionality, performance, and integration readiness.

• Analyse OTA XML / JSON messages, reservation flows, logs, and interface behaviour to explain system outcomes clearly.

• Provide data-backed inputs on scalability, reliability, security, and operational readiness to support deal confidence.

• Proactively address technical risks and objections during the sales cycle.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as the bridge between Sales, Product, Engineering, and Implementation teams during the pre-sales phase.

• Clearly communicate market needs, client feedback, and competitive insights to Product and Engineering.

• Ensure seamless handover from Pre-Sales to Implementation with well-documented scope, assumptions, and dependencies.

• Mentor and guide pre-sales / solution consulting team members as the function scales.

Client Trust & Executive Communication

• Act as a trusted technical advisor to enterprise hospitality clients, distribution heads, and IT leaders.

• Translate complex technical concepts into simple, business-oriented narratives for senior executives.

• Build long-term credibility in the CRS platform by confidently addressing concerns around integrations, performance, and operational workflows.

• Represent the company in executive presentations, workshops, and strategic discussions.

Functional KPIs

Owns and drives technical win-rate by leading solution design, POCs, and validations across complex enterprise deals.

Delivers high-quality, accurate solution proposals with minimal rework from Product, Engineering, or Implementation teams.

Effectively reduces technical objections and sales-cycle friction through proactive discovery and clear articulation of trade-offs.

Ensures seamless pre-sales to implementation handover with well-defined scope, assumptions, and dependencies.

Strategic KPIs

Influences revenue growth in enterprise segments by enabling Sales to confidently pursue and close complex CRS deals.

Shapes product roadmap and differentiation through consistent feedback on customer needs, gaps, and competitive trends.

Builds a scalable pre-sales operating model (processes, documentation, demos, POCs) that supports long-term growth.

Establishes the company as a trusted CRS thought partner among enterprise hospitality and distribution leaders.

Key Competencies

Judgment & Problem Solving: Quickly assesses complex technical and commercial scenarios, makes sound trade-offs, and recommends scalable solutions.

Influence & Communication: Clearly translates technical complexity into business value for executives, Sales leaders, and clients.

Results Orientation: Takes full ownership of deal outcomes and is accountable for technical success, not just participation.

Collaboration & Leadership: Aligns Sales, Product, Engineering, and Implementation teams toward a common goal and mentors pre-sales talent.

Education and Work Experience

• 10–12+ years of experience in hospitality technology with strong exposure to CRS, PMS, Channel Management, or hotel distribution systems.

• Deep understanding of hotel rate structures, inventory management, channel connectivity, and revenue optimization concepts.

• Hands-on experience with REST / SOAP APIs, OTA XML schemas, and enterprise system integrations.

• Proven ability to create solution architecture diagrams, technical documentation, and configuration blueprints.

• Strong executive communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.

• Analytical mindset with strong problem-solving ability and sound business judgment.

• Prior experience in pre-sales, solution consulting, or enterprise B2B SaaS environments.

• Familiarity with leading CRS and hospitality platforms such as RateGain, Amadeus, Sabre, Cendyn, Oracle, Mews, Shiji, Cloudbeds, d-Edge, or similar.

• Working knowledge of cloud technologies and modern software development principles.

• Understanding of enterprise procurement cycles, RFP processes, and structured sales methodologies.

• Experience building or scaling pre-sales / solution consulting teams.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on grounds of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.