Sales Engineers
Explore safer careers (1)
Lower estimated automation risk
Why it fits
Applies pipeline reviews, technical sales coaching, targets, account strategy, negotiation, and customer escalation.
Alternative careers
Related career paths that build on similar skills and experience
Why it fits
Fits sales engineers using product positioning, launch input, customer segments, technical messaging, and competitive analysis.
Why it fits
Uses product demonstrations, technical onboarding, learning materials, customer questions, presentations, and feedback.
Why it fits
Applies customer needs, competitive positioning, product value, market feedback, pricing input, and presentations.
Occupation snapshot
What does this snowflake show?
What's this?
We rate jobs using four factors. These are:
- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions
These are some key things to think about when job hunting.
Risk & user votes
Calculated automation risk
Low Risk (21-40%): This occupation has a lower risk of full replacement by AI, software, or robotic systems. Some tasks may be automated or assisted, but the role usually still relies on human judgement, communication, responsibility, physical adaptability, or practical decision-making.
More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.
Human strengths important in this job
These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.
Persuasion
Very importantWhy this matters
Judgment and decision-making
Very importantWhy this matters
Communicating with people outside the organization
Very importantWhy this matters
Thinking creatively
Quite importantWhy this matters
Social perceptiveness
Quite importantWhy this matters
Show 3 more strengths
Instructing
Quite importantWhy this matters
Consulting and advising others
Quite importantWhy this matters
Active learning
Quite importantWhy this matters
What users think
Based on 195 votes
Our visitors have voted there's a low chance this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 23% chance of automation.
What do you think the risk of automation is?
What is the likelihood that Sales Engineers will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?
Sentiment
Based on user votes over time
View sentiment trend
How opinions have changed over time
Pay & outlook
Wages
In 2024, the median annual wage for Sales Engineers was $121,520 ($58 per hour).
The median annual wage for Sales Engineers was 145.5% higher than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.
View wage trend
Wages over time
Growth
The number of 'Sales Engineers' job openings is expected to rise 5.5% by 2034
View employment trend
Total employment, and estimated job openings
Updated projections are due 09-2025.
Volume
As of 2024 there were 56,690 people employed as 'Sales Engineers' within the United States.
This represents around < 0.001% of the employed workforce across the country
Put another way, around 1 in 2 thousand people are employed as 'Sales Engineers'.
People also viewed
Job description
Sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering.
O*NET-SOC code: 41-9031.00
What people are saying (10)
In my experience, one of the main keys of this role in order to produce results is to build a relationship with the customer and become a trusted advisor.
You could put a super sophisticated IA consicousness with a real life avatar like in a zoom call, but i think that will take a while. but in the short term, IA can (and should) automate some parts of this role, like filling RFPs and asking questions, implement chatgpt to troubleshoot and assist in technical micro aspects of a deal's poc/pilot, etc. maybe, automating some or most part of this role may lead to the role to evolve itself, but i don't think that any current job can resist a few decades proof of time.
Millenials, centenials and company will have to reinvent ourselves professionally multiple times before we can retire - if we can retire at all.
There are many aspects that will be automated, such as sending follow-ups and writing repetitive reports. However, in general, lab analysis will be automated first because it is the most repetitive and low-margin aspect of engineering sales.
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