Lead Solutions Engineer at Acquia - Remote Japan — Columbus
Traveler-Friendly Insight
This role is listed as fully remote within Japan, meaning physical presence in Japan is expected for customer and partner engagement. It is not a location-independent, work-from-anywhere position — Japan residency is effectively required given the native-level Japanese language requirement and in-country travel obligations.
Timezone constraints: The team is UK/EMEA-based, so expect some overlap with CET/BST hours (typically early morning Japan time, e.g., 5–9 AM JST). This creates a split-schedule dynamic — mornings may involve cross-team collaboration calls, while afternoons are free for local customer work.
Visa considerations: To work legally in Japan, you'll need a valid work visa — most commonly a Business Manager or Engineer/Specialist in Humanities visa. Japan does not currently have a widely-available digital nomad visa, making this unsuitable for visa-run or tourist-visa arrangements. Candidates should already hold the right to work in Japan.
- No salary data is available to benchmark against local cost of living, but Tokyo-based SE roles at enterprise SaaS companies typically command ¥10–18M+ annually.
- No coworking, equipment stipend, or travel perks are mentioned explicitly.
- Occasional domestic travel within Japan is expected — good for those who enjoy in-person client interactions.
Bottom line: this is a Japan-resident remote role, not a digital nomad opportunity. Ideal for someone already based in Japan who wants remote flexibility without a daily commute.
Job Description - Lead Solutions Engineer
The Lead Solutions Engineer is a technical expert and trusted advisor driving Acquia's growth across the Japan market. Operating at the intersection of business strategy and technical architecture, this role is primarily focused on winning new-logo business, while also driving cross-sell and expansion across the Acquia Digital Experience Platform (DXP) portfolio. Working hand-in-hand with Account Executives and, critically, Acquia's partner ecosystem — through which nearly all new business in Japan is sourced — the Lead Solutions Engineer turns customer challenges into compelling solutions that deliver demonstrable business value and substantial revenue growth.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Account Growth & Cross-Sell
- New Logo Acquisition: Be the technical lead partnering with Account Executives and channel/SI partners to identify, qualify, and win new-logo opportunities across Japan — the primary focus of the role.
- Cross-Sell & Expansion: Identify and accelerate cross-sell and expansion opportunities within strategic accounts, mapping Acquia's DXP portfolio to each client's future-state digital roadmap.
- Business Value Alignment: Drive a value-based approach by translating solutions into clear, quantifiable business outcomes and ROI for both technical and business stakeholders.
- Trusted Technical Advisor: Serve as the technical contact for client stakeholders, providing guidance on digital strategy, cloud adoption, and DXP trends.
Solutions Architecture & Governance
- Technical Discovery: Lead the technical discovery, design, and presentation of DXP solutions tailored to each customer's context and business priorities.
- Custom Proofs: Design and execute impactful custom demonstrations and Proof-of-Concepts (PoCs) that clearly illustrate the business value of the Acquia platform.
- Competitive Positioning: Position Acquia against key competitors through strong discovery and a clear point of view on fit, reinforcing Acquia's unique value.
Partner Enablement & Market Presence
- Partner Enablement: Enable partners at the pre-sales layer — coaching their teams to position and present Acquia products confidently in their own pitches, both one-to-one and at events.
- Market Presence: Represent Acquia at industry events, webinars, and community gatherings, proactively creating opportunities and visibility across the Japan market.
- Product Feedback Loop: Serve as a feedback loop to Acquia's Product and Engineering teams, synthesizing insights from the Japan market to help shape positioning and priorities.
Skills and Qualifications
Required
- Experience: Proven experience in a Solutions Engineering, Sales Engineering, or pre-sales role, or a strong, deeply technical Account Executive ready to operate in a Solutions Engineering capacity. What matters most is the ability to understand a customer's business and translate it into the right solution.
- DXP Expertise: Experience selling or pre-selling an enterprise CMS/DXP, or a comparable SaaS platform — vendor-agnostic. Strong understanding of CMS, personalization, and modern digital experience concepts (Drupal a plus, not a requirement).
- Technical Foundation: Solid working knowledge of modern web architectures and how DXP/web applications are deployed on a major public cloud (AWS, Azure, or GCP), including APIs and security fundamentals.
- Partner & Channel: Proven ability to work with and through partners/channel to source and win business — central to this role, as nearly all new-logo ACV in Japan is partner-sourced.
- Communication: Strong presentation and demonstration skills, with the ability to lead both the technical and the business conversation with customers and partners.
- Language: Native-level Japanese and business-level English — leading customer and partner discussions in Japanese (including written RFP/PoC work) and collaborating with a UK/EMEA-based team in English.
- Ways of Working: A self-starter who works with autonomy as the dedicated Solutions Engineering presence for the region, acting on sound judgment while maintaining strong visibility with manager and team, and with a genuine appetite for continuous learning.
Desired (Extra Credit)
- Proven track record of success working within a named global or strategic account program.
- Experience with a major programming language and hands-on ability to build technical prototypes.
- Published articles, white papers, or presentation experience at major industry conferences.
Acquia DNA & Culture
This is a remote, Japan-focused role for a self-starter who thrives on high-impact work and enjoys operating with autonomy. The ability to work across time zones with a collaborative, virtual team is essential. Occasional travel within Japan to engage customers and partners is expected; coverage beyond Japan is possible as an upside but is not a requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
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