Lead GIS Solution Engineer - Defense

Overview

Esri is seeking a lead GIS Solution Engineer to serve as a technical leader and trusted advisor to Defense and Intelligence organizations. You will bring deep ArcGIS expertise, mission knowledge, and sound judgment to complex customer challenges involving multiple stakeholders, technologies, and operational priorities. They inspire customers supporting mission-critical work pushing GIS to new heights. Not only do they create innovative solutions, they talk about solutions in ways that get others excited about the power of GIS technology.

You will connect ArcGIS capabilities to missions such as GEOINT, ISR, command and control, situational awareness, planning, readiness, logistics, and enterprise decision-making. Your work will span hands-on technical discussions, enterprise architecture decisions, mission-focused demonstrations, and strategic conversations with senior leaders.

At Esri, your ideas and curiosity are celebrated, and a growth mindset isn’t just encouraged – it’s the standard.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships. Present, demonstrate, and support selling Esri software and solutions as part of the account team. Gain access to technical enterprise-level decision makers and lead technical meetings that drive revenue.
• Be an expert. Be a technical leader of Esri technology as well as a subject matter expert Defense and Intelligence. Demonstrate your advanced understanding of sales strategies and initiatives to develop complex solutions for Esri’s most strategic customers. Support and mentor team members in challenging and complex customer engagements. Influence and inspire internal product direction across Esri.
• Solve problems . Proactively craft and propose solutions that clarify how GIS brings business value to our customers by addressing the critical challenges they face. Define and deliver complex strategies that align Esri technology with our largest customers’ business needs. Understand an organization’s business structure, associated workflows, third party business systems, and integration points.
• Tell our story. Design presentations for technical and non-technical audiences within Esri’s largest customers. Provide configuration guidance and best practices. Present at large conferences and trade shows.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience with Esri technology using creating maps, performing spatial analysis, and configuring web applications
• 5+ years of experience in Defense, the Intelligence Community, GEOINT, National Security, or closely related mission environments
• Advanced knowledge of ArcGIS from an IT context (such as hardware, storage, security, networking, web services, virtualization, cloud computing)
• Advanced experience in technical consulting and conceptual solution design as well as an understanding of sales and business development processes
• Demonstrated experience of actively participating in a sales process
• Ability to troubleshoot client issues related to Esri application deployment and system architecture
• Experience with geodatabases and underlying DBMS technology
• Knowledge of cloud computing concepts and environments (Microsoft Azure or AWS)
• Experience integrating software solutions with other business systems including data warehousing, BI, CRM, ERP, and analytics platforms
• Moderate to advanced programming and scripting experience with Python and JavaScript
• Advanced presentation and storytelling skills across all audiences, to include strategic events and executive engagements
• Ability to travel domestically or internationally 25-50%
• Bachelor's degree in geography, GIS, computer science, engineering, information systems, or a related field
• Applicants must be a US Citizen, undergo a background investigation, and obtain/maintain security clearance eligibility requirements for a Secret, Top Secret (TS), TS/SCI, or TS/SCI with polygraph

Recommended Qualifications

• Experience incorporating real-time information streams with existing GIS data and IT infrastructure
• Advanced knowledge of digitalization strategies that include mobile, IoT, advanced analytics and data science (AI/ML), and imagery
• Master's degree in geography, GIS, computer science, engineering, information systems, or a related field
• Experience designing ArcGIS solutions for disconnected, denied, degraded, classified, tactical, or other complex operating environments
• Demonstrated experience influencing technical strategy across multiple teams or customer organizations

Questions about our interview process? We have answers .

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Total Rewards

Esri’s competitive total rewards strategy includes industry-leading health and welfare benefits: medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance for employees (and their families), 401(k) and profit-sharing programs, minimum accrual of 80 hours of vacation leave, twelve paid holidays throughout the calendar year, and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Base salary is one component of our total rewards strategy. Compensation decisions and the base range for this role take into account many factors including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

A reasonable estimate of the base salary range is

$120,016-$201,344 USD

About Esri

At Esri, diversity is more than just a word on a map. When employees of different experiences, perspectives, backgrounds, and cultures come together, we are more innovative and ultimately a better place to work. We believe in having a diverse workforce that is unified under our mission of creating positive global change. We understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion is not a destination but an ongoing process. We are committed to the continuation of learning, growing, and changing our workplace so every employee can contribute to their life’s best work. Our commitment to these principles extends to the global communities we serve by creating positive change with GIS technology. For more information on Esri’s Racial Equity and Social Justice initiatives, please visit our website here .

If you don’t meet all of the preferred qualifications for this position, we encourage you to still apply!

Esri is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email View email address on powertofly.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Please note that only those inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this e-mail address.

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Requisition ID: 2026-4627

Available in

Vienna, Virginia, United States

Job Category

Presales and Solution Engineering

Role Type

Individual Contributor

Experience Level

Senior Level