Presales Consultant - Cybersecurity

K Ey Responsibilities Solution Architecture & Technical Presales - Lead technical discovery and qualification; translate business, risk and compliance requirements into target security architectures across identity, endpoint, email, data, cloud, network and SOC domains. - Identity & Zero Trust: design Conditional Access policy frameworks, privileged access management, identity governance (access reviews, entitlement management, lifecycle workflows), hybrid identity, MFA / passwordless, and Zero Trust network access (Entra Global Secure Access, Cisco Duo / Secure Access, Fortinet ZTNA, Check Point Harmony SASE). - Endpoint & XDR: architect EDR / XDR deployments across Windows, macOS, Linux and mobile — onboarding strategy, attack-surface-reduction and hardening baselines, automated investigation and response, identity threat detection (Defender for Identity), vulnerability management — using Defender XDR, FortiEDR / FortiXDR, Check Point Harmony Endpoint or Cisco Secure Endpoint. - Email & Collaboration Security: design layered email protection (Defender for Office 365 / Exchange Online Protection with Mimecast, Check Point Harmony Email or Cisco Secure Email), including connector, MX and outbound-routing design, DMARC / DKIM / SPF, attack simulation and awareness training. - SIEM, SOAR & SOC Modernisation: design Sentinel and FortiSIEM / FortiSOAR solutions — data-connector strategy, log ingestion tiering and Data Collection Rules, analytics and hunting content, SOAR playbooks, single vs multi-workspace and multi-tenant (Lighthouse) designs, Security Copilot — plus migration runbooks from Splunk, QRadar, ArcSight and LogRhythm and MDR / managed SOC service definitions. - Data Security & DLP: design data-classification and DLP programmes with Purview (sensitivity labels, auto-labelling, Endpoint / Cloud / Exchange DLP, Insider Risk, Data Lifecycle, eDiscovery) and Forcepoint DLP / Risk-Adaptive Protection / Forcepoint ONE, including co-existence designs where Purview labels act as Forcepoint classifiers. - Cloud Security Posture: architect CSPM / CNAPP and CASB / SSPM solutions — Defender for Cloud (multi-cloud AWS / GCP onboarding, workload protection, regulatory compliance dashboards), Defender for Cloud Apps, Check Point CloudGuard, Fortinet FortiCNAPP, Cisco Multicloud Defense. - Network Security & SASE: design NGFW, segmentation, SD-WAN and SSE architectures with Fortinet Security Fabric (FortiGate, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer), Check Point Quantum / Maestro, Cisco Secure Firewall, Umbrella and Secure Access, and Azure Firewall Premium / WAF / DDoS Protection. - Integration architecture: produce reference designs showing telemetry and control-plane integration between network, endpoint and email controls and the SIEM / XDR layer (API connectors, CEF / Syslog via AMA, automated response through FortiGate, Check Point and Cisco APIs). - Deliver compelling demonstrations, proofs of concept, pilots and hands-on workshops; own the technical close on every opportunity you are assigned to. - Respond to RFPs, RFIs and tenders with high-quality technical write-ups, compliance matrices and architecture diagrams, and lead technical clarification sessions with evaluation committees. - Produce Statements of Work, high-level designs and effort estimates, and run a structured handover to the delivery / SOC teams on every won deal. Commercial Modelling – Bills of Materials & Licensing - Build licensing models across Microsoft 365 E3 → E5 step-ups, E5 Security and E5 Compliance add-ons, F-series, and standalone SKUs (Entra ID P1 / P2 / Suite, Defender for Endpoint P1 / P2, Defender for Office 365 P1 / P2, Intune Plans, Purview add-ons), mapping each customer requirement to the minimum SKU that unlocks the capability. - Model cloud consumption for security workloads: SIEM ingestion (pay-as-you-go vs commitment tiers, Basic / Auxiliary log tiers, retention and archive), per-resource CSPM / CWPP pricing, firewall / WAF / DDoS, automation and log-analytics costs, and Security Copilot SCU sizing — presented as monthly and annual run-rate with 3-year projections. - Build BoMs and subscription models: Fortinet (hardware bundles, FortiCare / FortiGuard tiers, FortiFlex points), Check Point (appliances, software blades / Infinity subscriptions, Harmony per-user), Cisco (Enterprise Agreements, Duo / Umbrella / Secure Access tiers, Secure Firewall Threat Defense licences), Forcepoint and Mimecast per-user plans — with renewal co-termination and multi-year options. - Produce TCO and consolidation business cases quantifying licence rationalisation (e.g. retiring standalone MFA, EDR, CASB or email security), SIEM ingestion vs incumbent SIEM licensing, hardware-refresh avoidance and operational savings from unified XDR — and justify best-of-breed retention where platform-native controls do not meet the requirement (data sovereignty, OT / network segmentation, regulatory constraints, feature gaps). Security Practice Development - Act as the primary SME for identity / Zero Trust, XDR, SIEM / SOC and data-security solutions: maintain reference architectures, demo and lab environments, assessment playbooks (Zero Trust maturity, Secure Score, data-risk and SOC maturity assessments) and standard proposal content. - Support the practice roadmap: capability mapping across security domains, identifying skill gaps, and mentoring presales and delivery engineers. - Build relationships with vendor partner-facing teams (partner development managers, technical specialists, channel SEs) and contribute to joint account plans and co-sell motions. - Stay current on vendor roadmaps, competitive positioning and partner-programme requirements; maintain the certifications needed to keep partner tiers and deal-registration eligibility. Sales Enablement & Go-to-Market - Partner with account managers on opportunity qualification, deal strategy and forecasting; contribute to pipeline generation through customer events, webinars, briefings and assessment-led campaigns. - Enable the account-management team on security propositions, talk tracks and qualification questions across all solution domains. - Contribute to solution playbooks and bundled offerings for priority domains: Zero Trust, Data Protection, Cloud / SaaS Security Posture, GRC and SOC Modernisation / MDR. - Maintain accurate opportunity, BoM and technical-status records in CRM and vendor deal-registration portals. Experience Required Skills & Experience - 10 years + in cybersecurity, including at least 6+ years in a customer-facing presales, solution-architecture or consulting role with a system integrator, MSSP, reseller or vendor. - Demonstrable track record of designing and winning enterprise or public-sector opportunities in at least three of: identity & Zero Trust, XDR, SIEM / SOAR, DLP / data security, CSPM / CNAPP, email security, NGFW / SASE. - Hands-on or design-level experience with Entra / Defender XDR / Sentinel / Purview and with at least two of: Fortinet, Check Point, Cisco Security, Forcepoint, Mimecast. - Experience with SIEM migration and SOC modernisation projects and with positioning MDR or managed security services. - UAE market experience including familiarity with UAE IA / NESA, DESC and sector regulators. Technical Competency Matrix Solution Domain Technologies & Platforms Expected Depth Identity, Access & Zero Trust Entra ID (Conditional Access, PIM, ID Governance, Global Secure Access), Cisco Duo, Cisco ISE / NAC, Fortinet ZTNA (FortiClient / FortiSASE), Check Point Harmony SASE; PAM / IGA (CyberArk, BeyondTrust, SailPoint) at positioning level Expert – design and lead Endpoint Security & XDR Defender for Endpoint / Defender XDR, Defender for Identity, Defender Vulnerability Management, Intune security baselines; FortiEDR / FortiXDR, Check Point Harmony Endpoint, Cisco Secure Endpoint; CrowdStrike / SentinelOne (partner-led) Expert – design and lead Email & Collaboration Security Defender for Office 365, Exchange Online Protection; Mimecast (SEG, Targeted Threat Protection, Awareness Training, Archiving, DMARC); Check Point Harmony Email & Collaboration; Cisco Secure Email Expert – design and lead SIEM, SOAR & SOC Modernisation Sentinel (connectors, AMA / DCR, log tiering, analytics, hunting, Logic Apps playbooks, Lighthouse), Security Copilot; FortiSIEM / FortiSOAR; migration from Splunk, QRadar, ArcSight, LogRhythm; MDR / managed SOC service design Expert – design and lead Data Security & DLP Purview (sensitivity labels, auto-labelling, Endpoint / Cloud / Exchange DLP, Insider Risk, Data Lifecycle, eDiscovery), Forcepoint DLP / Risk-Adaptive Protection, Forcepoint ONE, data classification and DSPM tooling Expert – design and lead Cloud Security Posture (CSPM / CNAPP / CASB) Defender for Cloud (Defender CSPM, Servers, Containers, Storage, SQL; AWS / GCP onboarding), Defender for Cloud Apps (CASB, SaaS security posture, app governance); Check Point CloudGuard, Fortinet FortiCNAPP, Cisco Multicloud Defense; third-party SSPM Strong – design Network Security & SASE Fortinet Security Fabric (FortiGate NGFW / SD-WAN, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer), Check Point Quantum (Maestro, Smart-1), Cisco Secure Firewall / FMC, Umbrella, Secure Access SSE; Azure Firewall Premium, WAF (App Gateway / Front Door), DDoS Protection Strong – design GRC & Security Advisory Zero Trust and security-maturity assessments, Secure Score / Compliance Manager, NIST CSF, ISO 27001, UAE IA / NESA, DESC, Qatar NCSA, PCI DSS; risk assessments and roadmap workshops Working – advise Certifications Required Required (or achieved within 6 months of joining): - Microsoft SC-100 (Cybersecurity Architect Expert) and at least two of SC-200, SC-300, SC-400, AZ-500. - One vendor presales / design certification from the third-party portfolio (Fortinet NSE 4–7 / FCP-FCSS, Check Point CCSA / CCSE, Cisco CCNP Security, Forcepoint or Mimecast certified engineer). Preferred - Prior presales experience with Microsoft Security in a partner or Microsoft-aligned role, including co-sell and funded-programme engagement, is strongly preferred. - CISSP, CCSP, CISM or equivalent. - Additional Microsoft certifications (MS-102, MD-102, AZ-305) or vendor architect-level credentials (Fortinet NSE 7 / FCSS, Check Point CCSM, Cisco CCIE Security). - ISO 27001 Lead Implementer / Auditor or NIST CSF familiarity. Professional & Soft Skills - Executive presence: able to run a CISO-level conversation on strategy and risk, then whiteboard the architecture with the security engineering team in the same meeting. - Strong commercial acumen: licensing optimisation, consolidation business cases and TCO modelling across platform and point-solution offerings. - Excellent written English for proposals, tenders and design documents; Arabic is an advantage. - Self-directed, organised and comfortable managing multiple concurrent opportunities across two regions in a shared-specialist model. - Collaborative mindset — works effectively with account managers, regional presales anchors, cloud / workplace sales teams, vendor partners and delivery / SOC. Location: Dubai - SSTC, Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates