Sales Engineer - Vancouver - Acorn

Description

At Acorn PLMS, we are on a mission to transform the corporate learning experience. Our cutting-edge Performance Learning Management System (PLMS) software is powered by AI and designed to ensure that what people learn directly contributes to their exceptional performance in business. Corporate learning needs a revolution, and Acorn PLMS is the antidote. We are the only solution that guides learners step by step to master the specific capabilities required for their roles, ultimately accelerating individual and organisational performance.

Are you a proactive, strategic thinker who enjoys partnering with sales teams to showcase technology that drives meaningful customer outcomes? We'd love to hear from you.

We are open to individuals based in Vancouver, Canada – this is an in‑office role.

Role Overview

We're looking for a Sales Engineer to join our growing Sales team in Vancouver. At Acorn, our Sales Engineers play a key role in supporting the Sales team by bringing Acorn's platform to life for prospective customers. Working closely with Account Executives, you will partner on opportunities to understand customer needs, design tailored solution narratives, and deliver high-quality, engaging product demonstrations. This role blends strong technical and product knowledge with commercial awareness to support effective, customer‑centric sales conversations.

The 5 Key Capabilities

The best part… we use our Acorn software at Acorn. We believe in the power of our Managers and Staff being aligned on the 5 capabilities needed for each role, and the level that we expect for any given role, using our Acorn AI tool to streamline this consistently across our business. The 4 levels comprise Foundational, Developing, Proficient and Advanced.

Here are the 5 capabilities for our Sales Engineer to give you an idea of what the role entails, and the level we are looking for from it:

• Discovery & Business Value Alignment – Diagnose customer needs and align Acorn PLMS to clearly defined business problems, supporting qualification and value-based progression. Level: Developing: At the developing stage, you lead structured discovery for common scenarios. You clarify pain points, validate understanding with customers, and begin linking needs to measurable outcomes within agreed scope.
• Solution Demonstration & Storytelling – Deliver demonstrations that connect customer needs to Acorn PLMS outcomes, building confidence and moving opportunities forward. Level: Proficient: At the proficient stage, you independently own end-to-end demos. You tailor flows to customer priorities, manage routine objections, and use demos to reliably progress opportunities.
• Technical Solutioning & Risk Management – Apply technical and product knowledge to design fit-for-purpose solutions, clarify constraints, and reduce pre‑sales and delivery risk. Level: Proficient: At the proficient stage, you own technical solutioning for opportunities. You design solutions within guardrails, coordinate specialist input, and surface delivery risks and assumptions early.
• Deal Team Collaboration & Customer Trust – Partner with sales and internal stakeholders to maintain alignment, build customer confidence, and progress opportunities through effective technical engagement. Level: Developing: At the developing stage, you engage customers directly alongside sales. You ask structured questions, confirm understanding, coordinate next steps, and handle routine objections with support as needed.
• SaaS Operating Excellence & Feedback Loops – Operate effectively in a high-volume, remote SaaS environment by using systems, process discipline, and feedback loops to increase SE impact and consistency. Level: Developing – At the developing stage, you manage your workflow reliably across multiple opportunities. You maintain accurate CRM hygiene, capture repeatable learnings, and identify recurring customer questions and themes.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner closely with Account Executives throughout the sales cycle, particularly during discovery, solution design, and demo stages
• Design and deliver high-quality, tailored product demonstrations that align to customer use cases and business outcomes
• Translate customer requirements into clear, compelling solution narratives that position Acorn's platform effectively
• Provide technical and functional expertise during sales conversations, confidently answering product-related questions
• Support proof‑of‑concept or trial engagements where required, ensuring a strong and consistent prospect experience
• Maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of Acorn's product features, roadmap, and integrations to effectively support sales engagements
• Capture insights and feedback from sales conversations and share them with Product, Sales, and Customer teams
• Contribute to the ongoing improvement of demo environments, assets, and sales enablement materials

Required Experience

• Experience in a Sales Engineer, Solutions Consultant, or similar pre‑sales role within a B2B SaaS environment
• Strong ability to explain technical concepts clearly to non‑technical audiences
• Experience partnering with sales teams to support deal progression and customer engagement
• Comfort working in a fast‑paced, customer‑facing commercial environment
• Strong communication, presentation, and problem‑solving skills

Compensation

One of our core values is transparency and we believe in being upfront with candidates throughout the recruitment process, to make sure expectations are aligned.

This role sits within a base salary range of $71,000 - $100,000 CAD (+9% RRSP match on base) plus a variable component of: $12,500 - $15,000 CAD, commensurate with experience and qualifications. Total package: $90,000 - $126,000 (inc. RRSP)

Why Join Acorn PLMS

At Acorn, you'll join a passionate, fast‑scaling SaaS business that's redefining how learning drives performance. As part of our Sales team, you'll work closely with prospective and enterprise organisations that are shaping the capability development of thousands of people every day. You'll have the opportunity to make a genuine impact - partnering with customers to understand their challenges, showcasing the value of our PLMS technology, and helping them envision measurable performance outcomes with Acorn.

We're big believers in growth — yours and ours. You'll be supported by a collaborative team, surrounded by people who are driven, curious, and invested in helping you succeed. We're growing fast, and that means you'll have space to innovate, improve processes, and leave your mark on how we deliver technical sales globally.

In addition to joining a great company, after your probation period you'll be supported with a generous benefits package covering health and dental care, mental health support, prescription drugs, life insurance, and access to virtual and travel medical services.

Location

We are open to individuals based in Vancouver, Canada. We are an office‑first company, meaning we work from our local offices the majority (if not all) of the time. We want to create cool stuff with great people, and we know from experience that is best done through daily moments like the coffee run, walk to grab lunch, or quick huddles. Being able to capitalise on this is key to our ongoing success and a large part of the reason we can work at the pace we do. Please note candidates will need to be in commuting distance to our offices based in Gastown, Vancouver.

Applicants must have full working rights in Canada to be considered for this role. Unfortunately we are unable to provide visa sponsorship at this time.

Our Recruitment Process

Acorn is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all qualified candidates. We aim to ensure that our recruitment process is fair and accessible to everyone and encourage candidates to request any accommodations needed during the application or interview stages.

About Acorn

Acorn is the hub for learning and performance for over 3 million active learners globally. The work you do — whether that's writing lines of code, designing the layout of a dashboard, or talking to customers — helps real people grow not just professionally, but personally. In the space of 10 years, we've grown to a global platform in the heart of many major organisations' ecosystems.

There's still so much more to do, and we need people who are keen to help us journey into the next phase on board And since we're still growing, there's so much you can learn on that journey with us. To find out more about life at Acorn, our Values and working with us, check out our website at and see our Life At Acorn video here