Ryan Hodge

Resume

My professional experience, technical skills, and education.

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Experience

Jan 2022 — Present

Sr. Manager, Sales Engineering

WP Engine

Sales Engineering leader with over a decade of experience in web infrastructure and cloud platforms. Built and led a global team of 14 SEs across three regions. Supported a $27.6M pipeline in NORAM, closing $15.2M (2025). Red-teamed, deployed, and increased adoption of internal AI RAG tooling to 200+ GTM members, built repeatable SE processes from scratch, and co-sold the first headless, React-based product offering alongside the founder and CTO.

Team Leadership & Coaching

  • Led a team of 10 Sales Engineers and Solution Architects across pre-sales and post-sales in NORAM, supporting $27.6M in pipeline and contributing to $15.2M in assisted closed-won ARR 2025.
  • Maintained 100% team retention while driving many internal promotions. Including team leads to Managers, and assisting in sales reps pivoting to SEs.
  • Implemented MEDDPICC-based performance KPIs via Gong.
  • Redesigned variable compensation from a 50/50 regional to 80/20 regional split and introduced a Trusted Advisor Award, aligning incentives with regional revenue targets and cross-functional contributions.
  • Introduced 1:1's as working sessions, not status updates. Increasing engagement and driving internal Peakon scores up to 9.2 for engagement and management support.
  • Led technical retention response during a major platform ecosystem disruption, walking enterprise customers through API architecture changes and platform continuity plans. Earned C-suite recognition for impact on churn reduction.

Repeatable Plays & Process Building

  • Designed and deployed an SE-to-rep assignment system from scratch, aligning SEs with reps by segment (SMB/MM/ENT) and sales motion increasing deal velocity.
  • Built structured Slack escalation workflows requiring sales leader approval before SE engagement, reducing unqualified SE escalations by 66% quarter over quarter.
  • Created 12 Product Councils as a Voice of the Customer program, establishing structured feedback loops between Technical Solutions, Product & Engineering, and Product Marketing to directly influence the product roadmap.
  • Identified $3.4M in at-risk ARR through Product Council data. Championed an SE-prototyped feature that contributed to a lift in AI Toolkit closed-won deals.

Developer Tooling & AI Implementation

  • Deployed a RAG-based AI application to 200+ global GTM members, providing near-instant answers to 100+ monthly technical inquiries previously requiring approximately 24-hour SE turnaround.
  • Led red-teaming across the AI tool, identifying 43 high-criticality issues and driving 92 corrective actions. Enabled confident expansion from pilot to full GTM rollout.
  • Close-win rate on non-SE-attached opportunities increased from 36% to 43%.
  • Accelerated mid-market deal cycles by 9% within 90 days of rollout.
  • Built and deployed web applications on Vercel using v0 and Next.js, including TrainerGPT, an AI-powered coaching tool featuring custom system prompts and agent evaluation frameworks, and a portfolio site (ryanhodge.xyz).
Sales Engineering LeadershipRAG / AI ImplementationMEDDPICCGongTeam Management
May 2018 — Jan 2022

Sr. Sales Engineer — Enterprise

WP Engine

  • Delivered $8.25M in closed-won ARR at a 64.8% win rate, winning enterprise accounts including County of LA, Microsoft, WeWork, and Ticketmaster as an Enterprise SE over FY 2020 and 2021.
  • Co-sold WP Engine's first headless WordPress offering (Atlas) alongside the founder and CTO. Closed $210K ARR across 8 deals in the launch quarter, then took full ownership of the technical sales motion and helped hire a Solution Architect to scale it.
  • Designed and delivered monthly technical training for sales teams, ramping approximately 100 reps over 12 sessions on product capabilities, competitive positioning, and technical discovery.
  • Won Sales Engineer of the Year (2x) and two-time President's Club winner. Highest revenue-producing SE in the organization.
Enterprise SalesHeadless WordPressTechnical TrainingPre-Sales
2021 — 2024

Operations

badbad.wtf

  • Helped scale from 0 -> 1.
  • Built gamified digital experiences on blockchain infrastructure.
  • Now a passive LP.

Entrepreneurial experience pursued while maintaining a full-time role at WP Engine. Transitioned to Limited Partner in 2024.

OperationsNFT / Web3Brand BuildingTeam Scaling
2021 — 2024

Product & Business Development

thesolver.com

  • Grinded customer support queue, allowing me to stay close to the customer and their problems.
  • Managed API integrations and data workflows.
  • Now a passive LP.

Entrepreneurial experience pursued while maintaining a full-time role at WP Engine. Transitioned to Limited Partner in 2024.

Product DevelopmentAcquisitionsContent StrategyAPI Integrations

Education

Orange Coast College

Linux Academy

Stack Overflow

Skills

Leadership & Strategy

Coaching & IC DevelopmentOperating Model DesignHiring for Curiosity & Customer InstinctDiscovery-Led Demo StrategyDRIVESSE Leveling & Competency DesignCareer Framework DevelopmentCompensation & Incentive DesignVoice of the Customer Programs

AI & Technical

RAG / LLM / AgentsAI Red-TeamingHeadless WordPressAPI ArchitectureNext.js / TypeScript / Vercel

Sales Engineering

MEDDPICCCommand of the MessageChallenger SaleTrusted AdvisorEnterprise Pre-SalesTechnical DiscoveryProof-of-Value EngagementsCompetitive Positioning

Tools & Platforms

GongSalesforceSlackNotionVercel / v0WordPress