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 10 years of experience in web infrastructure and cloud platforms. Built and led a global team of 14 SEs supporting $27.6M in pipeline across pre-sales. Deployed AI-powered developer 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 global team of 14 Sales Engineers and Solution Architects across pre-sales and post-sales, supporting $27.6M in pipeline and contributing to $15.1M in assisted closed-won ARR 2025.
  • Maintained 100% team retention while driving 4 internal promotions.
  • 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 a global SE-to-rep assignment system from scratch, aligning SEs with reps across 3 regions by segment (SMB/MM/ENT) and sales motion.
  • 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 20% 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 approximately 15% 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.
  • 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

COO

badbad.wtf

  • Helped scale from founding to 10 employees. Generated $1.8M in revenue in first year.
  • Secured retail distribution with Urban Outfitters.
  • 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

  • Led product development, executed a company acquisition to expand offering.
  • 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

Coming soon.

Skills

Leadership & Strategy

Sales Engineering LeadershipTeam Management (14+ global reports)Compensation & Incentive DesignCareer Framework DevelopmentVoice of the Customer Programs

AI & Technical

RAG / LLM ImplementationAI Red-TeamingHeadless WordPress (Atlas)API ArchitectureNext.js / TypeScript / Vercel

Sales Engineering

MEDDPICCEnterprise Pre-SalesTechnical DiscoveryProof-of-Value EngagementsCompetitive Positioning

Tools & Platforms

GongSalesforceSlack WorkflowsNotionVercel / v0WordPress / WP Engine