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Why Value Engineering at Celonis?
At Celonis, our Value Engineering (VE) team sits within the Go-To-market organization, managing the entire customer value lifecycle, from sales through value realization, renewal and expansion. Unlike other software companies, Celonis does not separate between Pre- and Post-Sales but is putting the Customer front and center in our mission and has one central team - Value Engineering - that owns the end-to-end Customer Value Lifecycle.
With the increasing demand for rapid cash value realization - and the understanding that Celonis can provide just that - we need to grow our diverse team of problem-solvers. Hear from some of our global Value Engineers as they share their role in driving our success, the most exciting parts of their work, and the reasons you might be the perfect fit to work alongside them.
First things first. What do Value Engineers do?
"Value engineers own the end-to-end value journey of every customer at Celonis," shared Angelica Cabellos, Senior Vice President - Value Engineering International. "We work with customers to drive transformation through data-driven decisions and deliver tangible value. It expands the definition of a ‘win’ - it can be closing a big deal, delivering a customer's first $1M value stone, seeing your customers onstage sharing their success, and so much more."
Why did you choose this career path?
“I graduated with the skill set to become a front-end developer but couldn't see myself sitting behind a desk writing code day in and day out,” explained Katie, Senior Value Engineer. “I have always been looking for roles that blend business and technology and I think Value Engineering is the perfect role for that. I get to meet and work with customers on a daily basis bringing my product, technology, and process knowledge to help them solve their biggest challenges.”
We hire people from a range of backgrounds with different educations, experiences and passions - from all across the globe. Being involved in so many different elements of the customer experience requires a wide range of expertise and skill sets.
“I spent the first 10-12 years of my career as a developer/consultant and found I like talking to people about business issues and the best way to fix them, rather than writing all the code to finalize the solution,” explained Tom Zoellner, Principal Value Engineer. “I love bridging the gap between business and technical requirements and Value Engineering was the perfect way for me to do that while progressing my career.”
As part of our Orbit Graduate Program, we hire entry-level professionals to help them launch their Value Engineering careers. We have two VE Centres of Excellence (COE) at Celonis in Madrid and Raleigh to help nurture talent and impact Celonis’ top line with innovative solutions, methodologies, and tools. Our associates gain experience from day 1 with us and have the opportunity to grow, make a real impact, and be part of a global community of like-minded early professionals.
Why did you decide to join Celonis? What did it mean for your career?
“I first heard of Celonis whilst I was at EY and immediately saw the value of the platform, it was a big move going from a global corporate firm to a start-up,” recalled Jaymini, Senior Value Engineer. “But it's been an incredible experience being part of one of the fastest-growing tech startups!”
Since Jaymini joined Celonis in 2020, we have doubled in size to over 3000+ employees globally. The VE team has had a huge part to play in our growth by helping us build a customer experience to be proud of for 3000+ customers worldwide. Read through some of our customer success stories and learn more about the value the team helped realize for some of the largest companies in the world.
“I’ve worked at many other companies, but when I saw Celonis in 2019, I knew they had something different going on,” revealed Tom. “As for career growth, I love working at early/mid-stage start-ups, experiencing hyper-growth, creating a new category (Process Intelligence), and all the change and excitement it drives.”
What does a typical day at Celonis look like for you? What makes it unique?
"A typical day is one part strategy, one part technical problem-solving, and one part people,” explained Dylan, Lead Value Engineer. “I think the uniqueness factor comes from the novelty of the problems we solve and how we really get to work on initiatives that matter to the business.”
Our VEs touch every aspect of the customer lifecycle, and that means there are always plenty of exciting and challenging tasks to complete each day. Here are some common tasks the team work on:
Business Value Discovery
Executive Management Meeting
Product and Use Case Demos
Business Case Presentations
Value Realization and Stakeholder / Change Management
IT Strategy & Security Deep Dives
“Bottom line - the typical day is anything but typical,” said Tom. “You usually have 15-20+ opportunities you’re engaged with, and they can be at any of the above stages. The Celonis Process Intelligence Platform is a dream tool to help clients realize value in every process across every industry.”
Tell us about your current team and role within VE.
Our VEs are organised into clusters where their passions and expertise are matched to our customers' and business needs. Katie works in the Retail and CPG team as her previous experiences in the retail space make her a great fit to deliver value for customers. “We each have unique experiences and backgrounds, so everyone brings something different to the table,” continued Katie. “Being a VE allows me to be customer-facing and a storyteller while allowing me to deep dive into our technology and be a product expert.”
Dylan is a core member of our technology & communications cluster and supports some of the largest companies in the world. “The scale impact we can have by telling these companies to shift in these modern ways can have an immense impact,” explained Dylan. “We’re a small team, but I’m proud to be part of it. We have our own little innovative energy that I really value - it’s great people solving complex and interesting problems, and delivering huge impact.”
Jaymini had a background in consulting prior to joining Celonis, and she’s been a crucial member of the VE team at Celonis. In 2022, Jaymini was a Sales Engineer finalist of the European Women In Sales Awards for her achievements in the field. “As Value Engineers, we drive data-driven business transformation with our customers. We work side-by-side with the Celonis Sales Team and own the end-to-end value journey of our customers. Therefore, we are their trusted advisor and help them achieve their strategic goals and realize significant value using Celonis Process Intelligence,” explained Jaymini.
What does the career progression look like for a VE?
“Celonis offers an incredible opportunity for those looking to start or continue doing the best job in the world,” said Tom. “You have many options to choose from - technical expertise, business expertise, executive messaging. The role will allow you to move down the path that best suits your skills.”
Working on a wide variety of projects allows people to develop new skills and find new passions. This provides our VEs with great opportunities for internal movements within Celonis to pave a career in their own vision. Common roles our VEs have been hired from/branched into include:
Sales - Account Executives, Inside Sales
Product - Product Management, Business Apps, Product Marketing
Services - Consulting, Solution Architects
Which key qualifications/type of background should applicants have to join the VE Team?
Thomas, Senior Value Engineer, loves the diverse background of his team and believes the right attitude is more valuable than any other qualification. “The great thing is that there are no specific requirements, background, or qualifications, it’s more of a mindset. You have to love solving challenging problems, enjoy taking ownership and be accountable. From a qualification perspective, we have colleagues who studied a variety of degrees, including maths, engineering, languages, humanities, economics, and more.”
Dylan has outlined the wide range of professionals we hire in our VE team. From entry-level to managers, data engineers to sales professionals - we know that the best teams are the most diverse ones. “There are so many different flavors of a value engineer, and it goes back to the fundamental perspective that it’s such a malleable role and wherever you have natural tendencies and strengths, you can really celebrate them through the role,” said Dylan.
What’s the culture like within the team?
“The thing I love most about our culture is that it’s brought to life by our people every day,” said Katie. “My co-workers are some of the kindest and smartest people I have ever worked with. When I joined, they made it so easy to get up to speed and helped me learn how to meet our customer’s needs as a team.”
Cultivating
New projects to take on every day
Regular product updates and releases to learn and apply
Develop strong customer relationships across the entire sales lifecycle
Collaborative and Supportive
Working closely with Sales and Services across the customer lifecycle
Team up to find innovative, game-changing solutions
Building each other’s confidence with regular feedback and recognition
Relentless
Passionate people building innovative solutions
Committed to growth and development - both individually, as a team and company
Celebrate successes regularly through Happy Hours, Karaoke nights, and Lunch Socials
Why should someone join your team?
Jaymini wants you on her team if you value collaboration, respect, and a commitment to success. “One of the most important things is that we are a lovely team! I was nervous to join a new company and team in the middle of a lockdown, yet, everyone was nothing but welcoming - we had virtual coffees, quiz nights, and casual chats, and as soon as things began to open up, we met for pizzas! I was 1 of 5 VEs when I started, and now the team has doubled, but the team spirit has not changed! Each member is valued and brings a different perspective to a challenge.”
For Tom, Celonis is the right fit for you if you’re interested in joining a pioneering company with an exciting role where you can develop and make an impact. “You should join our team if you want to be at the forefront of a company that is improving the way businesses operate. Not to mention if you are looking for a career that is dynamic and rewarding. Here you can drive your own success, be part of a team that constantly learns from each other, champions success, and genuinely enjoys spending time with each other outside of work.”
Think you’d be a good fit? Learn more about the work our Value Engineers do by exploring our open opportunities.
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