NA A&PS Presales Solution Architect

Description

This is a remote role, so you will mainly work from home.

The company provides edge-to-cloud technology that helps customers connect, protect and analyze their data and applications, and act on the results. The job sits in the Sales job family at level TCP04.

You will design solutions that deliver customer business outcomes, either within one technical domain or across the company's hardware, software, services and as-a-service offerings, combined with any third-party components such as software and integration.

You will write accurate, persuasive proposals that meet the customer's business and technical needs, and support sales teams and customers with presentations and product or solution demos to win mindshare in your domain. The work centers on technical selling to customers and partners, and you may be assigned to specific accounts based on business priority.

Responsibilities

• Build deep knowledge of one or more solution domains, the company's products, services and solutions, and the customer's technical and business environment.
• Write persuasive proposals, review them critically, and manage the expectations of internal stakeholders and customers so that business and technical requirements are met.
• Size the business problem, make the case for business value, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed solution against long-term objectives.
• Turn outcome goals into a functional design, then into a scalable technical architecture that fits the customer's business needs.
• Explain how the solution's value proposition addresses the customer's business needs.
• Give input to every global business unit on IT trends, requirements, gaps and unmet needs.
• Track leading-edge and emerging technologies, along with technology trends in IT and in the customer's industry.
• Gather and apply competitive intelligence as a core part of account support.
• Lead the Account Business Planning process using knowledge of industry trends and the customer's technical environment.
• Join deep-dive discussions and work with the account team to build relationships with customer leaders at every level, presenting technical strategy for the customer's transformation.
• Compare alternative approaches to a solution in depth.
• Configure and right-size an optimal workload solution by balancing cost, scope, scale, boundaries and benefits, to deliver strong value and raise win rates.
• Apply deep knowledge of partner products and services, adjusting strategy to make the most of the link between partner and customer.
• Pass knowledge on to external partners so they can deliver effective solutions to customers.
• Contribute to industry development in one or more domains through conferences and events, by supporting content, presenting, running demos, staffing booths and monitoring social media.
• Build the pipeline by spotting opportunities in the account, including enhancements, unmet or unrecognized needs, and upsell and cross-sell options.
• Monitor the pipeline and move active deals from opportunity to close.
• Use pipeline insights to focus time and resources on the deals with the highest potential.
• Take part in sales forecast meetings and give feedback that speeds up the sales cycle.
• Record ongoing activities and tasks throughout the sales cycle in the required tools, and share best practice with peers and partners.
• Build strong professional relationships with customer executives across the business and industry.
• Share knowledge with peers and coach more junior team members.

Requirements

• A first-level university technical degree or equivalent technical qualifications are required.
• An advanced degree in technology is preferred.
• You have 8-12 years of technical experience in IT, focused on technical consulting and solution selling.
• Knowledge-based certifications and at least 1+ experience-based relevant industry certification are very strongly preferred.
• Enterprise architecture frameworks and project management methodologies, including certifications, are helpful but not required.
• You have advanced experience leading solution configurations and building demos and proofs of concept (POC) that meet customer requirements.
• You have an advanced understanding of the company's product, software and services portfolio, your specialist domain and adjacent domains, and how they combine to meet customer needs.
• You can translate as-a-service (aaS) offerings, the full ecosystem, differentiated value, solutions and workloads into customer outcomes, and prioritize aaS offerings and consumption models for the best outcome and return.
• You have an advanced understanding of the range of aaS business models.
• You work across functions to keep output consistent and support aaS strategy goals.
• You communicate clearly in writing and speaking, listen actively, tell compelling stories, and communicate in English and any local languages the role requires.
• You use advanced discussion and persuasion to support the company's point of view, while respectfully questioning and challenging proposed solutions.
• You have advanced business and financial acumen, covering the sales cycle, pipeline growth, reporting, influence and business strategy linkage.
• You understand the functional roles of customer executives, including CxOs and line-of-business (LOB) leaders, their typical KPIs, TCO and ROI concepts and calculations, financial models, and how customers generate revenue.
• You have advanced consultative and value selling skills, including whiteboarding, handling objections and closing, to help customers make business decisions.
• You have advanced knowledge of company business, technical tools and standard customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
• You manage resources well, knowing how and when to engage SMEs and specialists.
• You have hands-on experience with one or more products, solutions, tools or services related to your role.
• You can design and develop a playbook for demos or walkthroughs.
• You can deliver live demos or walkthroughs to customers, partners and other stakeholders.
• You have advanced project and time management skills, along with strong analytical and problem-solving skills and appropriate due diligence.
• You have advanced knowledge of partner offerings, when to use them on deals in your specialist area, and the company's go-to-market strategy.
• You understand how the go-to-market strategy applies by geography as it relates to partners, with broad knowledge of partner offerings and when to use them on deals.
• You have advanced strategic and account planning skills, and you are an expert in business and technical tools and standard CRM systems.

Conditions

This position is designated as remote/teleworker, so you will mainly work from home.

For US hires, the expected annual salary range is USD 172,000 to 355,000 in California, and USD 151,500 to 355,000 in District of Columbia, Illinois, Texas and Virginia.

The range covers the minimum to maximum combined base and target-level sales compensation paid if the hire reaches 100% of the sales plan, split 80% base salary and 20% target-level sales compensation.

Actual offers may vary based on location, work experience, education or training, and skill level.

The company is an equal opportunity employer that decides on qualifications, merit and business need, and follows applicable laws on arrest and conviction records.

Benefits

• Health and wellbeing benefits support physical, financial and emotional wellbeing, and US benefit details are available on the company's new-hire benefits page.
• Development programs help you reach career goals, whether that means becoming a subject expert or moving into another division.