Solution Architect

Solution Architect
Responsible for defining, developing & supporting the sales process for technology and solutions with account teams. Engages in account transactions based on technical expertise required in specific deals/programs leveraging specialized knowledge base across multiple accounts. Focuses on area of technical expertise, e.g., specific products/areas within company's global business units. Responsible for technical consulting work with customers in selling and supporting company products, services and systems, or software. Provides technical support in sales presentations, product demonstrations, and customer training.

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**Responsibilities**:

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Opportunity analysis.
- Gathers and assesses customer needs, both business and technical.
- Identifies related needs (lead generation, opportunity expansion).
- Identifies site-specific and corporate parameters and constraints that impact the solution.
- Identifies required project steps.
- Identifies likely problem areas that require attention.
- Identifies probable competition and product roll-out data/training needs and evaluates relative company strengths.

Solution Planning and Design.
- Architects an appropriate technical solution to meet the customer's business requirements.
- Investigates and optimizes a solution's fit to the requirements of an opportunity, both current and future.
- Adapts solution design to new requirements.
- Establishes the validity of a solution and its components.
- Identifies the growth path and scalability options of a solution and includes these in design activities.
- Generates an implementation plan with timelines for the solution.
- Creates the appropriate test plan as required
- Anticipates some of the potential challenges for the proposed project plan.
- Anticipates and plans for competitive threats.
- Actively identifies opportunities to assist peers Regionally in area of expertise (e.g., writing white-papers).

Client/customer relationship.
- Maintains excellent communications with customer executive management across the Region.
- Represents the company as a technical expert with customers; shares knowledge in area of expertise and links to related technology areas.
- Advances opportunities through the use of effective consultative selling techniques.
- Builds customer loyalty through being a trusted advisor.
- Partners effectively with others in the account to ensure problem resolution and customer satisfaction.
- Communicates and articulates the details of their component roles in a proposed customer solution.

Team collaboration.
- Actively supports the account team with solution advice, proposals, presentations, and other customer communications.
- Analyzes and provides support to deals in the pipeline where needed.
- Transfers knowledge to Presales peers via mentoring and contributing participation in peer education programs.
- Understands the roles and effectively engages other teams and resources within the company and partners.
- Identifies overlooked opportunities suggested by technical expertise.
- Facilitates smooth transition from sales to implementation by orienting the appropriate teams to the solution design.

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Education and Experience Required:

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- Technical University or Bachelor's degree.
- Typically 8-12 years experience in technical consultative selling and account management.
- Technical and/or solution experience in appropriate industry.
- Experience in vertical industry preferred.

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Knowledge and Skills:

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Technical/Solution acumen.
- Demonstrates a broad knowledge of the company's technology & solutions, with deep expertise in area of specialization and related technologies.
- Knowledgeable in competitive solutions knowledge.
- Links company solutions with data business center needs to create customer business value.
- Applies broad understanding of technical innovations & trends to solving customer business problems.
- Applies productivity-enhancing tools and processes.
- Solid credibility with the company's business units and account teams based on history of solid results and contributions.
- Establishes thought leadership in technical specialty area with customers.
- Demonstrated ability to work as the lead for large complex projects.
- Has a high level understanding of the company's product roadmaps for multiple BU's, and deep knowledge in area of specialization.
- Has demonstrated extensive hands-on level skills with some of the technology.

Business acumen.
- Leverages financial and accounting concepts as well as capital investment concepts in demonstrating business value of proposed solutions to customers.
- Creates solutions that creatively address customer value chain and business requirements.
- Persuasively communicates the value of the solution in terms of financial return and impact on customer business goals.
- Appropriately tailors communications to varying levels of customer management.

Industry acumen.
- Extensive level of industry acumen; keeps cu