Job Description
Our EMEA Solutions team provides specialist pre-sales and consulting services to support the complex needs of our customers' businesses. They enable Rackspace to deliver greater strategic business value focusing on outcome orientated services and solutions.
Who are our Solutions Architects?
Our Rackspace Technology Solutions Architects are experienced, knowledgeable, and respected members of the EMEA Pre-Sales team with a proven track record in pre-sales and solutioning. With our Sales colleagues they are responsible for gathering business and technical requirements to design a solution hich addresses the customer objectives. They are outcome orientated and lead the service and solution ownership of the design which include one or more of the following criteria:
• Tactical solution part of a strategic plan
• Complex due to scale or scope
• Cross discipline opportunities leveraging multiple clouds, managed services, hosting.
• Time sensitive POC or POV
Our Solution Architects provide commercial, technical, service and solution leadership. Using defined products and services with option customisation, they partner with internal teams and external partners to deliver solutions on time, specification, and budget.
They are members of a pursuit team throughout the sales lifecycle providing resource and capability for the creation of solutions assisting in the objective for our customers technology and transformation initiatives. For larger and/or more complex opportunities, one or more Solutions Architects may work as part of a larger solutions/pursuit team with our Solution Leads, Solutions Directors and or Bid Management team and will be primarily responsible for delivering the technical and architecture components of the overall solution response.
As role models for their discipline, Solutions Architects use their brand both internally and externally to inspire, encourage and develop the next generation of Solutions Architects. With coaching, mentoring, training and development, a pathway exists to become tomorrow’s Solution Lead or Team Lead.
What do we look for in our Solutions Architects?
Our Solutions Architects are accomplished and experienced solution designers. They have experience of leading client facing teams across international geographies and interact at multiple levels of seniority, from day-to-day management, through to key stake holders. They are clear communicators with great presentation skills and author high quality accurate design documents. They are driven by the need to ensure our clients are informed and advised with the best strategies, services, and solutions to meet business requirements.
They should have current certified technology expertise and have an excellent grounding in infrastructure, applications and multiple cloud technologies including AWS, Azure, GCP and VMware. It’s not just the infrastructure but also functional and non-functional requirements across applications and tooling, and they are proficient to solution across.
Leadership, and problem solving are essential competences (amongst others) we look for and typically our Solutions Architects have gained their experience through a solid technical and service orientated background to give them vital experience.
Attributes and experience we look for.
• High degrees of technical acumen with accompanying certifications
• Collaborative team player
• Good communication skills (written and oral) to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Great problem solvers
• Innovative and passionate about continuous self-improvement and technology
• Awareness of sales methodologies and proposal management
• RFx, Proposals, Presentations
• Passion for problem solving and enthusiasm for positive customer outcomes.
• Experience working with ModernOps, DevOps CI/CD pipelines and CMPs in a Private Cloud context in either a pre-sales or engineering role with an interest in pre-sales.
• Experience working with Private Cloud platforms based on VMware, Microsoft, or OpenStack technology.
• Current certification in at least one Public Cloud is beneficial or experience on AI workloads.
• Experience in Managed or Professional Services engagements is highly beneficial.
• Ability to lead customer workshops for requirements gathering solution mapping or proposal playback.
• Owning a specific technology area and becoming the Subject Matter Expert (SME)
• Attend Trade Shows, User Group Meetings or Conferences, either physically or virtually and present the “Why Rackspace?” message.