Solution Architect

Role Overview

• Engage with customers to understand both their technical and business needs
• building valued relationships and developing as a trusted technical advisor.
• Conduct thorough assessments to identify gaps, opportunities, and challenges, ensuring that solutions are tailored to meet both immediate and future needs.
• Take full responsibility for the technical aspects of deal progression, from qualification to closure.
• Champion the technical validation process, including product demonstrations, technical presentations, managing proofs of concept (PoCs), addressing customer objections, and ensuring that the technical value of SUSE’s solutions is fully realised.
• Serve as the voice of the customer by actively gathering and communicating customer feedback and requirements, to SUSE’s Product, Strategy, and Engineering teams.
• Ensure that customer needs are reflected in new product features, updates, and messaging, while facilitating regular feedback loops, and support escalations to ensure product improvements align with customer expectations and maximise value.
• Collaborate with Field and Specialist Sales, Partner Ecosystem, and Customer Success teams to create Account Plans to drive solution adoption and ensure customer satisfaction throughout the sales lifecycle.
• Contribute to the development of go-to-market strategies with regional sales teams, and participate in marketing efforts through presentations, blogs, technical speaking engagements, rodeos and booth demos.
• Support the analysis of competitor offerings and collaborate on developing strategies to differentiate SUSE solutions, identifying key advantages in specific use cases.
• Conduct research and draft responses to the technical segments of requests for information (RFIs), requests for proposals (RFPs), and requests for quotes (RFQs).
• Transfer knowledge to pre-sales peers and contribute to internal education through mentoring, peer training, and sharing insights on product innovations and technical solutions.
• Consistently maintain CRM hygiene by updating all activity, for each opportunity
• Use Case, Success Criteria, Technical Close Status (TCS) and Next Steps in the technical close process.
• Take proactive ownership of your professional development by staying curious and embracing a growth mindset. Focus on driving your success, advancing your skills as a Technical Sales professional, and deepening your expertise in the SUSE value proposition.

Requirements

• Experience in technical consulting, pre-sales engineering, or solution architecture, with a focus on enterprise software solutions.
• Practical skills with Linux systems, open-source software, and related infrastructure solutions, with experience in cloud computing and container technologies like Kubernetes.
• Proven ability to articulate complex technical solutions clearly and effectively to diverse audiences up to CXO level, translating technical concepts into business value and demonstrating how they align with customer objectives.
• Experience in creating technical demonstrations and whitepapers to illustrate product value through use cases.
• Strong problem-solving abilities, capable of addressing complex technical problems and delivering innovative, value-driven solutions.
• Experience collaborating cross-functionally with sales, engineering, and customer success teams to deliver comprehensive solutions and ensure customer satisfaction.
• Experience in designing and delivering complex enterprise solutions, ensuring scalability, security, and reliability.
• Exceptional consultative-selling skills, fostering meaningful customer relationships, guiding engagements, and serving as a trusted technical advisor through collaboration.
• Proficiency in competitor analysis and solution positioning, showcasing SUSE's advantages over peers.
• Experience working with CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce, Clari) to manage pipelines, track technical validation, and measure solution success.

Tech Stack

• Cloud
• Kubernetes
• Linux

Benefits

• We empower you to be bold, driving your career to create the future you want.
• We celebrate and reward your achievements.
• SUSE is a dynamic environment that is evolving rapidly, thus requiring agility, strong entrepreneurship and an open mind.
• A truly open community where everyone is welcome, has a voice and is encouraged to reach their full potential regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or any other characteristics.