Job Description

Title Cloud Solution ArchitectWe are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Cloud Pre-Sales and Solution Architect to join our dynamic team.In this role, you will be the key technical advisor and product advocate for AWS and Huawei Cloud solutions. You will work directly with Sales, Solution Specialists and delivery teams to customise and support customers to understand their business requirements, design tailored cloud solutions and guide them through the selection and implementation process.Your expertise will be instrumental in ensuring successful cloud adoption and delivering exceptional value to our clients.Your expertise will be instrumental in ensuring successful cloud adoption, enhancing customer satisfaction, and driving revenue growth.KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:Customer Engagement:

• Working closely with sales and solution sales specialist as well as end customers to understand their business objectives, technical requirements, and pain points.
• Conduct discovery sessions and workshops tailored to the customers requirements, industry and business sector
• Presentation of solution to customers.

Solution Design:

• Design and architect comprehensive cloud solutions cross multi-cloud vendors (Huawei Cloud and AWS technologies), ensuring alignment with customer requirements and industry best practices.
• Create detailed solution architectures, including infrastructure diagrams, technical specifications, and deployment plans.
• Facilitating total cost of ownership (TCO) and pricing models as part of proposal designs.
• Comparing various vendors in cases where customers require cost comparisons between vendors
• Ensure that you utilize industry-standard frameworks such as TOGAF or AWS Well-Architected Framework for designing solutions.

Pre-Sales Support:

• Collaborate with the sales team, solutions specialist to provide technical support and expertise during the sales process.
• Prepare and deliver compelling technical presentations and demonstrations that highlight the benefits and capabilities of Multi-Cloud (Huawei Cloud and AWS solutions).
• Develop and respond to Request for Proposals (RFPs), Request for Information (RFIs), and other customer documentation.

Technical Consultation:

• Serve as a subject matter expert across multi-cloud technologies (Huawei Cloud and AWS), offering guidance on cloud strategy, migration, and optimization.
• Provide technical advice on best practices for cloud architecture, security, cost management, and performance tuning.

Solution Validation:

• Validate proposed solutions through proof-of-concept (PoC) and pilot implementations, ensuring they meet customer requirements and deliver desired outcomes.
• Address and resolve technical challenges or concerns raised by customers during the evaluation process.
• Ensure solutions meet predefined success criteria and KPIs during PoCs

Relationship Management:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, ensuring ongoing satisfaction and fostering opportunities for future collaboration.
• Working closely with engineering/delivery teams ensuring proposed solutions and services can be deployed and managed.
• Act as a trusted advisor, staying abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and changes in cloud offerings from Huawei and AWS.

Training and Enablement:

• Provide training and support to internal teams and on Huawei Cloud and AWS technologies.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, best practices, and knowledge base resources.

Feedback and Improvement:

• Collect and analyze customer feedback to identify areas for improvement and contribute to the enhancement of our cloud solutions and services.
• Collaborate with product management and engineering teams to influence the development of new features and solutions based on customer needs and market trends.

SOFT SKILLS:

• Strong customer service orientation and adaptability to changing customer needs.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.
• Project management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities.

COMMUNICATIONS & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:Internal:

• Sales & Sales Solution Specialists
• Delivery

• Cloud team members

Reasons for Interaction:

• Supporting all sales stakeholders
• Working closely with delivery teams to ensure that the solution can be deployed and managed.
• Working closely with team members on creating and delivering Cloud based services and solutions

External:

• Customers

• Vendors

Reasons for Interaction:

• Understanding and guiding customers to find the best solution for their pain points.
• Staying abreast of technology changes, updates and working closely with the vendor technical teams where required.

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, & SKILLS:Educational Qualifications:

• Technology related certification (Professional Qualifications)

Professional Qualifications

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate (must have) or
• Huawei Solution Architect Certification (HCIE) (preferred)
• Microsoft Azure Solution Architect (AZ305)

Years of Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in cloud solution architecture and pre-sales support
• Proven experience as a Solution Architect or similar role in implementing various Cloud solutions.
• Strong understanding of cloud-based architectures across Huawei, AWS, Microsoft Azure.
• Experience with integration technologies (e.g., APIs, web services) and data migration.

Behavioral CompetenciesThe incumbent is required to have demonstrated the following competencies:

• TCOs across cloud vendors
• Architecting customer environments (lift and shift), hybrid, on-prem to cloud, cloud-to-cloud
• Articulate and deliver Well Architected Frameworks (WAF)
• Development of Marketplace solutions

Location and Travel

• The role is Johannesburg based
• Flexible but required to work in office twice a week.

Education National Certificate Level 4 (N4) / Grade 12 (Required)Languages English

Altron