Presales Solutions Architect - Modern Data Center

Responsibilities:

Active participation in the AHEAD Modern Datacenter SSE team, advisory teams, and delivery teams.

Collaborate with AHEAD partner management and with key strategic vendors—such as Pure Storage, NetApp, and Cisco—to maintain strong technical and sales relationships.

Serve as a thought leader within the Solutions Engineering organization, responsible for designing, architecting, and consulting for AHEAD clients.

Build skills, relationships, and industry credibility across segments to drive product, services, and consulting sales.

Support sales teams by providing technical guidance, solution recommendations, and proposals aligned with customer business and technical requirements—especially for U.S.-based customers.

Develop strong relationships with Modern Datacenter SSE peers, leaders, and vendor partners to support sales objectives.

Strategize and execute technical sales calls effectively.

Complete required pre-sales documentation (configurations, pricing, services, presentations, justifications, etc.) accurately and on time.

Qualify sales opportunities based on customer technical requirements, decision-making processes, and funding.

Present and communicate the design and business value of AHEAD solutions to customers, prospects, and internal stakeholders.

Mentor entry-level team members as appropriate.

Demonstrate deep product/technology/industry expertise.

Maintain knowledge of job-associated applications and tools.

Qualifications:

Deep expertise in enterprise storage (block & file), compute, and virtualization/VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF).

Strong specialization in Pure Storage, NetApp, and Cisco UCS compute platforms.

Data Protection awareness with platforms such as Dell, Rubrik, Commvault, etc.

Experience using RVtools, LiveOptics, and similar tools for assessments, sizing, and solution design.

VMware and virtualization technology expertise.

Vendor experience with NetApp, Pure Storage, Cisco, and similar datacenter ecosystem vendors.

Other Skills

Innovation Mindset: Ability to identify and leverage emerging datacenter technologies to design modernized solutions.

Problem Solving: Strong analytical skills for diagnosing complex storage, compute, and virtualization challenges.

Consultative Approach: Ability to engage clients as a trusted advisor with clear, strategic guidance.

Collaboration Skills: Proven ability to work cross‑functionally across sales, engineering, and vendor teams.

Continuous Learning: Commitment to maintaining industry knowledge, vendor certifications, and best practices.

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent.

Professional communication, presentation, analytical, and problem‑solving skills.

Experience as a technical lead in pre-sales or sales campaigns, ideally serving U.S.-based enterprise customers.

Ability to work under critical conditions and influence outcomes.

Strong interpersonal and presentation skills.

Self-motivated, independent, and proactive with a strong work ethic.

Ability to work effectively in team and partner environments.

Customer‑focused and results‑driven mindset.

Relevant Certifications (Preferred):

Pure Storage Certified Architect / Pure Practitioner

NetApp NCDA, NCIE

Cisco UCS certifications (CCNA/CCNP Data Center or equivalent)

VMware VCP/VCAP (optional but beneficial)