Principal Presales Solutions Architect

Adastra; Markham; Hybrid; CAD 180,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Advancement opportunities

Competitive compensation

Comprehensive benefits plan

Referral program

Top Canadian Managed Company label

Job summary

Adastra Canada seeks a senior architect to lead the technical side of pursuits, turning ambiguous client problems into solid architectures and delivery approaches. The role spans cloud foundations, applications, data platforms, and AI, with hybrid work in Montreal and occasional North America travel.

The ideal candidate brings 8+ years in enterprise tech, deep cloud and data expertise, and a proven presales track record.

Qualifications

• Eight+ years in enterprise technology, data, or cloud consulting, with at least four in presales.
• Architecture breadth across cloud infra, applications, and data/analytics to own the whole solution.
• Hands-on experience with at least two of Azure, AWS, Databricks, and Snowflake.
• Experience designing and positioning AI solutions, including generative AI patterns and guardrails for risk teams.
• Track record of leading competitive pursuits on six-figure+ engagements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical side of opportunities from qualification to signature.
• Run discovery workshops with client architects, technology leaders, and business stakeholders.
• Design end-to-end solutions across cloud foundations, apps/integration, data/analytics, and AI.
• Build cost models and sizing estimates including licensing, consumption, and commitments.
• Own the technical content of RFPs and lead demonstrations, deep-dives, and proofs of concept.

Skills

Enterprise technology experience

Cloud architecture breadth

Presales leadership

Strong communication

Collaborative with sales

North America travel readiness

Tools

Azure

AWS

Databricks

Snowflake

Job description

Overview

Adastra Canada is looking for a well-rounded senior architect to lead the technical side of our pursuits turning an ambiguous client problem into an architecture, a delivery approach, and a number the client believes. The role spans cloud foundations, applications and integration, data platforms, and AI.

Primary Location: Montreal, QC, Canada

Work Model: Hybrid 2-Days Onsite

Employment Type: Permanent Full-Time

Vacancy Status: Backfill

Compensation Range: $180,000 to 200,000

Presales Solution Leadership

• Lead the technical side of opportunities from qualification to signature, alongside sales, alliances, and delivery.
• Run discovery workshops with client architects, technology leaders, and business stakeholders, and turn what you hear into a defensible target architecture.
• Design solutions end to end — cloud foundations, applications and integration, data, analytics and AI, security and governance — and lead platform selection on honest trade-offs rather than preference.
• Build cost models and sizing estimates that hold up after the deal closes, including licensing, consumption, and commitment options.
• Own the technical content of RFP and proposal responses, and lead demonstrations, deep dives, and proofs of concept.

Technology Breadth

• Cloud foundations: landing zones, multi-account or multi-subscription design, identity, networking, security, and cost management on Azure, AWS, or both.
• Microsoft: Fabric (OneLake, Lakehouse and Warehouse, Data Factory, Real-Time Intelligence), Azure SQL, Synapse-era estates, Purview, and Power BI.
• AWS: Redshift, S3 lakehouse patterns with Glue and Lake Formation, Athena, EMR, Kinesis and MSK, and Aurora, RDS, or DynamoDB.
• Databricks: lakehouse architecture on any cloud — Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, Delta Live Tables, and the cost and workload isolation decisions around them.
• Snowflake: warehouse sizing and cost control, Snowpark, data sharing, and Horizon governance.
• Cross-cutting: open table formats such as Delta and Iceberg, dbt, streaming and CDC patterns, and migrations off legacy applications, Oracle and SQL Server, warehouses, and Hadoop.
• Applications and integration: API and event-driven design, microservices and containers, middleware modernization, DevOps and infrastructure as code.

Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology

• Act as the presales authority on applied AI: Azure OpenAI and AI Foundry, Amazon Bedrock and SageMaker, Databricks Mosaic AI, and Snowflake Cortex, alongside classical machine learning.
• Design RAG and agentic solutions, separate real opportunities from expensive experiments, and build business cases with realistic assumptions on data readiness, effort, and running cost.
• Build responsible AI, security, and data residency controls into the design, and explain them to risk and compliance stakeholders.

Required Qualifications, Skills & Experience

• Eight or more years in enterprise technology, data, or cloud consulting, with at least four in presales, solution architecture, or technical sales.
• Architecture breadth across cloud infrastructure, applications and integration, and data and analytics — enough to own the whole solution, not one layer.
• Deep hands-on experience with at least two of Azure, AWS, Databricks, and Snowflake, and working fluency with the others.
• Experience designing and positioning AI solutions, including generative AI patterns and the guardrails enterprise risk teams expect.
• A track record of leading competitive pursuits, from qualification through proposal , on six-figure and larger engagements.
• Exceptional communication skills, from a CIO conversation about outcomes to a whiteboard session with engineers.
• A collaborative style: able to pull the right expertise from the delivery practices into a pursuit and work with sales, alliances, and leadership on qualification, pricing, and go-to-market.
• Eligibility to work in Canada and willingness to travel occasionally within North America.

Nice to Have

• Prior experience at a consulting partner or a platform vendor, with working knowledge of co-sell, partner programs, and cloud marketplaces.
• Industry depth in financial services, insurance, retail, healthcare, or the public sector; professional proficiency in French.
• Certifications across more than one vendor, for example Azure Solutions Architect Expert, AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Databricks Data Engineer Professional, or SnowPro Advanced.

About Adastra

Adastra is a global leader in AI and data-driven transformation, helping organizations lead with artificial intelligence—responsibly, strategically, and at scale. With over 25 years of experience, Adastra empowers enterprise clients to unlock business value through data innovation, operational excellence, and smart customer engagement.

Trusted by some of the world’s most prominent brands, Adastra delivers end-to-end solutions grounded in thoughtful strategy, robust governance, and deep technical expertise. From defining vision to ensuring execution, Adastra guides organizations through every stage of their AI, data and cloud journey—building future-ready capabilities and delivering measurable, lasting impact.

Adastra serves clients across key industries including financial services, automotive, manufacturing, technology, media and telecom (TMT), healthcare, retail, and professional services. The company employs more than 2,000 professionals across North America, Europe, and Asia.

What We Offer

• Opportunity for advancement and career progression
• Competitive compensation package
• Comprehensive benefits plan
• Successful referral program
• The opportunity to work with one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies
• Satisfaction of working for a reputable company
• A flexible, dynamic, and diverse workplace

Equal Opportunity Employer

In our commitment to promote fair and equitable treatment of all employees and applicants, Adastra Corporation provides equal employment opportunities for all individuals regardless of age, sex, disability, race, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other ground as described in the Ontario Human Rights Code. In addition, accommodation will be provided during the hiring process. Adastra Corporation’s implementation and support of employment initiatives, encourage diversified labour force participation and equal access to opportunities based on merit and performance.