Solutions Architect

Samuel, Son & Co.; Southwestern Ontario; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading automation consulting firm in Southwestern Ontario seeks an experienced professional to drive automation solutions and enhance client operations. You'll leverage your 10+ years of experience in industrial machinery and your engineering degree to manage complex projects from conception to implementation. The ideal candidate must demonstrate strong problem-solving and communication skills while working autonomously in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of experience in industrial machinery and integrated automation systems.
• Proven experience across the full project lifecycle from requirements to commissioning.
• Demonstrated ability to define problems and develop requirements.

Responsibilities

• Support the qualification of new sales opportunities.
• Develop detailed processes and specifications for automation.
• Lead proof-of-concept and prototype development.

Skills

Technical insight

Commercial awareness

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

Education

Post-secondary degree in Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, or Physics

Job description

What You'll Be Doing

Sales and Client Consultation

• Support the qualification of new sales opportunities from a technical perspective.
• Learn about clients’ business operations and products through on-site assessments and discovery sessions.
• Collaboratively design and manage a data-driven process to evaluate automation potential within client operations.
• Develop detailed processes and automation requirement specifications.
• Capture project knowledge and support the creation of marketing case studies for business development initiatives.

Solutions Design

• Serve as a creative and technical leader in developing conceptual automation solutions.
• Research and collaborate with vendors and third-party specialists to evaluate subsystem technologies and components.
• Lead or participate in proof-of-concept and prototype development to validate design assumptions.
• Maintain a proactive learning approach, staying current with emerging processes, machinery, and automation technologies.

Business Case Development

• Review and refine automation strategies with clients to ensure alignment with business goals.
• Partner with Applications Engineering to create cost estimates, proposals, and business cases.
• Periodically prepare business cases for SAI’s internal investment in new technologies or market opportunities.

Methods, Practices, and Enablement

• Develop standardized methods and tools for client engagement and automation strategy definition.
• Define and share best practices that strengthen SAI’s consulting framework.
• Mentor and guide internal team members to scale SAI’s automation consulting expertise.
• Support project-level design decisions that align with client automation roadmaps and long-term strategic goals.

You'll Be Great At

• Thinking at a systems level and integrating multi-disciplinary perspectives.
• Balancing technical insight with commercial awareness to deliver practical, value-driven solutions.
• Simplifying complex challenges through creative, elegant problem-solving.
• Capturing, sharing, and reusing knowledge effectively across teams.
• Maintaining focus and acting with a strong sense of urgency and accountability.
• Building trusted relationships with clients and internal partners across disciplines.

Level of Autonomy and Authority

• Operate independently, exercising judgment in both technical and commercial decisions.
• Acts as the technical and strategic lead during the early stages of client engagement and solution definition.
• Provides guidance to Sales, Applications, and Engineering teams in shaping proposals, ensuring alignment with client needs and SAI business objectives.
• Make recommendations that directly impact business performance including bookings growth, new client acquisition, and project margin improvement.
• Accountable for managing the billable utilization of consulting and proof-of-concept services to meet departmental goals.
• Contributes to the development of new marketable capabilities that expand SAI’s reach and technical portfolio.
• Works without detailed supervision, following established guidelines and principles while supporting strategic business outcomes.
• Provides insight and input to management on business development priorities, market opportunities, and methods to enhance the scalability of SAI’s automation consulting services.

Key Requirements

• A post-secondary degree in Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, or Physics.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in industrial machinery and integrated automation systems.
• Proven experience across the full project lifecycle from requirements and concept development to commissioning and optimization.
• Demonstrated ability to define problems, develop requirements, validate concepts, and prepare business cases.
• Strong conceptualization skills able to illustrate automation ideas at both machine and facility levels.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, comfortable working in multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong analytical, creative, and strategic thinking abilities.

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