Head of Solutions Architecture & Field Technology

Defy Security; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Comprehensive benefits

Commitment to employee development

Job summary

A leading cybersecurity firm is seeking a Head of Solutions Architecture & Field Technology to provide strategic leadership and technical direction for its Solutions Architect team. The ideal candidate should have over 10 years of experience in technical roles, strong leadership skills, and proven success engaging with customers and executives. The role emphasizes collaboration and innovation in a high-growth environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Solutions Architecture or equivalent technical roles.
• 5+ years of proven leadership experience managing technical teams.
• Proven success engaging with executives and translating technical needs.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of Solutions Architects.
• Provide strategic leadership and technical direction.
• Engage directly with customers for technical solutions.

Skills

Solutions Architecture

Leadership

Cybersecurity expertise

Technical direction

Customer engagement

Education

10+ years in technical roles

Advanced certifications (AWS/Azure/GCP, CISSP)

Job description

Head of Solutions Architecture & Field Technology

At Defy Security, we are dedicated to protecting organizations from evolving cyber threats with world-class cybersecurity solutions and services. As a high-growth industry leader and trusted partner to enterprise clients, we thrive in a dynamic environment where innovation, accountability, and teamwork fuel success. Our people are at the heart of what we do, and we are committed to building an inclusive culture where every team member can make an impact and grow their career.

Position Overview:

The Director of Solutions Architecture & Field Technology will provide strategic leadership and technical direction for Defy Security’s Solutions Architect (SA) team. Acting as both a team leader and field-facing technical evangelist, this role ensures that the SA function is equipped to deliver innovative, scalable, and high-impact solutions to our customers. This leader embodies authenticity, transparency, and approachability—fostering trust, empowering autonomy, and promoting a collaborative, customer-first culture.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical acumen with proven leadership skills, serving as a trusted advisor to clients, partners, and internal teams. This role is designed for someone who thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution — mentoring a high-performing team, engaging directly with customers, and positioning Defy as a thought leader in the cybersecurity and IT solutions space.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Solutions Architects, fostering a culture of technical excellence and customer-first mindset.
• Establish and continuously improve standardized methodologies, templates, and quality frameworks for SA deliverables to ensure consistency and scalability across regions.
• Develop and implement an SA career progression framework, supported by structured enablement programs, mentoring, and access to training tools, labs, and certifications.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation across the SA team.
• Act as the primary advocate for the SA function within Defy’s leadership team—communicating team perspectives, challenges, and successes clearly and constructively to executive stakeholders.
• Implement structured performance management processes that include measurable KPIs for SAs, enable merit-based recognition, and support transparent career progression.
• Act as a senior technical resource in key customer and vendor interactions, providing architectural guidance and trusted advisory.
• Foster cross-functional alignment between Sales, Services, and Marketing by defining clear engagement models, shared goals, and collaboration frameworks that enable SAs to deliver consistent customer value.
• Build executive-level relationships with customers and partners, positioning Defy as a strategic technical ally.
• Engage directly in strategic opportunities, high-visibility RFPs, and escalations to ensure successful outcomes.
• Represent Defy at customer briefings, partner summits, and industry events.

Strategic & Technical Leadership

• Serve as a Field CTO–style leader, translating customer needs and market trends into actionable technical strategies.
• Provide thought leadership through speaking engagements, whitepapers, webinars, podcasts, and other external-facing opportunities.
• Stay ahead of emerging technologies and trends in cybersecurity, cloud, and enterprise IT to influence Defy’s go-to-market approach.
• Partner with Product, Services, and Marketing teams to ensure customer insights inform solution design, service offerings, and messaging.
• Build and maintain a strong personal and team presence in the technical community through contributions, certifications, and thought leadership.
• Drive internal enablement initiatives, ensuring the SA team has structured, relevant exposure to emerging technologies, vendor solutions, and market trends that enhance field effectiveness.

Operational Excellence & Metrics

• Define and track key performance indicators for the SA function, such as win rates, customer satisfaction, and solution adoption.
• Design and maintain scalable coverage models that align SA capacity with sales growth, ensuring balance, sustainability, and optimized team impact.
• Continuously evaluate and refine SA processes, playbooks, and tools to improve efficiency, predictability, and impact.
• Ensure smooth handoffs between pre-sales and post-sales teams to maximize customer success and solution adoption.
• Partner with Finance and Sales Operations to align SA activities with business growth and profitability goals.
• Success in this role will be measured by improved SA retention, satisfaction, consistency of engagement, enablement participation, and the perceived value of the SA function across the organization.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Solutions Architecture, Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical roles.
• 5+ years of proven leadership experience managing technical pre-sales or architecture teams, with a track record of building, scaling, and developing high-performing groups.
• Demonstrated ability to act in a Field CTO capacity — engaging with executives, customers, and partners to provide trusted technical direction and business-aligned strategy.
• Demonstrated technical breadth across key cybersecurity domains (e.g., identity, cloud security, data protection, and enterprise network architectures) with the ability to translate complexity into clear business outcomes.
• Experience representing a company externally through thought leadership: conference speaking, webinars, whitepapers, blogs, or media engagements.
• Comfortable translating technical architectures into business outcomes and influencing C-level decision-making.
• Proven success engaging with senior executives at customer and partner organizations.
• Advanced certifications (e.g., AWS/Azure/GCP Architect, CISSP, or equivalent) strongly preferred.
• Ability to travel up to 30%.

Why Defy Security?

At Defy Security, we believe our people are our greatest asset. As a Great Place to Work® recognized company, we offer:

• Opportunity to shape and lead the evolution of the SA function in a high-growth cybersecurity company.
• A culture that values collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.
• Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits.
• Recognition as a Great Place to Work® and commitment to employee development.
• Direct impact on strategic customer relationships and Defy’s market positioning.

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