Presales Solutions Architect - Dell

SHI International; Austin (TX); Remote; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Diversity focus

Professional growth opportunities

Health and financial benefits

Job summary

SHI International is seeking a Senior Solutions Architect to collaborate with account teams, Dell field teams, and customers to design defensible Dell-based architectures across compute, storage, and private cloud domains. The role emphasizes discovery leadership, architectural reviews, and generation of reusable IP for SHI.

The position is remote, with home office setup determined by SHI management, and requires influencing executive-level discussions while aligning with customer outcomes.

Qualifications

• Five or more years of experience in solutions architecture, systems engineering, technical pre-sales, infrastructure consulting, or a comparable customer-facing role.
• Current Dell Technologies training or certification in one or more relevant domains preferred; advanced architecture, VMware, Nutanix, Microsoft, networking, security, or data protection credentials are also valued.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant professional experience required.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex Dell Technologies opportunities with SHI account teams and regional engineers.
• Translate ambiguous business, operational, and infrastructure requirements into clear architecture decisions.
• Design and defend Dell-based solutions across compute, storage, private cloud, HCI, data protection, and networking.
• Create architectures using Dell platforms (PowerEdge, PowerStore, PowerScale, PowerSwitch, etc.).
• Lead customer workshops, architecture reviews, and validation activities.
• Produce reusable technical IP and support field coaching, playbooks, and workshops.

Skills

Data center architecture

Dell Technologies expertise

Compute + AI

Storage

Private Cloud + HCI

Data protection

Cyber resilience

Networking

Technical pre-sales

Customer-facing

PowerEdge

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

About Us

Since 1989, SHI International Corp. has helped organizations change the world through technology. We’ve grown every year since, and today we’re proud to be a $16 billion global provider of IT solutions and services.

Over 17,000 organizations worldwide rely on SHI’s concierge approach to help them solve what’s next. But the heartbeat of SHI is our employees – all 7,000 of them.

If you join our team, you’ll enjoy:

• Our commitment to diversity, as the largest minority- and woman-owned enterprise in the U.S.
• Continuous professional growth and leadership opportunities.
• Health, wellness, and financial benefits to offer peace of mind to you and your family.
• World-class facilities and the technology you need to thrive – in our offices or yours.

Job Summary

The Dell Solutions Architect collaborates with SHI account teams, regional Solutions Engineers, Dell Technologies field teams, and customers to assess complex infrastructure requirements and create defensible, outcome-aligned architectures. The role leads technical discovery, whiteboarding, solution design, competitive differentiation, validation, and executive-level technical communication across Dell infrastructure domains. This is not a general product-support role. It is a customer-facing technical pursuit and architecture position designed to extend the regional field Solutions Engineer, lead strategic and transformational opportunities, and convert each engagement into reusable technical intellectual property for SHI. This position is a remote position with Home Office setup as determined by SHI management.

Role Description

Partner with SHI account teams and regional Solutions Engineers to qualify, scope, and lead complex Dell Technologies opportunities while preserving regional ownership and customer continuity. Lead discovery sessions that translate ambiguous business, operational, application, security, and infrastructure requirements into clear architecture decisions, assumptions, dependencies, and next steps. Analyze assessment data, workload requirements, configuration information, and technical telemetry to support evidence-based sizing and architecture decisions. Design and defend Dell-based solutions across compute and AI, storage, private cloud and hyperconverged infrastructure, data protection and cyber resilience, and data center networking. Create architectures using relevant Dell Technologies platforms, including PowerEdge, PowerStore, PowerScale, PowerSwitch, Dell Private Cloud, Dell Automation Platform, PowerProtect, Cyber Recovery, and supporting AIOps capabilities. Lead customer whiteboards, technical workshops, architecture reviews, demonstrations, proofs of concept, and validation activities for complex or transformational pursuits. Explain architectural trade-offs and competitive alternatives with credibility, using SHI’s cross-OEM perspective while maintaining a clear, evidence-based recommendation. Integrate Dell infrastructure with the customer’s broader environment, including VMware Cloud Foundation, Nutanix, Microsoft and public-cloud services, data protection ecosystems, networking fabrics, automation, and SHI professional services. Collaborate with Dell field, specialist, engineering, and roadmap resources to validate designs, resolve technical risks, and align the right resources to strategic pursuits. Develop complete technical deliverables such as discovery guides, reference architectures, sizing checklists, bills of material inputs, migration considerations, battlecards, workshop decks, and decision or risk logs. Produce reusable technical IP from customer engagements and contribute it to the team repository so successful approaches can be repeated across regions. Enable SHI sales and technical teams through field coaching, opportunity support, technical briefings, solution playbooks, and customer-ready content. Maintain opportunity awareness by identifying attach opportunities, services alignment, lifecycle and modernization triggers, competitive displacement potential, and agreed technical next steps. Manage multiple concurrent pursuits with disciplined documentation, follow-up, stakeholder communication, and escalation.

Behaviors and Competencies

• Adaptability: Can proactively adapt to challenging situations, anticipate changes, and make modifications to meet the demands of changing circumstances.
• Communication: Can effectively communicate complex ideas and information to diverse audiences and can facilitate effective communication between others.
• Documentation: Independently produces and maintains documentation for routine processes; ensures accuracy and consistency.
• Leadership: Can proactively seek out leadership roles, initiate team projects, and contribute to team development and success.
• Problem Solving: Can proactively identify potential problems, initiate preventive measures, and propose and contribute to innovative solutions.
• Teamwork: Can lead a team effectively, facilitate cooperation, sharing information, and ensuring that all team members are able to contribute to their full potential.
• Self – Motivation: Can proactively seek out challenges, initiate self-development projects, and contribute to personal or professional innovative ideas.

Skill Level Requirements

• Advanced experience leading complex data center architecture and pre-sales technical engagements.
• Advanced knowledge in at least one Dell Technologies domain, with working knowledge across multiple adjacent areas including Compute + AI, Storage, Private Cloud + HCI, Data Protection, and Networking.
• Expertise in architecting, sizing, integrating, and positioning Dell Technologies infrastructure within complex, multi-vendor customer environments.
• Ability to lead technical discovery and translate business and application requirements into architecture, configuration guidance, migration considerations, and validation plans.
• Strong experience with PowerEdge and accelerator-based infrastructure supporting virtualization, private cloud, modern applications, and AI workloads.
• Strong knowledge of enterprise storage concepts and Dell platforms such as PowerStore and PowerScale, including performance, availability, data services, connectivity, and operational considerations.
• Strong understanding of private cloud and HCI technologies, including Dell Private Cloud, Dell Automation Platform, VMware Cloud Foundation, Nutanix, and relevant Microsoft technologies.
• Experience with data protection and cyber-resilience architectures, including PowerProtect, Cyber Recovery, CyberSense, backup and recovery, immutability, recovery validation, and business continuity.
• Working knowledge of data center networking, including Ethernet fabrics, PowerSwitch, SONiC, storage connectivity, and infrastructure integration dependencies.
• Ability to confidently present, articulate, and defend proposed solutions during customer-facing architecture reviews, technical discussions, and executive-level presentations.
• Ability to clearly communicate technical, operational, and business value while supporting the sales process and maintaining architectural integrity.
• Excellent problem-solving, collaboration, technical communication, and customer-facing skills.

Other Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant professional experience required.
• Five or more years of experience in solutions architecture, systems engineering, technical pre-sales, infrastructure consulting, or a comparable customer-facing role preferred.
• Demonstrated customer-facing experience with complex infrastructure discovery, design, presentation, and technical decision support.
• Ability to travel to SHI, Dell Technologies, partner, and customer meetings and events as business needs require.
• Current Dell Technologies training or certification in one or more relevant domains preferred; advanced architecture, VMware, Nutanix, Microsoft, networking, security, or data protection credentials are also valued.

The estimated annual pay range for this position is $180,000 - $250,000 which includes a base salary and bonus. The compensation for this position is dependent on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and market location and, therefore, will vary from individual to individual.

• Benefits may include, but are not limited to, medical, vision, dental, 401K, and flexible spending.

Equal Employment Opportunity – M/F/Disability/Protected Veteran Status