Principal Solution Architect - Dell

CO1001 CDW Direct, LLC; United States; On-site; USD 146,000 - 212,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Job summary

CDW Direct, LLC seeks a Principal Solution Architect - Dell to develop comprehensive Dell-centric infrastructure solutions for Education customers. You will provide consultative guidance, support Dell product and solution sales, and craft SOWs aligned to Dell offerings.

You will collaborate with customers, delivery, and internal sales to grow Dell services, be a trusted advisor, and mentor other architects while driving strategic relationships and business growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience required.
• 8+ years in technical pre-sales or delivery roles.
• Experience designing Dell infrastructure solutions.
• Familiarity with VMware, Microsoft servers, Azure/AWS is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop Dell-centric solution architectures and statements of work (SOWs).
• Collaborate with customers, delivery teams, and internal sales to guide strategy.
• Mentor and coach other Solution Architects on best practices.

Skills

Pre-sales

Customer engagement

Dell solutions

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

PowerEdge

PowerStore

PowerFlex

PowerScale

VxRail

VMware

Azure

AWS

Job description

Job Summary

Job Summary The Principal Solution Architect - Dell is a field-based technical pre-sales role that focuses on developing comprehensive Dell-centric infrastructure solutions for CDW's Education customers. This role involves providing consultative guidance, supporting Dell product and solution sales, scoping service offerings, and fostering strategic relationships to drive business growth. In this role you will be working with customers, delivery, and internal sales teams to develop and maintain strategic relationships and be a trusted advisor to grow our Dell services business.

What You Will Do

Develop appropriate assessment and service solutions for CDW customers, including architecture, optimizations, technology health checks, deployment services, and advisory services, with a primary focus on Dell solutions. Collaborate with customers, delivery teams, and internal sales to offer consultative guidance, plan sales strategy, and author statements of work (SOWs) aligned to Dell infrastructure and platform offerings. Analyze technical and competitive considerations, defining actions to meet customer expectations in the sales cycle by uncovering customer long-term goals and requirements and crafting Dell-based solutions that build towards the desired end goals. Maintain strategic relationships with Customers, Internal Sales & Delivery management, acting as a trusted advisor to drive business growth around Dell solutions. Grow influence in your assigned territory by high levels of engagement with Dell, complementary partners, customers, and Sales as a strategic advisor and being seen by teammates as an expert in Dell infrastructure solutions. Act as a subject matter expert across multiple Dell product families and solutions, providing regular contributions to CDW marketing approved online activities, such as LinkedIn, blog posts, and online publications. Drive outreach initiatives, technical enablement projects, coaching, and mentoring for other Solution Architects, Solution Executives, and Field Sellers related to Dell solutions. Mentor and coach solution architects around best practices to engage with coworkers and customers.

What We Expect of You

Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience, OR 8 years in a technical, pre-sales, or post-sale delivery role. Experience designing and architecting Dell infrastructure solutions tailored to CDW’s client needs. Experience designing and architecting datacenter and hybrid solutions leveraging Dell compute, storage, and data protection platforms. Strong familiarity with Dell portfolio, including PowerEdge, PowerStore, PowerFlex, PowerScale, VxRail, and Data Protection solutions, is a plus. Familiarity with complementary platforms such as VMware, Microsoft Server, Hyper-V/Azure Local, Nutanix, and Veeam, as well as exposure to public cloud (Azure or AWS), is a plus. Motivated, self-starting, and able to independently perform high quality work with minimal guidance. Understanding of industry-specific challenges, regulations, and best practices. Ability to provide tailored recommendations and position the company’s Dell-focused solutions effectively within the industry landscape. Ability to work effectively in a team, lead technical discussions, and influence decision-making. Customer-centric mindset with the ability to understand and articulate customer needs effectively. Excellent communication and presentation skills to engage with customers, gather requirements, and explain technical concepts in a clear and concise manner. Strong ability to design and communicate comprehensive Dell-based solutions that address customer requirements, business challenges, and build consensus around the final solution. Skilled in analyzing complex problems, identifying appropriate solutions, and translating technical concepts into understandable terms for customers.

Pay range

$145,600 - $211,870, depending on experience and skill set. Annual bonus target of 25% subject to terms and conditions of plan

Benefits overview

Benefits overview: https://cdw.benefit-info.com/ Salary ranges may be subject to geographic differentials CDW is committed to being an AI-fluent organization

Culture & Values

We’re looking for people who bring curiosity, a learner’s mindset, and a willingness to engage with ever-evolving technology and tools. We value adopting AI as a partner, openness to experimentation, and a shared interest in learning together on AI. Our goal is to create a culture where AI enhances - not replaces - human creativity and decision-making. You don’t need to be an expert today; what matters is your readiness to explore, adapt, and grow with us as we integrate AI responsibly and effectively into our work. Additionally, CDW is committed to fostering an equitable, transparent, and respectful hiring process for all applicants. During our application process, our goal is to understand your experience, strengths, skills, and qualifications. As an AI forward company, we see AI not just as a tool, but as a catalyst for new ways of thinking, creating, and communicating. We encourage candidates to embrace an AI mindset, one that’s curious, adaptive, and ready to explore what’s possible. We welcome thoughtful use of AI to expand your perspective and elevate how you share your story, while ensuring your application remains rooted in your own background, judgment, and voice.

About Us

CDW is a Fortune 500 technology solutions provider that helps businesses, government, education, and healthcare organizations achieve what’s possible through technology. What makes CDW different isn’t just what we do - it's how we do it. At CDW we act as one - building trust, speaking candidly, and working together to achieve more. We play to win - focusing on what matters most and delivering for our customers. And we think forward - staying curious, moving fast, and continuously learning. We believe meaningful work happens when people feel supported, heard, and empowered to contribute. That’s why we think of ourselves as coworkers, not just employees - working together to solve complex challenges and deliver real impact for our customers and communities. As a full-stack, full-lifecycle technology partner, CDW brings deep expertise, strong relationships, and broad industry knowledge to help turn ideas into outcomes. When you join CDW, you become part of a collaborative environment where your work matters, your growth is supported, and your contributions help shape what’s next. Together, we deliver the full promise of what technology can do. Together, we Make Amazing Happen. CDW is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited by state and local law.

Equal Opportunity Employer

At CDW, we make technology work so people can do great things. We are a leading multi‑brand technology solutions provider to business, government, education and healthcare customers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. Our coworkers across the globe is working together to bring technology to life for our customers by solving complicated IT business challenges, providing outstanding service, and orchestrating the technology landscape to optimize your customers’ performance.