Senior Solutions Architect

Aiven; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity plan

Hybrid work policy

Equipment budget

PD Plan budget

Wellbeing program

Time off policy

Country-specific benefits

Job summary

Aiven, a global open‑source cloud data platform, is seeking a Senior Solutions Architect for the AMER region. The role is full‑time, with a West Coast preference, and involves pre‑sales and post‑sales customer care.

You will work with Kafka, OpenSearch, and SQL databases, translating complex tech to business value and traveling up to 20% as needed. You will partner with sales and engineering to promote managed open‑source services and drive successful outcomes for customers across AWS, Google,

Qualifications

• Experience in technology/software sales, pre‑sales or consulting.
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts to business value.
• Proficiency with cloud platforms and distributed data technologies.
• Hands-on with streaming and search ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Support customers from pre‑sales to rollout and beyond, building relationships.
• Lead proof-of-concepts and address customer requirements with Aiven services.
• Contribute to customer enablement, stability, and growth.
• Participate in sales process and engage existing customers as an ambassador.
• Engage in blogs, webinars, meetups, and conferences; travel up to 20%.

Skills

Tech sales experience

Pre-sales experience

Programming: Java/Python/Go/Ruby

Clear communication

Public cloud knowledge (AWS/GCP/Azure)

Linux basics

OpenSearch/Elasticsearch

Kafka/Flink/Spark streaming

NoSQL + data lakes

Relationship building

Tools

AWS

Google Cloud

Azure

Job description

Senior Solutions Architect - AMER

We’re a global team of over 400 people, working together to push the boundaries of open‑source technology and multi‑cloud solutions. Our vision is to help developers, builders, and creators bring their ideas to life with speed and simplicity, by providing a cloud data platform that makes open‑source databases, search, streaming, and application infrastructure easily accessible to everyone.

The Role:

We are looking for a customer‑centric Senior Solutions Architect to promote using Aiven's managed open‑source services. An ideal candidate will be passionate about open‑source technology and genuinely want to help customers in a pre‑sales and post‑sales capacity.

Suitable candidates must have proven experience in one or more of the following areas that will be required in their day‑to‑day job: Apache Kafka, Clickhouse, PostgreSQL, MySQL, OpenSearch, or Redis.

The position is full‑time and permanent, located in the West Coast preferred.

What You'll Do:

• Help customers succeed, building successful relationships from pre‑sales stage to roll out and beyond


• Conduct successful proof of concepts and solve the customers' problems in getting up and running


• Actively contribute to customer stability, enablement, and growth


• Be an active contributor during the sales process as well as to our existing customers


• Be an ambassador for Aiven by various means, such as writing technical blogs, conducting webinars, sponsoring meetups, or technical talks at conferences


• Travel up to 20% of the time

What We're Looking For:

• Experience working in technology/software sales, pre‑sales or consulting


• Fluency in one or more programming languages, such as Java, Python, Go or Ruby


• Strong ability to translate complex technical jargon into clear, persuasive business value for non‑technical buyers.


• Experience implementing proof of concepts as needed, to work with Aiven services in order to address business requirements


• Knowledgeable of public clouds (AWS, Google, or Azure) and in the areas of compute, storage - block and object, networking, and security groups


• Linux operating system; demonstrable experience using various Linux utilities and tools (installation, securing system, storage, etc.) and a good grasp of networking basics like DNS


• Strong understanding with search‑engine ecosystems (OpenSearch, Elasticsearch, or Lucene).


• Hands‑on experience with streaming frameworks: Proficiency with tools like Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, Apache Spark Streaming, or AWS Kinesis.


• Understanding storage systems: Familiarity with distributed storage, NoSQL databases, and data lakes.


• Attention to detail and good problem‑solving and project management skills


• Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work well with cross‑functional teams


• Relationship Building: Capability to build trust quickly and maintain strong relationships with both internal sales reps and external clients.

Global Benefits:

Our global benefits are designed to help you thrive and grow, personally and professionally:

• Participate in Aiven’s equity plan.


• Balance work and life with our hybrid work policy.


• Choose the equipment you need to set yourself up for success.


• Use your Professional Development Plan budget for learning opportunities.


• Receive holistic wellbeing support through our global Employee Assistance Program.


• Inquire about our Global Time Off Commitment (Parental and Sick Leave, as well as Personal Time)


• Enjoy country‑specific benefits for our global cast.

Equal Opportunities:

Aiven provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, marital and family status or without regard to any other similar personal attributes. Aiven complies with applicable local laws governing non‑discrimination in employment in every location in which the company operates. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, training and any other terms and conditions related to employment.

At Aiven we are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities or special needs in our working environment and job application procedures. We make all reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities or who otherwise need support to thrive in the workplace. We are committed to continuously improving workplace accessibility. There is an option to request a discussion in the application process but if you have any questions before applying please write to us at [e-mail].