Solution Architect

1104 SUSE LLC; North Carolina; On-site; USD 99,000 - 181,000; Full time

Job summary

SUSE is seeking a Solution Architect to join our Global Sales Productivity organization in the US West region. This role collaborates with Enterprise customers to map mission requirements to the SUSE portfolio, guiding platform engineering, DevOps, and data-centric solutions.

You will partner with Account Executives to drive adoption of SUSE Linux, Rancher, and NeuVector across major accounts. The role requires 8+ years in software, strong communication skills, and experience in cloud-native

Qualifications

• 8+ years in software industry with open source experience and SUSE portfolio.
• 5+ years delivering technical expertise to large/global businesses.
• Experience with DevOps or Platform engineering concepts.
• Experience with IaC software tooling.
• Experience with CI/CD and automation software.
• Strong presentation and communication skills.
• Excellent technical knowledge and an aptitude for learning.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical expertise to sales executives and customers through discovery, presentations, and demonstrations.
• Develop and implement complex products, applications, or solutions.
• Capture business case and technical details for opportunities; map to SUSE solutions.
• Collaborate with sales in applying SUSE software solutions to customer needs.
• Own pre-sales relationships with assigned customers and partners.
• Provide trusted thought leadership internally and with customers.
• Follow SUSE process for situation and data analysis.

Skills

Open source software

SUSE tech portfolio

DevOps/Platform

IaC tooling

CI/CD automation

Presentation skills

Learning aptitude

Tools

Kubernetes

SUSE Rancher

NeuVector

Job description

About Us SUSE is a global leader of enterprise open source software. By transforming community innovations into secure, sovereign and AI-ready solutions, SUSE empowers customers to escape vendor lock-in and regain control of their IT destiny. Through industry-leading Linux, Kubernetes, Edge and AI infrastructure solutions, SUSE delivers the flexibility to innovate everywhere—from the data center to multi-cloud and out to the edge. Only SUSE also manages many Linux and Kubernetes distributions. At SUSE, Choice Happens because we prioritize community, interoperability and relentless innovation. Discover how we power mission-critical resilience at www.suse.com.

Solution Architect Job Description Job Description SUSE is seeking a Solution Architect to join our Global Sales Productivity organization in San Jose, CA. This USA Western Region role will be responsible for engaging with customers on their IT transformation objectives and responding with innovative solutions leveraging SUSE offerings. Our ideal candidate seeks challenges and loves learning in the new and emerging technology space and has a background using Linux, Kubernetes, platform engineering or DevOps tools, edge platforms, platform analytics, and IoT enablement. This candidate has a passion for open source and may be involved in a communit(y/ies), can take initiative as a leader, collaborate effectively with a talented team both nationally and globally, and contribute to the quarterly results as you help qualify and close opportunities with customers. As a Solution Architect you will take initiative in partnering with some of the most well‑known enterprise companies in choosing a platform that best suits their enterprise needs through product and services offerings. You will collaborate closely with SUSE Account Executives in the western states providing input into the sales cycle. As an enthusiastic technologist, you will be able to help shape and execute a strategy to build mindshare and adoption of SUSE technology within the accounts you serve. The ability to understand customer mission, vision and requirements and map those requirements to technology in the SUSE portfolio is what makes the difference in this position. Enterprise s also collaborate with our product team to help prioritize features and input received from customers and partners.

What you will do

• Use your in-depth SUSE product knowledge to provide technical expertise to sales executives and customers through discovery, presentations, and demonstrations.
• Provide your technical expertise in the development and implementation of complex products, applications, or solutions.
• Discover and capture business case and technical detail for opportunities; apply SUSE solutions to address their needs.
• Collaborate with sales executives in the application of SUSE software solutions to meet potential customer needs.
• Take a passionate role in owning pre‑sales relationships with assigned customers and partners.
• Provide trusted thought leadership both internally and with customers.
• Follow SUSE process and procedure for situation and data analysis.

What you will bring

• 8+ years of experience in the software industry; deep understanding of open source software, and SUSE technology portfolio with an emphasis on SUSE Linux Enterprise, Rancher, and NeuVector to deliver cloud native adoption.
• 5+ years delivering technical expertise to large or global businesses; ability to demonstrate excellence in delivering results of technology adoption.
• Experience with DevOps or Platform engineering concepts.
• Experience with IaC software tooling.
• Experience with CI/CD and automation software.
• Strong presentation and communication skills.
• Excellent technical knowledge and an aptitude for learning.

Highly Desired

• 3 to 5 years of market experience with hands‑on usage of Kubernetes; include relevant experience in your cover letter.
• Certified in SUSE technology, such as SUSE Certified Administrator (SCA), SUSE Certified Engineer (SCE), SUSE Certified Architect, or similar.
• Relevant industry Cloud technology certifications (Azure, AWS, GCP).
• Certified in other technologies such as Cisco, Microsoft, VMware, etc.
• Experience with automation and scripting with Salt, Ansible, Python, Bash, etc.

This position is subject to a background check(s), including criminal, credit, and/or employment references. The candidate is required to complete the background check(s) once an offer has been accepted. This will be conducted by SUSE’s external provider, where legally permitted.

For US Only - US Pay Transparency Disclaimer

If this role is filled in the United States of America, the starting base salary will be within the applicable pay range displayed below. In addition to base salary, this position may be eligible for a commission plan and a competitive benefits package. US benefits include comprehensive medical coverage, life and disability insurance, a 401(k) plan, an Employee Assistance Program, and generous paid time off and leave policies. Final compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, geographic location, internal equity, and budget. This pay transparency information applies to US-based roles only.

Base Pay Range Min & Max 99,000 181,000 Job Sales

What We Offer

We empower you to be bold, driving your career to create the future you want. We celebrate and reward your achievements. SUSE is a dynamic environment that is evolving rapidly, thus requiring agility, strong entrepreneurship and an open mind. This is a compelling opportunity for the right person to join us as we continue to scale and prosper.

If you’re a big thinker, obsessed by execution and thrive in a dynamic environment in which you can tangibly create a lasting legacy, then we give you the freedom to be yourself.

You will work in a global community of unique individuals – like you – with different backgrounds, talents, skills and perspectives.

A truly open community where everyone is welcome, has a voice and is encouraged to reach their full potential regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or any other characteristics.

In the meantime, stay updated on the latest SUSE news and job vacancies by joining our Talent Community.

SUSE's culture is centered on four key values - Choice, Community, Trust, and Innovation - which are deeply integrated with our open source ethos.

SUSE Values

• Choice: We are continuously making choice happen. We are accountable for our choices. We never get complacent.
• Community: Nobody is smarter than everybody. We embrace diversity of thought. We are “open source first, upstream first” where collaboration benefits all.
• Trust: We are trusted to deliver with integrity. We offer trust by default, and do not wait for it to be earned. We foster an environment where everyone trusts each other.
• Innovation: We foster a culture of experimentation, and embrace change by challenging the norm. We are committed to continuous improvement, creativity and adaptability. Ideas are great, but without execution they are just ideas.

Welcome Welcome to your SUSE journey! We are a global leader in innovative, reliable, and enterprise-grade open source solutions. We specialise in Enterprise Linux, Kubernetes Management, and Edge solutions, collaborating with communities and making innovation possible everywhere. Choose open, choose SUSE! SUSE Values