Solution Architect - Central

suse; Illinois; Presencial; USD 120 000 - 180 000; Tempo integral

Resumo da oferta

SUSE is seeking a Solution Architect in the Central region to serve as a trusted technical advisor. You will work with regional sales and partner teams to align SUSE solutions with customer business needs and drive technical excellence through demonstrations, PoCs, and compelling proofs of value.

The role emphasizes collaboration with sales, engineering, and customer success to ensure customer satisfaction and ongoing solution adoption across the lifecycle.

Qualificações

• Experience in technical consulting, pre-sales engineering, or solution architecture for enterprise software.
• Practical skills with Linux systems, open-source software, and related infrastructure.
• Ability to articulate complex technical solutions to CXO-level audiences.
• Experience creating technical demonstrations and whitepapers to illustrate product value.
• Strong problem-solving and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Responsabilidades

• Engage with customers to understand technical and business needs and build trusted advisor relationships.
• Lead technical deal progression from qualification to closure, including PoCs and product demos.
• Gather customer feedback for Product, Strategy and Engineering and reflect needs in features.
• Collaborate with Field and Specialist Sales, Partner Ecosystem, and Customer Success to drive adoption.
• Contribute to go-to-market strategies with regional sales and marketing efforts.
• Support analysis of competitor offerings and differentiate SUSE solutions.
• Draft responses to RFIs, RFPs, and RFQs.
• Mentor peers and share insights on product innovations.
• Maintain CRM hygiene and track opportunities.
• Pursue professional development and growth in technical sales.

Conhecimentos

Enterprise software solutions

Pre-sales engineering

Solution architecture

Technical consulting

Demonstrations & PoCs

Stakeholder communication

Go-to-market planning

Ferramentas

Linux

Open-source software

Kubernetes

Descrição da oferta de emprego

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 - Central

As a Solution Architect you'll act as a trusted technical advisor for customers and partners, ensuring that SUSE's solutions align with their business and technical needs. You will work closely with regional sales and partner teams to drive technical excellence in solution design, positioning SUSE as a leader in the industry.

The role will leverage specialised knowledge to consult with customers, supporting sales presentations, product demonstrations, proofs of concept, and technical requests. Ultimately, success will be helping customers invest in the right solutions from the SUSE portfolio, giving them a competitive edge.

Key Responsibilities

• Engage with customers to understand both their technical and business needs - building valued relationships and developing as a trusted technical advisor. Conduct thorough assessments to identify gaps, opportunities, and challenges, ensuring that solutions are tailored to meet both immediate and future needs.
• Take full responsibility for the technical aspects of deal progression, from qualification to closure. Champion the technical validation process, including product demonstrations, technical presentations, managing proofs of concept (PoCs), addressing customer objections, and ensuring that the technical value of SUSE's solutions is fully realised.
• Serve as the voice of the customer by actively gathering and communicating customer feedback and requirements, to SUSE's Product, Strategy, and Engineering teams. Ensure that customer needs are reflected in new product features, updates, and messaging, while facilitating regular feedback loops, and support escalations to ensure product improvements align with customer expectations and maximise value.
• Collaborate with Field and Specialist Sales, Partner Ecosystem, and Customer Success teams to create Account Plans to drive solution adoption and ensure customer satisfaction throughout the sales lifecycle.
• Contribute to the development of go-to-market strategies with regional sales teams, and participate in marketing efforts through presentations, blogs, technical speaking engagements, rodeos and booth demos.
• Support the analysis of competitor offerings and collaborate on developing strategies to differentiate SUSE solutions, identifying key advantages in specific use cases.
• Conduct research and draft responses to the technical segments of requests for information (RFIs), requests for proposals (RFPs), and requests for quotes (RFQs).
• Transfer knowledge to pre-sales peers and contribute to internal education through mentoring, peer training, and sharing insights on product innovations and technical solutions.
• Consistently maintain CRM hygiene by updating all activity, for each opportunity - Use Case, Success Criteria, Technical Close Status (TCS) and Next Steps in the technical close process.
• Take proactive ownership of your professional development by staying curious and embracing a growth mindset. Focus on driving your success, advancing your skills as a Technical Sales professional, and deepening your expertise in the SUSE value proposition.

Skills & Experience

• Experience in technical consulting, pre-sales engineering, or solution architecture, with a focus on enterprise software solutions.
• Practical skills with Linux systems, open-source software, and related infrastructure solutions, with experience in cloud computing and container technologies like Kubernetes.
• Proven ability to articulate complex technical solutions clearly and effectively to diverse audiences up to CXO level, translating technical concepts into business value and demonstrating how they align with customer objectives.
• Experience in creating technical demonstrations and whitepapers to illustrate product value through use cases.
• Strong problem-solving abilities, capable of addressing complex technical problems and delivering innovative, value-driven solutions.
• Experience collaborating cross-functionally with sales, engineering, and customer success teams to deliver comprehensive solutions and ensure customer satisfaction.
• Experience in designing and delivering complex enterprise solutions, ensuring scalability, security, and reliability.
• Exceptional consultative-selling skills, fostering meaningful customer relationships, guiding engagements, and s