Solutions Architect, Cloud

Ark; Cedar Rapids (IA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Long-term incentive participation

Travel opportunities

Job summary

Ark Data Centers is seeking a Solutions Architect, Cloud to lead pre-sales efforts for cloud, hybrid, and managed services. This client-facing role sits with sellers on strategic pursuits, translating customer outcomes into Ark solutions and driving technical wins aligned with engineering and security standards.

The role is hybrid remote and located in Ark Data Centers states, with 30-50% travel. You will craft solution architectures, BOMs, and RFI/RFP responses while mentoring others and

Qualifications

• 7+ years in pre-sales solutions architecture, cloud consulting, or senior cloud engineering.
• Proven track record closing multi-million-dollar cloud/hybrid/managed services deals.
• Deep knowledge of virtualization/private cloud stacks (VMware/Nutanix/Hyper-V/OpenStack).
• Strong enterprise networking, storage, backup/DR, identity, and security architecture for hybrid workloads.
• Executive presence to lead rooms, whiteboard live, and defend architectural decisions.
• Experience writing SOWs, BOMs, and RFx responses across legal, delivery, and finance stages.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical discovery with prospects and translate business drivers into cloud architecture options.
• Design and price private cloud solutions across compute, storage, networking, DR, security, and managed services.
• Own the technical narrative in customer meetings, briefings, whiteboarding, and POC engagements.
• Author solution architecture diagrams, BOMs, SOWs, and RFx responses.
• Partner with Account Executives as the technical co-owner to shape pursuit strategy and close plans.
• Drive reusable architecture patterns and enablement content to scale the sales team.
• Mentor Account Executives and junior technical resources on cloud solutioning and executive communication.

Skills

Cloud solutioning

Pre-sales engagement

Technical storytelling

Executive presence

RFI/RFP responses

SOW / BOM writing

Mentoring teammates

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a technical field

Tools

Salesforce

Excel

Visio

CPQ tooling

Job description

Description

The Solutions Architect, Cloud is a senior sales subject matter expert who shapes and closes complex cloud, hybrid cloud, and managed services opportunities for Ark. This is a client-facing role: you sit next to sellers on strategic pursuits, translate customer business outcomes into a differentiated Ark solution, and drive technical wins that align to our engineering, security, and operational standards.

Also note this role is hybrid remote and located in one of Ark Data Centers states.

Requirements

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Pre-sales solutioning

• Lead technical discovery with prospects and customers across IT, application, security, and executive audiences; translate business drivers into cloud architecture options and a defensible recommendation.
• Design and price private cloud solutions across compute, storage, networking, backup, disaster recovery, security, and managed services.
• Own the technical narrative in customer meetings, executive briefings, whiteboarding sessions, and proof-of-concept engagements.
• Author solution architecture diagrams, bills of materials, Statements of Work, and the technical response for RFI / RFP / RFQ submissions.

Deal leadership and commercial impact

• Partner with Account Executives as the technical co-owner of the opportunity; build pursuit strategy, competitive positioning, and close plans together.
• Drive TCO, ROI, and migration business-case models that quantify customer value and justify Ark’s pricing.
• Protect margin and standards: negotiate scope, non-standard requests, and exception approvals with delivery and product leaders.
• Push engineering and product on the essence of each deal solution, constructively challenging assumptions to land the best outcome for the customer, the standard, and the business.

Technical authority and cross-functional leadership

• Serve as the internal SME on cloud, hybrid cloud, migration, and modernization topics for the sales organization.
• Maintain a dotted-line relationship with cloud engineering, platform, security, and operations; represent the customer voice into product and roadmap discussions.
• Contribute to reusable architecture patterns, reference designs, and enablement content that scale across the sales team.
• Mentor Account Executives and less-experienced technical resources on cloud solutioning, discovery, and executive communication.

Market presence

• Represent Ark at industry events, customer advisory sessions, partner briefings, and executive roundtables.
• Build relationships with strategic technology partners (ISVs, VARs, MSPs) that expand Ark’s cloud reach.

What You Bring

• 7+ years in pre-sales solutions architecture, cloud consulting, or senior cloud engineering, with direct exposure to the sales cycle.
• A track record of shaping and closing multi-million-dollar cloud, hybrid, or managed services deals in an enterprise or upper mid-market environment.
• Deep working knowledge of at least one major virtualization / private cloud stack (VMware, Nutanix, Hyper-V, OpenStack).
• Strong grounding in enterprise networking, storage, backup/DR, identity, and security architecture as applied to hybrid workloads.
• Executive-level presence: you can lead the room, whiteboard live, and defend architectural decisions under commercial and competitive pressure.
• Experience authoring SOWs, BOMs, and RFP responses that hold up through legal, delivery, and finance review.

NICE TO HAVE

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field or equivalent experience.
• Extensive Nutanix expertise
• Industry certifications such as VCP / VCAP, or CCNP / CCIE.
• Experience selling alongside or into channel partners and system integrators.
• Familiarity with regulated workloads (HIPAA, PCI, FedRAMP, SOC 2) and their impact on hybrid architecture.

TOOLS YOU’LL USE

• Salesforce for opportunity, quote, and pipeline hygiene, plus modern sales engineering tooling (CPQ, diagramming, collaboration).
• Microsoft: strong Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio (or equivalent) for modeling and solution documentation.

TRAVEL

Customer-facing and travel-intensive. Expect 30-50% travel across the assigned region, with occasional national travel for strategic pursuits, executive briefings, and industry events.

Compensation

Competitive base salary plus performance-based variable compensation tied to quota attainment and bookings. Full benefits, 401(k) with company match, and long-term incentive participation where applicable. Final offer reflects experience, skills, and market location.

INFORMATION SECURITY

This role handles sensitive Ark and customer information. The employee is expected to perform all duties in accordance with Ark Data Centers’ information security policies, safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of company and customer assets, including networks, systems, business information, and customer data. Violations may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination and civil or criminal proceedings.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Ark Data Centers is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.