Data & AI Architect - Digital Natives (EMEA)

Microsoft; Wes-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company is seeking a Cloud and AI Solution Architect to join their team in South Africa. The ideal candidate will guide customers through the modernization of their data platforms to Azure and drive the adoption of AI technologies. This role requires a strong background in cloud technologies and experience in technical consulting. Join us in shaping the future of AI and data solutions in the region.

Qualifications

• 5-10 years experience in relevant technologies.
• Bachelor's degree required in a related field.

Responsibilities

• Guide customers through data modernization to Azure.
• Drive adoption of AI solutions and technologies.
• Design scalable and secure data architectures.
• Lead architectural design sessions with teams.

Skills

Cloud/infrastructure technologies

AI-based solutions

Data engineering

Technical consulting

Customer relationship management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Azure

Microsoft Fabric

Azure Databricks

Job description

Overview

We are looking for a highly motivated Cloud and AI Solution Architect (CSA) with an entrepreneurial spirit to join our Digital Natives CSU team in EMEA. This is a unique opportunity to be at the frontline of the AI revolution, partnering with the most innovative Digital Native teams across the Middle East and Africa to design and scale Data and AI platforms on Azure that form the foundation for the next generation of data-enabled, agentic experiences.

In this regional role, you will focus on both growing existing Digital Natives and recruiting new ones, helping them modernize and scale their databases, build robust data estates, and unlock advanced analytics and AI scenarios. As a trusted advisor, you will guide founders and technical leaders on how to transform raw data into intelligence, designing platforms that not only power today’s applications but also enable self-learning, adaptive AI systems. You will collaborate closely with international product groups and work alongside other Cloud Solution Architects, Solution Engineers, and Customer Success Account Managers.

This role offers an environment of continuous learning, where you will deepen your expertise in data engineering, cloud-scale databases, machine learning, and generative AI, while broadening your impact across the Azure ecosystem. The pace is fast, the work is stimulating, and the opportunity to shape how Digital Natives in the region build data-driven, AI-first businesses is significant.

Responsibilities

• Guide Digital Native customers through their data platform modernization journey to Azure, focusing on high-scale solutions with CosmosDB and AI-first data platforms such as Microsoft Fabric. Highlight opportunities to accelerate innovation and become AI-ready.
• Drive adoption of generative AI by helping customers build innovative, safe, and performant AI-based solutions grounded in a solid foundation of data and infrastructure.
• Capture Analytics market share by positioning Microsoft Fabric and Azure Databricks as the platforms of choice for modern analytics workloads and advanced customer use cases.
• Understand the customer’s applications portfolio, IT and business priorities, and success measures to design robust, scalable, and secure architectures (including third-party integrations) using Azure PaaS, DevOps, and advanced application development practices.
• Apply deep technical expertise and customer insights to shape modernization roadmaps, architecting solutions that deliver business value while ensuring technical feasibility and successful deployments.
• Lead Architectural Design Sessions with Digital Native teams to co-create implementation plans that align business goals with technical strategy, building consensus and momentum toward production.
• Partner closely with other Cloud Solution Architects and Microsoft stakeholders to design complex, end-to-end enterprise-grade solutions on Azure, ensuring adherence to the Well-Architected Framework.
• Build trusted, long-term relationships with customer decision-makers, enabling them to become cloud and AI advocates within their organizations.
• Act as the Voice of the Customer, sharing feedback and best practices, and partnering with Engineering to remove adoption blockers.
• Troubleshoot technical challenges to demonstrate the value of Azure’s data and AI services, unlocking new innovation opportunities.
• Assess customer cloud readiness and create structured learning plans, leveraging partners to accelerate knowledge transfer and adoption.
• Continuously deepen your technical skills and market knowledge, while sharing insights with the wider technical community.
• Be an Azure Data & AI evangelist in the Digital Native ecosystem - building developer communities, leading workshops, and showcasing customer success stories.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• 5-10 years experience in technologies relevant to this role.
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, or related field AND relevant experience in cloud/infrastructure technologies, information technology (IT) consulting/support, systems administration, network operations, software development/support, technology solutions, practice development, architecture, and/or consulting OR equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, Liberal Arts, or related field AND relevant experience in cloud/infrastructure technologies, information technology (IT) consulting/support, systems administration, network operations, software development/support, technology solutions, practice development, architecture, and/or consulting OR Master's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, or related field AND Experience in cloud/infrastructure technologies, technology solutions, practice development, architecture, and/or consulting OR equivalent experience.
• Experience working in a customer-facing role (e.g., internal and/or external).

Experience

Experience Leading Technical Projects, Teams, Or Functions.

Technical Certification in Cloud (e.g., Azure, Amazon Web Services, Google, security certifications).

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.