[Hiring] Senior Solutions Architect @Nerdery

Role Description

As a key contributor within Nerdery’s Cloud, Data, and AI Platforms (CDAP) business unit, the Senior (Sr.) Solutions Architect holds a pivotal role that significantly impacts our business trajectory. Central to this responsibility is a deep understanding of our customers' and prospects' business intricacies and pain points. The Sr. Solutions Architect's core task is to turn early-stage opportunities into well-qualified, de-risked, and accurately scoped solutions. They should surface the technical risks that threaten projects before they’re priced, and communicate the value of the solution in a way that builds customer confidence and momentum to close.

This role requires a deeply specialized expert in the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) ecosystem. You will lead pre-sales efforts by crafting complex solutions using GCP technologies, with a particular emphasis on Data, AI, and Cloud Infrastructure use cases. This includes developing technical architectures, implementation plans, and detailed Statements of Work (SOWs).

This role will serve as a strategic bridge between technology and business, adeptly crafting tailored solutions that cater to customer needs and set our delivery teams up to execute successfully. This role necessitates a unique blend of technical proficiency, customer-centricity, and strategic finesse. As the primary Solutions Architect within this fast-moving business unit, you will self-direct your work across multiple concurrent opportunities, supported by established solutioning processes and tooling, with structured review from the Engineering, CX, and legal teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• 4-6 years of experience working specifically with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) technologies as a client-facing Solutions Architect
• 8-10 years of overall experience in solutions architecture, technical pre-sales, or technical consulting (inclusive of the GCP experience above), including real implementation experience building and shipping cloud solutions
• Proven track record of supporting sales teams in closing deals, with demonstrated consultative selling skills
• Demonstrated success operating as the primary technical solutioning resource for a team or business unit
• Expert-level GCP solution architecture across Data, AI/ML, and GenAI
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to build rapport with both customers and internal teams
• Daily fluency with AI tools, including terminal-based agentic tools
• Highly organized, with a track record of managing many concurrent opportunities inside defined processes
• Able to push back - on customers and on sellers - while keeping the relationship warm

Requirements

• GCP certifications: Professional Cloud Architect, Professional Data Engineer and/or Professional Machine Learning Engineer (preferred)
• Experience working within the Google Partner Ecosystem and knowledgeable about partnership incentives models (DAF/PSF) (preferred)
• Prior experience as the primary or lead Solutions Architect for a team, product line, or business unit (preferred)
• Familiarity with public sector compliance and security frameworks (e.g., FedRAMP, StateRAMP, and CJIS) (preferred)
• Familiarity with AI-augmented and agentic software delivery approaches (preferred)

Benefits

• Opportunity to work with some of the world’s best brands
• Encouragement for personal and professional growth
• Collaborative and innovative work environment

What You'll Do

• Lead client discovery and qualification from the earliest opportunity calls
• Manage multiple concurrent opportunities with rigor
• Ask the questions that change scope: surface technical red flags early
• Propose and lead pre-sales Solutions Workshops
• Assess clients' existing workloads and environments
• Design end-to-end solutions tailored to each customer's business requirements
• Architect large-scale Data, AI, and Cloud Infrastructure solutions
• Develop rough-order-of-magnitude estimates early in an opportunity
• Create detailed implementation backlogs and expertly crafted SOWs
• Partner directly with Account Executives and Partnerships leadership
• Advise clients across the Google Cloud portfolio
• Present solutions clearly and compellingly
• Define the staffing profile each scope implies
• Facilitate a smooth transition from sales to implementation
• Stay current across GCP's evolving portfolio

What Skills Will Help You Be A Successful Nerd?

• Strong communication skills
• Process improvement experience
• Collaborative problem-solving abilities
• Comfortable interacting with clients
• Proven ability to communicate risks and complexities