Job Title: Azure Pre-Sales Architect
Experience Level: Senior (7+ years in cloud sales/solution architecture)
Location: Remote
Job Summary:
We are seeking a highly skilled and dynamic Azure Pre-Sales Architect to join our team as a customer-facing technical sales leader.
This pivotal role is responsible for driving Microsoft Azure cloud adoption by expertly designing, positioning, and presenting compelling Azure solutions to enterprise clients.
The Azure Pre-Sales Architect seamlessly blends deep technical expertise in Microsoft Azure with acute business acumen, ensuring that all proposed solutions not only align perfectly with customer business goals but also maximize revenue opportunities for our organization.
The ideal candidate will possess a proven track record in cloud presales, exceptional Azure architecture skills, and a demonstrated ability to influence C-level decision-makers and senior technical stakeholders within complex enterprise environments.
Key Responsibilities:
Technical Sales & Customer Engagement:
- Partner strategically with sales executives to identify, qualify, and prioritize high-potential Azure cloud opportunities.
- Lead comprehensive discovery workshops and in-depth technical discussions to thoroughly understand customer pain points, existing IT landscapes, and strategic business objectives.
- Deliver highly compelling technical presentations, engaging product demonstrations, and impactful proof-of-concepts (PoCs) to effectively showcase the capabilities and value of Microsoft Azure solutions.
- Articulate clear business value, quantifiable Return on Investment (ROI), and compelling competitive advantages of Azure when compared to offerings from AWS and GCP.
Solution Design & Proposal Development:
- Develop high-impact technical proposals, comprehensive RFx (RFP/RFI/RFQ) responses, and detailed Statements of Work (SOWs) that clearly define the scope, architecture, and value of proposed Azure solutions.
- Design scalable, secure, resilient, and cost-optimized Azure architectures across various service models, including IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), and SaaS (Software as a Service) integrations.
- Advise customers on optimal cloud migration strategies, encompassing lift-and-shift, re-platforming, refactoring, and re-architecting approaches.
- Routinely incorporate cutting-edge technologies and best practices such as AI/ML services, advanced data analytics solutions (e.g, Azure Synapse, Databricks), modern DevOps practices, and robust security frameworks into solution designs.
Deal Execution & Revenue Growth:
- Collaborate effectively with strategic partners (e.g, Microsoft, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), System Integrators (SIs)) to accelerate deal closures and expand solution offerings.
- Provide expert technical guidance on Azure pricing models, licensing structures, and commercial incentives (e.g, Azure Hybrid Benefit, Reserved Instances, Azure Savings Plans) to optimize customer costs and maximize deal profitability.
- Support contract negotiations by expertly addressing technical objections, mitigating identified risks, and ensuring the technical feasibility of proposed terms.
Market & Competitive Intelligence:
- Maintain a deep and up-to-date understanding of the latest Azure innovations, including advancements in AI (e.g, Azure OpenAI Service), Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Fabric, and other emerging technologies.
- Continuously analyze competitor offerings (AWS, GCP) and market trends to effectively position Azure's unique strengths and differentiators.
- Share valuable market insights and competitive intelligence with internal sales and marketing teams to refine go-to-market strategies and product messaging.
Required Skills & Qualifications:
Technical Expertise:
Azure Cloud Services:
- Deep and comprehensive knowledge of core Azure Compute (VMs, AKS, App Services, Functions), Networking (VNet, Load Balancers, ExpressRoute), Storage (Blob, Files, Disks, Data Lake), and Databases (SQL Database, Cosmos DB, Azure Synapse Analytics).
- Hands-on experience with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure AI/ML services, Azure IoT solutions, and various Azure Data Solutions.
- Familiarity with hybrid and multi-cloud architectures, including Azure Arc and Azure Stack.
Cloud Migration & Modernization:
- Proven experience with Azure Migrate, Azure Site Recovery (ASR), and strategies for cloud-native application development.
- Strong understanding of FinOps principles, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis, and advanced cost optimization strategies within Azure.
Security & Compliance:
- Expertise in Azure Security Center/Defender for Cloud, Azure Active Directory (AAD)/Entra ID, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and Zero Trust security models.
- In-depth understanding of industry compliance standards and regulations relevant to cloud deployments (e.g, GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, NIST).
Sales & Consulting Skills:
Presales & Customer Influence:
- Exceptional ability to translate complex technical features and capabilities into tangible business outcomes and value propositions for clients.
- Strong storytelling, whiteboarding, and presentation skills to engage and persuade diverse audiences, including C-level executives.
- Proven ability to effectively handle technical objections and navigate challenging customer discussions.
- Extensive experience in RFP responses, complex deal shaping, and comprehensive proposal development.
Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Interpersonal Skills: Strong ability to build rapport and trust with clients and internal teams.
Certifications (Preferred):
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate
Other relevant certifications (Azure DevOps Engineer Expert, Azure Data Engineer Associate) are a plus
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