Senior Field Solutions Architect - Data and Analytics - Digital Velocity

The Senior Field Solution Architect (FSA) role focuses on pre-sales solution design. This role is responsible for working with internal and external sales teams to plan and organize sales strategies. The incumbent analyzes the sales environment including customer expectations, competitive environment as well as the customer's technical environment and define actions to be performed in the sales cycle timeframe. The Senior FSA is a field-based technical presales role. They are expected to spend the majority of their time engaged with CDW customers and locations in their local markets. The Senior FSA develops and maintains strategic relationships with Sales Management of the teams they support and seen as a trusted advisor to grow business. The Senior FSA is expected to be subject matter expert in multiple families of solutions. The incumbent in this role operates independently using standard approaches, existing tools, templates, and resources; shares knowledge and information that may benefit the team.

This role will have a specific focus on assisting our customers and sellers in qualifying and identifying opportunities with the modern data solutions stack including initiatives around AI/ML, advanced analytics, data science, data engineering, data architecture with related tools and CDW consulting and service. As a Senior Field Solution Architect, you will understand our client's data environment and high level infrastructure and own the process of developing scopes of work that help customers achieve their business outcomes.

This role is a generalist in the domain of modern data solutions and will need to understand general modern data tools (such as but not limited to: PowerBI, Tableau, IBM Analytics portfolio, Informatica, Snowflake, Denodo, Talend, Alation, Erwin, Collibra etc.), high level architecture and technologies and be able to speak to the broader vision of that solution and how it can solve customer business challenges. Training on emerging modern data solutions partner technologies will be an ongoing requirement for this role.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Technology Leadership: Is a passionate learner who demonstrates continuous learning by proactively expanding technical depth in products, solutions, and services. If pertinent, achieves certifications in advanced technologies for CDW's Partner Certification Requirements.

• Operates with the perspective and insight that business needs, not just technology, establish the limits on what can be achieved.

• Helps design technical solutions using standard approaches, considering the customer's infrastructure limitations and opportunities; analyzes, interprets, and presents assessment results.

• Determines and scopes services that complement and/or round out proposed data platform, modernization, governance, analytics, AI/ML estimates and work with professional services team to define required engineering efforts.

• Uses team tools, templates, resources, and processes for maximum efficiency, productivity, consistency, and high-quality execution.

• Provides feedback to technology leaders where opportunities exist to improve offerings, design, and delivery execution.

• Conducts technology/solutions training for CDW audiences (e.g., Sales, Inside Solution Architects), using developed material.

• Contributes to the team's knowledge base and readily shares knowledge with other FSAs, Inside Solution Architects, and Sales.

• Assists new team members by answering questions and sharing expertise on the tools of the job.

• Assists new hires by answering questions and sharing information.

• Sales: Follows up on implemented solutions and identifies new opportunities that complement the work that was completed.

• Researches and reviews customer profile information; applies knowledge of the vertical to develop customer intimacy prior to sales calls and/or strategy sessions.

• Uses various tools to calculate the Total Cost of Ownership and/or Return on Investment and explains to customers and Sales the business value of a solution and its benefits.

• Articulates to customers the Practice's value proposition; articulates audience-centric version of the value proposition to customers, account managers, and partners and uses it to generate additional revenue opportunities for CDW.

• Leads business-focused technology solution presentations at CDW, Customer, and Partner events and meetings in your territory.

• Uses technology assessments and demos as a sales tool for furthering sales opportunities; identifies cross sell-and/or up-sell opportunities for an engagement, equips/assists FSAs and Sales to pursue it.

• Collaborates with Partners, Inside Solution Architects (ISA) and Account Executives (AE) to drive mapped opportunities; fine tunes strategies and approaches to achieve greater sales results.

• Operates in a regular cadence with multiple partners to educate, plan, and execute on joint strategies in collaboration with multiple stakeholders (ISA, AE, Sales Managers, Field Sales); understands partner alignment in geography and leads customer opportunity mapping exercises; coordinates on-site partner visits.

• Develops a detailed and ambitious Territory Plan in collaboration with Partners, AEs, and ISAs and uses it to manage their business.

• Understands profit margin and how to increase profitability; works cooperatively with field sales to ensure healthy profitability. Leverages and maximizes partner pricing, partner registration programs, incentive programs, and special pricing, to win business and ensure healthy profitability, provides input on pricing to Account Managers, Field Sales, FSAs, and Partners to increase margin and deal size and position CDW for future opportunities; negotiates pricing with Partners.

• Produces marketing-type documents and materials (e.g., presentation) to customers in territory.

• Sales Support: Responds to questions about partner registrations, associated registration issues, and customer engagement history.

• Prioritizes time spent on opportunities based on potential return on investment.

• Produces Bills of Materials, including product maintenance; writes Statements of Work (including work estimates), RFPs, RFIs, and proposal content.

• Maintains pre-sales pipeline data, develops plans, and takes actions to move opportunities to closure.

Other Responsibilities:

• Aside from being a passionate learner, the Modern Data Solutions Sr FSA is also a solution driver who has a passion for demonstrating continuous learning by proactively expanding technical depth in products, solutions, and services, particularly in the "data management" space. If pertinent, achieves certifications in advanced technologies for CDW's Partner Certification Requirements.

• Sr FSA is focused in the CDW Modern Data Solutions tools and services space with a specific focus on identifying and qualifying sales opportunities into the appropriate sales pursuits, by using team building techniques (internal & external to CDW) standard approaches, considering the customer's infrastructure limitations, investments and opportunities; analyzes, interprets, and presents assessment results.

Education and/or Skill-Set Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience

• Four years minimum technical pre-sales or technical architecting experience

Required Qualifications

• Stay up to date on products, applications, technical service, market conditions, competitive activities, advertising, and promotional trends through the reading of pertinent literature, seminars, and online training

• Proven project management skills

• Proficient in Microsoft office applications

• Proven success and experience selling technologies solutions and services

• Knowledge and proven success of engaging and working with sales teams

• Ability to execute on territory goals and metrics

• Ability to adapt and change to the business needs of the practice and team coverage model

• Strong interpersonal and presentation skills, including consulting skills

• Strong oral and written communication skills

• Strong passion for learning and teaching others

• Motivated and self-starting

• Ability to think creatively and come up with proactive ideas that will increase sales

• Strong problem-solving skills

• Must be able to communicate effectively and in a constructive manner with management, peers and coworkers

• Ability to understand, remember, and apply oral and/or written instructions or other information. Ability to organize thoughts and ideas into understandable terminology. Ability to multi-task, organize and prioritize. Ability to apply common sense in performing a job. Ability to understand and follow basic instructions and guidelines. Ability to travel as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Obtain and maintain relevant industry standard certifications