Solution Architect - North America; Partner​/Commercial

Role Overview

The Solution Architect acts as a trusted technical advisor for customers and partners, ensuring that SUSE’s solutions align with their business and technical needs. You will work closely with regional sales and partner teams to drive technical excellence in solution design, positioning SUSE as a leader in the industry. The role leverages specialised knowledge to consult with customers, supporting sales presentations, product demonstrations, proofs of concept, and technical requests, ultimately helping customers invest in the right solutions from the SUSE portfolio.

• Engage with customers to understand both their technical and business needs, building valued relationships and developing as a trusted technical advisor.
• Conduct thorough assessments to identify gaps, opportunities, and challenges, ensuring that solutions are tailored to meet immediate and future needs.
• Take full responsibility for the technical aspects of deal progression, from qualification to closure.
• Champion the technical validation process, including product demonstrations, technical presentations, managing proofs of concept (PoCs), addressing customer objections, and ensuring that the technical value of SUSE’s solutions is fully realised.
• Serve as the voice of the customer by actively gathering and communicating feedback and requirements to SUSE’s Product, Strategy, and Engineering teams.
• Ensure that customer needs are reflected in new product features, updates, and messaging, facilitating regular feedback loops and support escalations to maximize product value.
• Collaborate with Field and Specialist Sales, Partner Ecosystem, and Customer Success teams to create account plans that drive solution adoption and ensure customer satisfaction throughout the sales lifecycle.
• Contribute to go‑to‑market strategies with regional sales teams and participate in marketing efforts through presentations, blogs, technical speaking engagements, and booth demos.
• Support competitor analysis and develop strategies to differentiate SUSE solutions, highlighting key advantages in specific use cases.
• Conduct research and draft responses to the technical segments of RFIs, RFPs, and RFQs.
• Transfer knowledge to pre‑sales peers, contributing to internal education through mentoring, peer training, and sharing insights on product innovations and technical solutions.
• Maintain CRM hygiene by updating all activity for each opportunity, including Use Case, Success Criteria, Technical Close Status (TCS) and Next Steps in the technical close process.
• Take proactive ownership of professional development by staying curious, embracing a growth mindset, and advancing skills as a Technical Sales professional to deepen the SUSE value proposition.

• Experience in technical consulting, pre‑sales engineering, or solution architecture focused on enterprise software solutions.
• Practical skills with Linux systems, open‑source software, and related infrastructure solutions, including experience in cloud computing and container technologies such as Kubernetes.
• Proven ability to articulate complex technical solutions clearly to diverse audiences up to CXO level, translating technical concepts into business value.
• Experience creating technical demonstrations and whitepapers to illustrate product value through use cases.
• Strong problem‑solving abilities, able to address complex technical problems and deliver innovative, value‑driven solutions.
• Experience collaborating cross‑functionally with sales, engineering, and customer success teams to deliver comprehensive solutions and ensure customer satisfaction.
• Experience designing and delivering complex enterprise solutions, ensuring scalability, security, and reliability.
• Exceptional consultative‑selling skills, fostering meaningful customer relationships and serving as a trusted technical advisor.
• Proficiency in competitor analysis and solution positioning, showcasing SUSE's advantages over peers.
• Experience working with CRM tools such as Salesforce or Clari to manage pipelines, track technical validation, and measure solution success.

If this role is filled in the United States, the starting base salary is expected to be between $125,000 and $150,000. The position may also include a commission plan and a competitive benefits package that covers medical, life, disability insurance, a 401(k) plan, an Employee Assistance Program, and generous paid time off.

Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, geographic location, internal equity, and budget. The company does not use artificial intelligence to screen, select, or assess applicants. A background check, including criminal, credit and employment reference checks, will be conducted once an offer has been accepted.