At a Glance
- Tasks: Shape cloud solutions and tackle complex business challenges in a client-facing role.
- Company: Join a leading tech firm focused on multi-cloud and hybrid architecture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with excellent career advancement opportunities.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of cloud innovation and make a real impact on enterprise transformations.
- Qualifications: Experience in pre-sales, cloud architecture, and strong communication skills required.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
We are seeking a seasoned Senior Multi-Cloud & Hybrid Enterprise Architect with strong pre-sales, solutioning and deal-shaping experience across hyperscaler, private cloud, hybrid cloud and sovereign cloud environments. In this strategic, client-facing role, you will bridge complex business challenges, commercial deal requirements and enterprise-grade cloud architecture for clients across the GGM region. You will partner closely with sales executives, client partners, hyperscaler teams, solution leaders and delivery teams to capture and shape enterprise opportunities. The role focuses on the foundational infrastructure and architecture required for secure, scalable, compliant and cost-effective cloud transformation, including AI infrastructure, data platforms, migration, modernisation, cloud operations and regulated workloads. From early qualification through RFP response, technical validation, commercial shaping and handover to delivery, your architectural leadership will help ensure solutions are credible, competitive and deliverable.
Key Responsibilities
- Deal-Shaping & Qualification: Partner with account executives, client partners and market teams early in the sales cycle to discover technical requirements, qualify opportunities and shape high-level solution options across AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, private cloud and hybrid estates.
- Deal Review & Alignment: Actively participate in qualification and internal deal-alignment meetings to assess technical feasibility, surface delivery risks, validate assumptions and align solution approach with sales strategy, delivery capacity and regional priorities.
- RFP, RFI & Proposal Leadership: Own the technical response strategy for complex proposals. Translate business objectives into clear technical narratives, solution architectures, transition approaches, architectural diagrams and differentiated win themes.
- Commercial Solutioning: Develop defensible commercial models, resource plans, transition estimates and Statements of Work (SOWs) for multi-cloud, hybrid cloud, platform modernisation and cloud operations engagements, ensuring a seamless transition from sales to delivery.
- Multi-Cloud & Hybrid Architecture: Design secure, scalable and resilient enterprise cloud foundations spanning hyperscaler platforms, private cloud, edge, colocation and on-premises environments, with strong attention to networking, identity, security, operations and integration patterns.
- Private & Sovereign Cloud Solutioning: Shape architectures for regulated, data-residency-sensitive and compliance-led opportunities, including sovereign cloud, distributed cloud, air-gapped environments, regional cloud providers and private cloud platforms where required by client or regulatory context.
- AI, Data & Platform Foundations: Define infrastructure and platform foundations that support enterprise data workloads, AI adoption, modern analytics, DevSecOps, platform engineering, automation and operational resilience.
- Partner & Ecosystem Collaboration: Work with hyperscaler and regional cloud partner teams to align funding routes, marketplace motions, reference architectures and technical differentiators that strengthen Cognizant’s position in competitive deals.
- Client Advisory & Executive Communication: Act as a trusted technical advisor to clients, articulating architecture choices, risks, trade-offs, cost implications and business value to both C-level executives and engineering stakeholders.
- Delivery Handover & Governance: Ensure proposed solutions are transitioned cleanly into delivery, with clear scope, assumptions, risks, dependencies, architecture artefacts and governance checkpoints.
Required Qualifications & Experience
- Experience: technical pre-sales, enterprise architecture, cloud architecture, solution architecture or technology consulting, with a proven track record of supporting mid-to-enterprise-scale deals.
- Pre-Sales Deal Architecture: Demonstrated ability to shape complex pursuits, lead technical solutioning, respond to RFPs/RFIs, create proposal content, support commercials and build credible LOE models.
- Multi-Cloud Expertise: Strong working knowledge of at least two major hyperscaler platforms across infrastructure, networking, identity, security, containers, storage, automation and operations. Ability to operate credibly across AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud discussions.
- Hybrid & Private Cloud Knowledge: Solid understanding of hybrid cloud patterns, private infrastructure, VMware alternatives, container platforms, edge, colocation, connectivity, identity integration and enterprise operations.
- Sovereign & Regulated Cloud Awareness: Understanding of cloud sovereignty, data residency, compliance-led architecture, regional cloud options and secure operating models for regulated industries.
- Infrastructure for AI & Data: Awareness of the infrastructure prerequisites for AI, analytics and data workloads, including secure connectivity, compute options, storage patterns, platform foundations and operating model considerations.
- Commercial Acumen: Ability to connect technical solution choices to TCV, cost, margin, risk, delivery shape, value propositions and client buying outcomes.
- Communication: Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills, with the ability to simplify complex technical concepts for executives while maintaining credibility with engineering and delivery teams.
- Regional Collaboration: Ability to work across GGM clients, market units, sales teams, partner ecosystems and globally distributed delivery teams.
Preferred Certifications
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional or equivalent AWS architecture certification
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert or equivalent Azure certification
- Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect or equivalent GCP certification
- VMware, Red Hat OpenShift, Nutanix, Kubernetes, TOGAF or architecture governance certification
- Security, compliance, FinOps or cloud operations certifications are advantageous
Senior Multi-Cloud & Hybrid Enterprise Architect – Pre-Sales in City of Westminster employer: Cognizant
Cognizant is an excellent employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration within the UK Public Sector. Employees benefit from comprehensive growth opportunities, including training in cutting-edge AI technologies, while contributing to meaningful projects that impact government services. With a commitment to quality and excellence, Cognizant provides a supportive environment where your contributions are valued and recognised.
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We think this is how you could land Senior Multi-Cloud & Hybrid Enterprise Architect – Pre-Sales in City of Westminster
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We think you need these skills to ace Senior Multi-Cloud & Hybrid Enterprise Architect – Pre-Sales in City of Westminster
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Cognizant.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Cognizant and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Cognizant
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Cognizant uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
