At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design of innovative datacentre and hybrid cloud solutions for enterprise customers.
- Company: Join SHI International, a $16 billion global IT solutions provider with a diverse workforce.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, health benefits, and opportunities for continuous professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with mentorship opportunities and career advancement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping cutting-edge technology strategies for top-tier clients.
- Qualifications: 7+ years in datacentre architecture with strong VMware expertise required.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
About SHI International Corp. Since 1989, SHI International Corp. has helped organizations change the world through technology. We’ve grown every year since, and today we’re proud to be a $16 billion global provider of IT solutions and services. Over 17,000 organizations worldwide rely on SHI’s concierge approach to help them solve what’s next. But the heartbeat of SHI is our employees – all 7,000 of them.
Benefits
- Our commitment to diversity, as the largest minority- and woman-owned enterprise in the U.S.
- Continuous professional growth and leadership opportunities.
- Health, wellness, and financial benefits to offer peace of mind to you and your family.
- World-class facilities and the technology you need to thrive – in our offices or yours.
Job Summary
The Senior Datacentre Solutions Architect is responsible for the end-to-end architectural ownership, technical design authority, and governance of complex datacentre and hybrid cloud infrastructure solutions across compute, storage, data protection, networking, and resilience. Operating as a senior technical authority and trusted adviser, this role works with enterprise customers to define strategy, lead complex solution sales engagements, and deliver architectures that align business outcomes, technology maturity, and operational excellence. The Senior Solutions Architect also plays a key role in mentoring others, shaping standards, and influencing practice direction.
Role Purpose
The role of a Senior Solutions Architect is to provide customers with impartial, industry-leading architectural guidance, helping them define and execute datacentre and hybrid cloud strategies that deliver measurable business outcomes; act as a technical leader and escalation point for complex or high-risk opportunities; partner with Sales to open and expand high-value, strategic accounts, demonstrating credibility through depth of expertise and strength of architectural opinion; and lead solution engagements from inception through values-based design, governance, and handover into delivery.
Key Responsibilities
- Customer & Commercial Engagement
- Work closely with customers, Account Managers, and Business Development Managers to qualify, shape, and lead complex opportunities, translating business requirements into robust technical architectures.
- Maintain accurate opportunity data within SHI’s CRM to support forecasting, reporting, and pipeline governance.
- Identify and drive expansion and upsell opportunities, coordinating specialist resources from across SHI where required.
- Architecture Ownership & Design Authority
- Act as design authority for datacentre and hybrid cloud infrastructure solutions, ensuring alignment with customer objectives, operational capability, and architectural best practice.
- Own architectural decisions across multi-vendor environments and challenge designs where necessary to protect quality, resilience, and long-term value.
- Ensure solutions align with enterprise standards, security principles, and lifecycle considerations.
- VMware & Cloud Foundation Leadership
- Lead the architecture and design of VMware-based platforms, with strong emphasis on VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) as a strategic foundation for private, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments.
- Design and govern solutions incorporating vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and SDDC Manager, including integration with backup, DR, and operational tooling.
- Advise customers on VCF adoption strategies, migration paths, operating models, and roadmap alignment.
- Sizing, Modelling & Financial Awareness
- Perform detailed sizing, capacity planning, and performance modelling to ensure solutions meet functional, non-functional, and budgetary requirements.
- Produce TCO, ROI, and business case models, articulating the cost and value implications of architectural decisions across Capex and Opex.
- Documentation & Assurance
- Produce and assure high-quality technical and commercial documentation, including RFP responses, High-Level Designs (HLDs), Statements of Work (SoWs), TCO models and business cases.
- Ensure documentation quality reflects senior-level ownership and attention to detail.
- Delivery Handover & Lifecycle Support
- Own the handover of designs into Professional Services, ensuring clarity, completeness, and alignment.
- Act as an architectural escalation point during delivery and transition into service where required.
- Internal Leadership & Collaboration
- Build strong working relationships across Sales, Professional Services, Partners, and the wider Solutions & Specialist Architect (SSA) community.
- Contribute to the definition, documentation, and adoption of architectural standards, patterns, and best practices.
- Mentor and support less-experienced architects and engineers within the practice.
- Partner & Vendor Engagement
- Maintain strong relationships with key technology partners (including VMware, Dell, HPE, Pure Storage, NetApp).
- Stay current with product roadmaps, reference architectures, and market trends, acting as a technically agnostic adviser to customers.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience
Essential Experience
- 7+ years in datacentre, infrastructure, or hybrid cloud architecture roles.
- Proven experience acting as senior solution design authority on complex, enterprise-scale engagements.
- Strong multi-vendor experience across Dell, HPE, Pure Storage, NetApp, and VMware ecosystems.
- Demonstrable experience designing and governing VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)-based platforms.
Core Technical Skills
- Enterprise compute and virtualisation platforms (VMware-centric, including VCF).
- VMware technologies: vSphere, vSAN, NSX, SDDC Manager.
- Storage architectures: SAN, NAS, object storage.
- Data protection, backup, and disaster recovery design.
- Resilient, scalable datacentre and hybrid cloud architectures.
Essential Attributes
- Self-driven, highly motivated, and comfortable operating with minimal supervision.
- Strong analytical and structured problem-solving skills.
- Ability to communicate complex architectural concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including senior leadership.
- Confidence to challenge, influence, and guide customers and internal teams.
- Commercially astute with strong awareness of financial and business impact of design choices.
- Strategic mindset with meticulous attention to detail.
- Passion for technology and its ability to deliver meaningful business outcomes.
Desirable Qualifications & Certifications
- VMware certifications (VCF / VCP / VCAP highly desirable).
- Dell, HPE ASE (Compute & Storage), Pure Storage FlashArray / FlashBlade, NetApp certifications.
- Cloud, automation, or operational tooling certifications considered advantageous.
Sr. Solutions Architect - Datacentre employer: SHI Corporation UK Limited
At SHI International Corp., we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through continuous professional development opportunities and a diverse, inclusive environment that values every voice. With world-class facilities and comprehensive health, wellness, and financial benefits, we ensure our employees thrive both personally and professionally in a supportive atmosphere.
Contact Details:
SHI Corporation UK Limited Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Sr. Solutions Architect - Datacentre
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend events, join online forums, and don’t be shy about reaching out on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews! Research SHI International Corp. and understand their values and services. Be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their needs, especially around datacentre and hybrid cloud solutions.
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your expertise! Bring examples of your past work to interviews. Whether it’s a complex architecture you designed or a successful project you led, having tangible proof of your skills can really set you apart.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining the SHI team!
We think you need these skills to ace Sr. Solutions Architect - Datacentre
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Senior Solutions Architect role. Highlight your experience with datacentre and hybrid cloud architectures, and don’t forget to mention any relevant VMware expertise!
Showcase Your Achievements:When detailing your past roles, focus on specific achievements that demonstrate your ability to lead complex solution sales engagements. Use metrics where possible to show how you’ve made a difference in previous positions.
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application clear and to the point. Avoid jargon unless it’s relevant to the role. We want to see your technical skills, but we also need to understand your thought process and how you communicate.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands and shows us you’re serious about joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at SHI Corporation UK Limited
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
As a Senior Solutions Architect, you'll need to demonstrate your expertise in datacentre and hybrid cloud solutions. Brush up on VMware technologies like vSphere, vSAN, and NSX. Be ready to discuss how you've applied these in past projects and how they align with SHI's offerings.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to share specific examples of complex architectural challenges you've faced and how you resolved them. Highlight your analytical skills and structured approach to problem-solving, as this will resonate well with the interviewers looking for someone who can navigate intricate technical landscapes.
✨Understand the Business Impact
It's not just about the tech; it's about how it drives business outcomes. Be prepared to discuss TCO, ROI, and how your architectural decisions have positively impacted previous organisations. This shows that you understand the commercial side of technology, which is crucial for the role.
✨Engage and Build Rapport
Interviews are a two-way street. Engage with your interviewers by asking insightful questions about SHI's approach to datacentre solutions and their vision for the future. Building rapport can set you apart and show that you're genuinely interested in being part of their team.
