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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design of innovative datacentre and hybrid cloud solutions for enterprise clients.
- Company: Join SHI International, a $16 billion global IT solutions provider with a diverse workforce.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, health benefits, and opportunities for 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 organisations.
- Qualifications: 7+ years in datacentre architecture and strong VMware expertise required.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 ÂŁ per year.
About Us
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.
If you join our team, you’ll enjoy the following 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
The compensation for this position is dependent on job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, and market location and, therefore, will vary from individual to individual.
Equal Employment Opportunity – M/F/Disability/Protected Veteran Status
Sr. Solutions Architect - Datacentre in London employer: SHI International Corp.
Contact Detail:
SHI International Corp. Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Sr. Solutions Architect - Datacentre in London
✨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 to potential colleagues on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching SHI and its culture. Understand their approach to technology and how they help clients. Tailor your responses to show how your experience aligns with their mission and values. This will make you stand out as a candidate who truly gets it!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be ready to explain your architectural expertise and how it can benefit SHI’s clients. Use real-world examples to demonstrate your problem-solving skills and technical knowledge. Confidence is key, so rehearse until you feel comfortable.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining the team at SHI. So, get that application in and let’s make it happen!
We think you need these skills to ace Sr. Solutions Architect - Datacentre in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Sr. Solutions Architect role. Highlight your experience with datacentre and hybrid cloud solutions, 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 architectural ownership and design authority. Use metrics where possible to show how your contributions made a difference.
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 skills and experience shine through without wading through unnecessary fluff!
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 International Corp.
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of datacentre and hybrid cloud architectures. Be ready to discuss specific technologies like VMware Cloud Foundation, vSphere, and NSX. The more you can demonstrate your expertise, the more credible you'll appear to the interviewers.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to share examples of how you've tackled complex architectural challenges in the past. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers. This will help you illustrate your analytical skills and structured problem-solving approach.
✨Engage with the Interviewers
Don’t just wait for questions; engage with your interviewers by asking insightful questions about their current projects or challenges. This shows your interest in the role and helps you understand how you can contribute to their success.
✨Demonstrate Leadership and Mentorship
Since this role involves mentoring others, be prepared to discuss your leadership style and any experiences you've had in guiding less-experienced colleagues. Highlight how you’ve influenced architectural standards or practices in previous roles.