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- Tasks: Lead the design of innovative datacentre and hybrid cloud solutions for enterprise customers.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking tech company that values collaboration and innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Mentorship opportunities and a dynamic work environment await you.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping cutting-edge technology solutions for top-tier clients.
- Qualifications: 7+ years in datacentre architecture with strong VMware expertise.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
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.
- 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.
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
Contact Detail:
SHI 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 industry folks on LinkedIn or at events. The more people you know, the better your chances of landing that dream job.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your expertise! Prepare a portfolio or case studies showcasing your past projects and solutions. This will help you stand out as a knowledgeable candidate during interviews.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Do mock interviews with friends or use online platforms to refine your answers. Being confident and articulate about your experience can make all the difference.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We love seeing candidates who take the initiative. Plus, it gives you a direct line to us, making it easier for us to spot your application.
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 to highlight your experience with datacentre and hybrid cloud solutions. We want to see how your skills align with the role, so don’t hold back on showcasing your expertise!
Showcase Your Technical Skills: When detailing your experience, focus on your knowledge of VMware technologies and multi-vendor environments. We’re looking for someone who can demonstrate their technical prowess, so be specific about your achievements and projects.
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use clear language to explain your past roles and responsibilities, especially around architectural ownership and design authority. We appreciate clarity as much as complexity!
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen to join the StudySmarter team!
How to prepare for a job interview at SHI
✨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 complex architectural challenges you've faced in the past. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers. This will help you illustrate your analytical skills and how you approach problem-solving in a structured way.
✨Engage with the Interviewers
Don’t just answer questions; engage in a dialogue. Ask insightful questions about their current projects or challenges they face. This shows that you're genuinely interested in the role and helps you assess if the company is the right fit for you.
✨Demonstrate Leadership and Mentorship
Since this role involves mentoring others, be prepared to discuss your leadership style and experiences. Share how you've guided less-experienced colleagues in the past and how you plan to contribute to the team’s growth at the company.