Solutions Architect

There are 2 actors on a network, people and machines. Just as usernames and passwords are used by people to access machines, machine identities are used by machines to identify and access each other. Venafi is the inventor of the technology that manages and protects machine identities, the most important security initiative in our Global 5000 customers. We are Warriors! Are you passionate about making a positive impact and protecting the world from cybercriminals? If so, you may be a natural Venafi Warrior!

How you’ll be protecting the world:

Join Venafi as a Solutions Architect (Sales Engineer), where you will play a pivotal role as the primary technical expert supporting our sales team. You will drive the technology evaluation phase of the sales cycle, partnering closely with sales executives as the key technical advisor on Venafi solutions. Your mission will be to clearly articulate how Venafi technology delivers tangible business value to both business and technical stakeholders.

As a Solutions Architect, you will meticulously identify all technical decision criteria, guiding customers through a structured process to ensure well-informed decisions. Building credibility and trust, you will cultivate strong relationships with customers, positioning yourself as a trusted advisor capable of solving real business challenges.

Your responsibilities will include determining the necessity of demonstrations or proof-of-concepts (POCs), aligning them with specific success criteria. You will proficiently showcase Venafi product features and functionalities, conducting POC integrations where necessary, including within customer environments to validate solution suitability.

In collaboration with Account Executives, you will adopt a consultative approach to help customers grasp the essential components of a Venafi solution aligned with their objectives, while addressing any potential obstacles to success. Continually staying informed about industry trends and relevant technologies, you will effectively communicate how Venafi solutions are the optimal choice.

Ideal candidates will possess strong communication skills, technical acumen, and a proactive mindset to drive successful customer engagements. At Venafi, you will find a dynamic environment offering competitive compensation and ample opportunities for professional growth.

The ideal Warrior will be armed with:

• Must be (or become) SME on Venafi.
• Must have ability to architect solutions using Venafi products.
• Working knowledge of common IT technologies in large enterprise environments such as Windows server, Linux/Unix, AD/LDAP, load balancers, web servers, virtualization, end-user devices.
• Should have strong knowledge of some specific technologies and products, as well as a willingness to learn additional.
• Will use hands-on skills to perform product demonstrations and proof-of-concept integrations between Venafi and many other technologies.
• Understand basic uses of cryptography in IT environments and common products or technologies used, in areas such as SSL/TLS, SSH, PKI, and HSMs.
• Strong communication and organization skills.
• Help bring order to chaotic environments.
• With an end-state in mind, must be able to identify projects or actions that need to be undertaken to achieve the end-state.
• Must have ability to help others sort out priorities, including the ability to see people/process/technology interdependencies among projects or actions.
• Recognize when projects have the people, processes, and technologies required to succeed, and help identify when additional resources are needed.
• Understand and promote IT and security best practices, especially as it relates to protecting machine identities.
• Must be able to educate and persuade both technical and non-technical audiences regarding how to think about protecting machine identities and the actions they need to take.

What sets you apart?

• Must have strong understanding of SaaS delivery models including features, benefits, limitations, and how it compares to competitors in the market.
• Ability to demonstrate how a SaaS solution addresses customer needs better than alternatives including cost savings, efficiency improvements, scalability, ease of use, and unique features.
• Must be aware of devops practices and toolsets.
• Experience with devops tools is desirable, and hands-on experience with CM/Orchestration tools (e.g., Terraform, Salt, Chef,…), CI/CD tools (e.g., Jenkins), and container technology (e.g., Docker) are a huge benefit.
• Must have good note taking and writing skills.
• While there will not be a large volume of writing required, it will be essential to document solutions, plans, meeting notes, recommendations, and otherwise communicate effectively in writing with customers as well as Venafi colleagues.
• Share learnings regarding customer usage of our products and ideas how Venafi might make it easier for customers to use our products more fully.