Google Cloud Platform (Google Cloud Platform) Solution Architect - Pre Sales

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Consulting and Solution Architecture
Cloud Modernization Strategy: Partner with clients to understand their current application portfolio, business drivers, and technical challenges, formulating a comprehensive, multi-phased strategy for application migration, refactoring, and cloud-native development on Google Cloud Platform.
Solution Design: Design and architect robust, scalable, and secure Google Cloud Platform solutions that address specific customer requirements, leveraging services such as Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, Anthos, and relevant CI/CD tools (e.g., Cloud Build, Tekton, GitLab).
Value Proposition: Clearly articulate the technical and business value of modernization efforts on Google Cloud Platform, including TCO analysis, performance gains, operational efficiency, and innovation velocity.
Hands-on POCs and Pilots: Lead and execute high-impact Proofs of Concept (POCs) and pilot engagements. This includes hands-on deployment, configuration, and demonstration of modern application patterns (e.g., microservices, serverless) and migration tools within the Google Cloud Platform environment.
Whiteboarding and Workshops: Conduct detailed technical whiteboarding sessions and workshops with customer engineering teams, architects, and IT leadership to co-create modernization roadmaps and validate technical designs.
Technical Authority: Act as the primary Google Cloud Platform and application modernization subject matter expert throughout the sales cycle, addressing technical deep dives, security reviews, and architectural questions.

Collaboration and Sales Enablement
Sales Alignment: Collaborate closely with the Sales and Account Management teams to qualify opportunities, develop winning proposals, and present compelling technical solutions that align with the customer's strategic goals.
Feedback Loop: Capture and relay customer feedback, market trends, and technical requirements to the Product and Engineering teams to influence the future development of solutions and services.
Content Creation: Develop and maintain technical collateral, including reference architectures, solution guides, presentations, and demos for internal and external use.

Required Qualifications
Experience: Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in a technical pre-sales, solution architecture, or consulting role, with at least 3 years focused specifically on cloud architecture (Google Cloud Platform preferred) and application modernization.
Google Cloud Platform Expertise: Deep, hands-on experience with core Google Cloud Platform services, specifically:
Containers & Orchestration: Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Docker.
Serverless Computing: Cloud Run, Cloud Functions, App Engine.
CI/CD & DevOps: Cloud Build, Cloud Deploy, Artifact Registry, Jenkins, or similar tools.
Networking and Security: VPC, Load Balancing, Cloud Armor, IAM.
Application Expertise: Strong understanding of modern application development principles, microservices architecture, twelve-factor app methodology, and API management.
Hands-on Capability: Proven ability to rapidly prototype, configure, and demonstrate complex technical solutions in a customer-facing environment (essential for POC/Pilot execution).
Communication: Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to simplify complex technical concepts for both technical and executive audiences.
Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Certifications (Preferred): Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect or Google Cloud Professional Developer/DevOps Engineer.

Preferred Qualifications
Experience with Anthos for hybrid and multi-cloud modernization.
Familiarity with competing cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) and cross-platform migration strategies.
Experience with Data Modernization concepts (e.g., BigQuery, Cloud SQL) as they relate to application modernization.
Prior experience defining ROI and TCO models for cloud migration and modernization projects.
Consulting background with experience leading large-scale enterprise transformation projects.