Azure Architect (Contract)

Job Description

Rackspace is recognised as a company of experts, delivering world-class cloud service and a superior support experience on the world’s leading technology platforms. As part of our managed cloud strategy we are seeking an experienced and accomplished Azure Specialist Solutions Architect to fill key a position within our specialist pre-sales team.

Microsoft’s Azure is recognised as one of fastest-growing cloud platforms in the world, and the core mission of this role is to engage with our customers and prospects to provide pre-sales architectural advice and thought leadership for our supported workloads running on Azure integrated services. This role will as be working closely with our internal Microsoft Practice to design and maintain good practice blueprints for our supported workloads.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced pre-sales or technical professional confident in Microsoft’s public cloud. The role is customer facing, working closely with business and technical influencers, IT Pros, and Rackspace partners in understanding the technical strategy, competitive differentiation, and value proposition of our solutions. The role also enables you to interact with the team that develops, deploys, and operates our Microsoft cloud based offerings.

The right candidate for the role will have multiple years’ experience with cloud platforms like Azure. You have served as a subject matter expert in designing and migrating applications to live in the cloud. We are looking for the top talent in the industry, highly-skilled in complex cloud deployments and adept at the design and implementation of complex platforms.

You will have confidence in knowing your skills (and limitations), you are calm and collected under pressure and always available to mentor the less experienced. Your colleagues see you as a good team player who is keen to share knowledge as well as to listen and learn from others.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Key Accountabilities

• Educate customers of all size on the value proposition of managed services on Azure, and participate in architectural discussions to ensure solutions are designed for successful deployment in the cloud. Understand complex applications that may sit across a multitude of service models and technologies
• Capture and share best-practice knowledge amongst the Azure technical and partner communities
• In collaboration with the sales and pre-sales teams, drive revenue growth across a broad set of customers
• Act as a liaison between customers, sales, service engineering teams, and support
• Work directly with customers and prospects as well as supporting existing Solutions Architects to understand our customers and prospects specific public cloud needs

Key Performance Indicators

KPIs Include (not limited to):

• Attainment of the Microsoft practice against target
• Attainment of the overall Sales organisation against target
• Net Promotor Score (NPS) of the Business Development Consultants and Service Delivery teams you support
• Volume of opportunities you assist on
• Effectiveness in the field

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

Technical Skills

• A deep understanding of Cloud Computing – IaaS, PaaS and SaaS. Deep expertise in the Azure components & APIs
• Strong Windows skills, with system administration experience in a production Windows environment
• Advanced knowledge of databases (SQL Server and MySQL)
• Advanced knowledge of relevant web services, mail, backup, and application monitoring
• Good knowledge of Hyper-V, SCVMM, and Azure Pack
• Good knowledge of networking fundamentals
• Good knowledge of server hardware
• Good knowledge of application developments using Agile, and DevOps good practices
• One or some of these would accreditations be advantageous: Architecting Microsoft Azure Solutions (534), Implementing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions (533), Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions (532), MCSE: Private Cloud, CCNP, CCNA, VCP

Person Skills

• Can present concepts in authoritative and clear manner to customers through white boarding, presentations and proposals
• Tenacious problem solver, will own issues until full resolution
• Ability to create wow / delighter moments with customers
• Effective with time management and expected deliverables
• Exceptional communication skills; both written and verbal with great attention to detail
• Have experience in providing mentoring for team members and Sales Representatives
• Negotiation and objection handling skills
• 2+ years’ experience in public cloud based infrastructure design
• 3+ years’ experience in technical pre-sales
• Experience leading technical workshops exploring requirements and mapping solutions
• Provide authoritative advice to internal and external stakeholders with regard to terms of service within a contract
• A high level of business awareness and commercial acumen
• Have experience with developing ‘win themes’ and customisation of value propositions to client needs and write technical responses to bids (RFPs & RFIs)

Able to evangelise disruptive proposals when necessary