Principal Architect

Job Summary

We are seeking a dynamic Principal Architect based in the Middle East to join our EMEA team, as a thought leader and advisor for NetApp’s strategy, technology focus areas, and customer imperatives – both within NetApp and across our partner and customer ecosystems.

Principal Architects are experts at positioning NetApp’s Intelligent Data Infrastructure business technology strategy into each of the identified customer-driven imperatives where our portfolio is differentiated and solves their challenges with high residual value. They are focused on Data Infrastructure Modernization, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Transformation, and Cyber Resiliency.

In this role, you will act as the tip of the spear, focused on establishing NetApp’s relevance with new buying centers, establishing NetApp’s right to a seat at the table, and opening the door to NetApp sellers to cultivate the deal through to close. You will also work directly with the Product business unit and the rest of the field sales to develop best practices, and blueprints and motivate and justify product enhancements.

The ideal candidate brings a strong background in sales, pre-sales, customer engagement, and product innovation, with experitse to drive cross-functional initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead initial conversation with customers & prospects at EBCs, Sales Meetings, QBRs, and more as required to establish NetApp’s vision and relevance in each of the target workload/solution pillars via relatable customer value and mapped to their imperatives, in conjunction with account teams.
• Develop and maintain relationships with C-suite executives and decision-makers to expand our footprint and secure new business.
• Operates early in the sales cycle, and works closely with customer domain architects, executives, and business stakeholders to develop initial application & technology architecture concepts to guide investments.
• Develops the technical win plan for each opportunity that they generate, setting out a clear and recommended path for the account team to follow to develop the deal through to close. Applies local area/region/district knowledge to customize target workload sales approaches and accelerates local adoption of time-sensitive corporate-identified sales strategies aligned with customer imperatives.
• Create solution strategies, roadmaps, and reference architectures focused on long-term business goals. Collaborates with NetApp account or service managers early in the sales cycle on the implications of respective architectures on the broader customer environment.
• Works at the area, region, or district level (as appropriate) to capture Win/Loss information related to each of the four customer imperatives to identify key learnings for continuous improvement.
• Consolidates Product Feature Enhancement requests aligned with customer imperatives into Solutions Management.

Job Requirements

• Minimum 12+ years leading or developing Information Technology projects with a concentration on Application, Cloud, Infrastructure or Storage Architectures.
• 2+ years of sales experience, or experience as the primary decision maker as a customer for infrastructure and/or cloud solutions.
• Degree in Computer Science, Computer/Software Eng., or MIS preferred, but not required
• Demonstrable expertise in Artificial Intelligence and one or more of the following: Modern Data Infrastructures, Cyber Resiliency, Public cloud at hyperscale or regional government level
• 5+ years of DevOps, systems integration and/or implementation experience
• Experience in a broad range of Infrastructure (Storage, Compute and Network) as well as cloud.