Solution Architect Data/AI (Pre-Sales)

Job Type: Direct hire

Company: The name of our partner organization will be disclosed during the interview process. This is not a direct role with LaunchCode; it is a position through LaunchCode, working with one of our partner companies.

Disclaimer: We are unable to provide work sponsorship for this role. We are unable to consider candidates for this role who have a current or future work sponsorship need (this includes those holding extended OPT Visas).

Our company partner is seeking an accomplished Principal Solution Architect specializing in Data & AI to help enterprise clients transform their businesses through Microsoft Azure, advanced analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. This is a highly visible, client-facing pre-sales leadership position combining deep technical expertise with business strategy, solution architecture, and consultative selling. The ideal candidate is a trusted technical advisor who can engage with C-level executives, understand complex business challenges, and translate those needs into innovative, scalable Data & AI solutions. This individual will partner closely with sales, engineering, and delivery teams to shape opportunities, develop compelling technical solutions, and help win large-scale enterprise engagements.

Key Responsibilities

Pre-Sales & Solution Architecture

• Lead technical discovery sessions with enterprise clients to understand business objectives, data challenges, and AI opportunities.

• Design and present enterprise-scale Data & AI solutions leveraging Microsoft Azure technologies.

• Partner with sales executives to develop technical strategies, proposals, statements of work, and solution presentations.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to CIOs, CTOs, CDOs, and other senior business and technology leaders.

• Translate complex technical concepts into clear business value, measurable outcomes, and return on investment.

• Lead technical workshops, architecture discussions, demonstrations, and proof-of-concept engagements.

• Support opportunity qualification, solution scoping, effort estimation, and technical deal strategy.

Data, Analytics & AI Architecture

• Architect modern cloud-based data platforms, analytics ecosystems, and AI/ML solutions.

• Design solutions involving enterprise data integration, data engineering, data warehousing, and advanced analytics.

• Develop AI strategies incorporating machine learning, generative AI, and intelligent automation.

• Recommend scalable, secure, and cost-effective Azure architectures.

• Provide architectural guidance on data governance, security, performance, and operational excellence.

• Collaborate with delivery teams to ensure proposed solutions are technically feasible and aligned with client requirements.

Technical Leadership & Business Development

• Serve as a senior technical leader throughout the sales lifecycle.

• Build strong relationships with Microsoft, enterprise customers, and internal stakeholders.

• Help identify new Data & AI consulting opportunities within existing and prospective accounts.

• Stay current with emerging Microsoft Azure technologies, AI capabilities, and industry trends.

• Mentor solution architects and contribute to the development of reusable architectures, technical assets, and sales accelerators.

Required Qualifications

• Extensive experience in enterprise solution architecture, cloud consulting, data engineering, analytics, or AI/ML.

• Strong hands-on technical background in Microsoft Azure Data & AI technologies.

• Demonstrated experience designing complex enterprise data platforms and AI solutions.

• Deep understanding of machine learning, data science, modern data architectures, and cloud-based analytics.

• Experience supporting pre-sales engagements, technical discovery, solution demonstrations, and enterprise proposals.

• Ability to communicate effectively with both senior technical stakeholders and executive business leaders.

• Strong consultative selling, presentation, and relationship-building skills.

• Experience collaborating with sales teams to develop solutions and win enterprise business.

• Ability to balance technical depth with commercial considerations, delivery feasibility, and business value.

Preferred Technical Expertise

Microsoft Azure & Data Platforms

• Azure Databricks

• Microsoft Fabric

• Azure Synapse Analytics

• Azure Data Factory

• Azure Data Lake Storage

• Azure SQL

• Microsoft Purview

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

• Azure AI Foundry

• Azure Machine Learning

• Azure OpenAI

• Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs)

• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

• AI agents and agentic workflows

• MLOps and responsible AI practices

Data Engineering & Analytics

• Python and SQL

• Apache Spark / PySpark

• Data pipelines and ETL/ELT

• Data modeling and lakehouse architectures

• Enterprise data governance and security

• Power BI and business intelligence

Ideal Candidate Profile

The strongest candidates will combine three critical strengths:

• Deep technical expertise: A proven background designing enterprise-scale Azure Data & AI solutions, including modern data platforms, machine learning, and generative AI.

• Pre-sales experience: The ability to lead technical discovery, influence executive stakeholders, develop solutions, and help close complex consulting engagements.

• Business acumen: A consultative mindset with the ability to connect technology investments to measurable business outcomes.

Ideal backgrounds include Principal Solution Architect, Data & AI Solutions Architect, Azure AI Architect, Cloud Solution Architect, or Data & AI Consulting Architect.

Experience with Microsoft, Azure-focused consulting firms, or major technology consulting organizations would be especially relevant.