Microsoft Data Solution Architect (Pre-Sales & Consulting)

Location: Woodmead

Employment Type: strongull-Time

About the Role

Our client is seeking an experienced Microsoft Data Solution Architect strongo join their high-performing Consulting and Sales team. This is a client-facing, pre-sales leadership role where you will serve as the primary technical authority throughout the customer acquisition journey.

Working closely with Sales, Consulting, and Delivery teams, you will engage with executive stakeholders to understand complex business challenges, translate requirements into innovative Microsoft Data & AI solutions, and develop compelling solution architectures that enable customers to modernise their data platforms and unlock business value.

This role is ideal for someone who combines deep Microsoft Data Platform expertise with exceptional consulting, solution design, and commercial acumen.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Pre-sales Leadership

• Act as the primary technical advisor during the customer acquisition and solution advisory process.
• Partner with Sales teams to identify, qualify, shape, and secure consulting and managed services opportunities.
• Lead technical discovery workshops to understand customer business objectives, challenges, and transformation goals.
• Build trusted relationships with executive and technical stakeholders.

Solution Architecture & Design

• Translate complex customer requirements into scalable Microsoft Data & Analytics solution architectures.
• Design high-level solution blueprints across modern Microsoft data technologies.
• Develop compelling technical solution narratives that clearly articulate business value and return on investment.
• Produce architecture diagrams, solution proposals, statements of work, and technical presentations.

Microsoft Data & Ai Advisory

Provide technical leadership across the Microsoft Data ecosystem, including:

• Microsoft Fabric
• Azure Data Platform
• Azure Synapse Analytics
• Azure Data Factory
• Azure Databricks
• Microsoft Purview
• Power BI
• Azure SQL
• Azure Data Lake
• Microsoft AI and Analytics services

Client Engagement

• Present technical solutions to executive audiences and technical stakeholders.
• Conduct architecture workshops, demonstrations, proof-of-concepts (POCs), and solution envisioning sessions.
• Provide strategic guidance on cloud adoption, data modernisation, governance, analytics, and AI initiatives.
• Act as a trusted advisor throughout the sales lifecycle.

Proposal Development

• Collaborate with Sales and Delivery teams to prepare high-quality proposals and solution documentation.
• Contribute to RFP, RFI, and tender responses.
• Estimate effort, define delivery approaches, and identify project risks.
• Ensure proposed solutions align with customer business objectives and industry best practices.

Collaboration

• Work closely with Consulting, Delivery, Engineering, and Managed Services teams to ensure successful project transition.
• Support knowledge sharing and contribute to the continuous improvement of solution offerings.
• Stay current with Microsoft's evolving data, analytics, and AI technologies.

Minimum Requirements

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in:
  • Computer Science
  • Information Technology
  • Software Engineering
  • Data Science
  • Engineering
  • or a related discipline

Experience

• 8+ years of experience delivering Microsoft Data Platform solutions.
• Proven experience in Solution Architecture, Technical Consulting, or Pre-Sales.
• Demonstrated success supporting enterprise sales engagements and winning complex consulting opportunities.
• Experience engaging with C-level executives and senior business stakeholders.
• Experience designing enterprise-scale cloud data platforms.

Technical Skills

Strong expertise across the Microsoft Data ecosystem, including:

Microsoft Data Platform

• Microsoft Fabric
• Azure Synapse Analytics
• Azure Data Factory
• Azure Databricks
• Microsoft Purview
• Azure SQL Database
• Azure Data Lake Storage
• Azure Analysis Services
• SQL Server
• Power BI

Cloud Platforms

• Microsoft Azure
• Azure AI Services
• Azure OpenAI
• Azure Machine Learning

Data & Analytics

• Modern Data Warehousing
• Data Engineering
• Data Integration
• Data Governance
• Master Data Management
• Business Intelligence
• Data Visualisation
• Advanced Analytics

Architecture

• Enterprise Architecture
• Cloud Architecture
• Solution Architecture
• Integration Architecture
• Security and Governance

Key Competencies

• Strong consultative and client engagement skills
• Exceptional solution architecture and design capability
• Commercial awareness with the ability to align technology to business outcomes
• Excellent presentation and storytelling skills
• Strong stakeholder management across executive and technical audiences
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving ability
• Ability to simplify complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders
• Strong proposal writing and documentation skills
• Collaborative leadership and mentoring capability

Preferred Certifications

The following certifications will be advantageous:

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate
• TOGAF Certification
• Azure Administrator Associate

Why Join Our Client?

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the forefront of Microsoft Data, Analytics, and AI transformation. You will play a pivotal role in shaping enterprise data strategies, influencing customer technology roadmaps, and delivering innovative cloud solutions that create measurable business value.

If you are passionate about combining technical excellence with strategic customer engagement and want to help organisations unlock the full potential of Microsoft's data and AI ecosystem, we invite you to apply.