Salesforce Solution Architect, open to any location in the US
Plano, TX

Job Description

Job Description:

Responsibilities:

Opportunity Analysis

* Engages IT, business and CxO management, key presenter and influencer, trusted advisor
* Develops business and technology roadmap and strategy
* Ensures competitive position is fed back to portfolio management
* Understands company's end to end solutions which best address customer needs.
* Creates value and constantly qualifies for the company.
* Identifies services opportunities for the company in customer's enterprise information technology and business processes
* Contributes to win strategies and definition of win themes, including business case development and solution approach
* Is aware of market price for offerings in scope

Solution Design and Development

* Shapes, interprets and helps define client requirements to ensure they address business goals
* Redefines services, service level agreement and other requirements based on client objectives. Integrates additional services, approaches that add value, improving Total Cost of Ownership and/or business case
* Allocates allowable cost targets for solutions. Validates results using comparable deal history, competitor and market data. Captures and highlights risks and any associated costs
* Creates innovative delivery approaches to meet real client needs
* Applies top-down or yellowpad tool estimates where appropriate in deal cycle. Validates against client base and business case. Provides feedback and ownership for cost issues
* Models major components of most towers. Understands impact and estimates variation across all towers caused by changes in significant deal variables. Optimizes solution through balancing cross-tower interactions. Optimizes overall client Total Cost of Ownership impact of solution

Solution Leadership

* Contributes to solution methodology (repeatability, innovation, speed). Delivers concrete, sustainable improvements to the team and broader solutioning community. Shares and advocates best practice
* Influences internal leads, pursuit team leaders, offering management, Delivery at first or second line leader level
* Drives solution and/or pursuit realignment to support higher business value, supports pursuit win themes and value propositions, generates Total Cost of Ownership impact, engages and leads vendors and partners to create solutions
* Articulates client business value previously not discovered or identified, integrates into company's story and solution
* Engages and tasks peers and subject matter experts appropriately, defining vision, desired services and products.

Solution-Pursuit Integration

* Leads, coordinates inter-tower solution linkage and optimization. Leverages in-flight and scheduled client and delivery projects and initiatives for enhanced solution efficiency and/or cost advantage
* Identifies opportunities to leverage portfolio, delivery and client strategic directions and investments. Guides integration in solutioning and client value communication
* Review and provide input to financial assumptions, commercial T&Cs and contract definitions
* Drafts and reviews contract adjustments to support solution provisions. Highlights terms and conditions impact of cross-tower solution provisions. Identifies and mitigates business risk
* Analyzes solution, delivery and client requirements to identify transition issues, asset or employee transfer needs. Defines new approaches for transition, enhancing speed, efficiency, accuracy and client satisfaction. Includes integration with client processes and policies, delivery tools deployment, staffing and process startup
* Directs governance activities, negotiates with governance process leaders on deal needs. Drives and leads reviews, including higher-level Delivery review, commercial and executive governance reviews

Client/Customer Relationship

* Builds strong professional relationships with key IT and business executives globally
* Communicates the value of technology in business terms
* Understands and addresses CxO issues in relevant business terms
* Applies strong consultative selling techniques to advance opportunities
* Is perceived as a trusted technical advisor by the customer
* Manages problem resolution and customer satisfaction issues through strong partnering capabilities
* Participates in client negotiations, influences strategies and leads technical contract elements

Account Team Collaboration

* Actively participates with the account team in account and opportunity planning on a global basis
* Understands the roles and effectively directs other teams and resources within the company and partners

Education and Experience:

* Technical university or Bachelor preferred; Masters degree preferred or equivalent experience
* 12+ years experience in solution selling and/or consultative selling and delivery or account management
* 5-10 years experience in project/program management
* 5 years experience with Salesforce including Sales, Marketing, Customer and Commerce clouds

Knowledge and Skills:

Technical Solution

* Demonstrates expert knowledge of outsourcing services and solutions
* Keeps informed about CRM and e-commerce industry platforms and surveys, news, leaders
* Applies deep understanding of technical innovations and trends to solving customer business problems
* Has in-depth understanding of the product and services portfolio roadmaps of multiple business units, deep knowledge in area of specialization

Business

* Understands and applies best practices for innovative CRM and e-commerce models in outsourcing services that bring long term business value to customer solutions
* Expertly leverages financial and accounting concepts in demonstrating business value of proposed solutions to customers
* In-depth knowledge of customer value chain used to create and propose new solutions

Industry

* Extensive level of CRM industry acumen; keeps current with trends and able to converse on multiple client levels about requirements, solution, issues and challenges

Ongoing Development

* Participates in company-sponsored programs and initiatives. Provides expert input to account and delivery activities
* Self-assesses areas for additional development and initiates action. Formal and informal technology training. Maintains industry certifications. Mentors lower tiers