AI Solutions Engineer

Job description

About Us Since 1989, SHI International Corp. has helped organizations change the world through technology. We’ve grown every year since, and today we’re proud to be a $16 billion global provider of IT solutions and services. Over 17,000 organizations worldwide rely on SHI’s concierge approach to help them solve what’s next. But the heartbeat of SHI is our employees – all 7,000 of them. If you join our team, you’ll enjoy: Our commitment to diversity, as the largest minority- and woman-owned enterprise in the U.S. Continuous professional growth and leadership opportunities. Health, wellness, and financial benefits to offer peace of mind to you and your family. World-class facilities and the technology you need to thrive – in our offices or yours. Job Summary We are seeking a highly technical and customer-focused Solutions Engineer specializing in AI Infrastructure and platforms to join our Advanced Growth Technologies team. As a subject matter expert (SME) in AI data center platforms, you will play a critical role in supporting presales activities by designing, configuring, and recommending cutting-edge AI solutions based on NVIDIA DGX systems and OEM (HGX) platforms both Hardware and Software technologies. You will collaborate closely with the Partner Eco-System, AGT, SHI customers and internal field sales teams to translate business requirements into optimized infrastructure solutions, including hardware design and configurations, Bill of Materials (BOM) creation, and performance recommendations. This role requires deep expertise in GPU-accelerated computing, data center architecture, and AI workloads to drive successful customer outcomes. The Solutions Engineer collaborates with the AGT team and SHI account teams to assess customer data center environments and design tailored infrastructure solutions that align with business objectives. This role involves building technical relationships with All AI OEMs, obtaining and providing training to sales teams and customers, managing the solution practice pipeline, and engaging with various client contacts to identify technology opportunities across Data Center, Cloud (NCPs), Network, Security, and Services spaces. Role Description Serve as the primary AI Infrastructure SME, providing expert guidance on NVIDIA DGX platforms and compatible OEM solutions for AI training, inference, and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads. Work with and assess customer requirements through discovery and qualification sessions, workshops, and technical consultations to design tailored AI data center solutions. Create detailed hardware configurations, including server, storage, networking, and GPU components, ensuring scalability, performance, and cost-efficiency. Utilize Reference Architectures provided by all OEMs, validate and recommend properly aligned solutions. Develop and maintain accurate Bills of Materials (BOMs) for proposed solutions, incorporating power, cooling, and rack considerations. Deliver technical presentations, proofs of concept (POCs), and solution demonstrations to customers and internal teams. Provide recommendations on best practices for AI infrastructure deployment, optimization, and integration with existing environments. Support field sales teams by participating in customer meetings, responding to RFPs/RFIs, and addressing technical objections during the sales cycle. Collaborate with vendors (e.g., NVIDIA, OEM partners) to stay current on product roadmaps, certifications, and emerging technologies. Contribute to internal knowledge sharing by documenting solutions, creating playbooks, and training sales teams on AI infrastructure trends. Monitor industry developments in AI hardware, including GPUs, accelerators, and data center innovations, to inform solution strategies. Collaborate with account teams to evaluate and understand customer data center environments and infrastructure technologies. Design and propose tailored infrastructure solutions that align with customers' business objectives and outcomes. Build and maintain technical relationships with OEMs and strategic partners, while staying updated on the latest product information. Provide product training and technical education to the sales team and customers. Act as a trusted AI advisor for customers, partnering with Field Account Executives. Manage the solution practice pipeline by developing strategies for top prospects and acquiring new business. Identify and uncover technology opportunities within Data Center, Cloud, Network, Security, Collaboration, and Services spaces. Develop solutions that fit customers’ needs and budgets through strategic planning. Engage with multiple layers of client contacts, including CIOs, IT Directors, and CTOs, to ensure comprehensive account management. Educate and develop AGT and SHI teams on technical selling, product training, services, and technology trends. Behaviors and Competencies Presenting: Can design and deliver engaging presentations, adapting the content and style to suit the audience, context, and medium. Negotiation: Can proactively seek out negotiation opportunities, initiate discussions, and contribute to conflict resolution. Communication: Can effectively communicate complex ideas and information to diverse audiences and can facilitate effective communication between others. Detail-Oriented: Can manage complex tasks or projects, identifying errors or inconsistencies, and ensuring all details are addressed, necessary corrections are made, and quality is maintained. Organization: Can effectively coordinate multiple projects, delegate tasks where appropriate, and employ advanced organizational tools and methods. Follow-Up: Can proactively identify tasks that require follow-up, initiate necessary actions, and contribute to efficient workflow management. Problem-Solving: Can proactively identify potential problems, initiate preventive measures, and propose and contribute to innovative solutions. Relationship Building: Can proactively seek out opportunities to expand networks, initiate collaborations, and contribute to team cohesion. Documentation: Can develop comprehensive documentation standards, implement best practices, and ensure documentation supports operational efficiency. Results Orientation: Can set challenging goals for their team and lead them to achieve these goals, demonstrating a consistent track record of results. Skill Level Requirements Experience working in complex Data Center sales opportunities - Intermediate Ability to design data center infrastructures that include hybrid cloud, hyper converged, software-defined data center (SDDC), infrastructure/platform as a service, automation, containerization, and Data Center Management Platforms - Intermediate Strong knowledge of Virtualization technologies, Hypervisors, server virtualization, Software Defined Data Center, containerization, and automation - Intermediate Ability to effectively communicate and sell complex technical products or services by understanding customer needs, articulating the value proposition, and providing technical expertise to support the sales process - Intermediate Expertise in mainstream technologies to include: Dell Technologies, NetApp, HPE, Cisco, Pure Storage, Azure, AWS, Veeam, Nutanix - Intermediate Experience with Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity and High Availability Solutions (backup/recovery, data protection, mirroring, active/standby, active/active, clustering) - Intermediate Other Requirements Completed Bachelor’s Degree or relevant work experience required 5+ years of experience in presales engineering, solutions architecture, or technical consulting focused on data center infrastructure, preferably with AI/ML/HPC workloads. Proven expertise with NVIDIA DGX systems, GPU technologies (e.g., CUDA, NCCL), and AI data center platforms. Hands-on experience with OEM AI server platforms (e.g., Dell, HPE, Lenovo) and configuring AI-optimized solutions. Strong knowledge of data center components: servers, storage (NVMe, high-performance), networking (InfiniBand, Ethernet), power, and cooling systems. Experience creating BOMs, sizing infrastructure for AI workloads, and performing cost/performance analysis. Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences. Ability to travel to SHI, Partner, and Customer Events Preferred Skills Certifications in NVIDIA (e.g., DGX Certified) or relevant vendor technologies. Experience in Enterprise Datacenter technologies and solutions. Knowledge and Experience in datacenter, power and cooling technologies. Familiarity with AI software stacks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Kubernetes for AI). Experience in cloud-hybrid AI deployments or large-scale data center projects. Knowledge of the AI Factory concept, NCPs, AI Cloud Providers Strong problem-solving skills and a customer-centric mindset. The estimated annual pay range for this position is $100,000 - $250,000 which includes a base salary and bonus. The compensation for this position is dependent on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and market location and, therefore, will vary from individual to individual. Benefits may include, but are not limited to, medical, vision, dental, 401K, and flexible spending. Equal Employment Opportunity – M/F/Disability/Protected Veteran Status