Chief Solution Architect (Pre-sales, AI + Data Transformation)

Job description

CHIEF SOLUTION ARCHITECT (PRE-SALES, AI + DATA TRANSFORMATION) Reporting to: Managing Director, UK&I As Google Cloud's premier partner in AI and Data Transformation, we provide world-class businesses with the strategic consulting and technical execution required for cutting-edge data solutions in the cloud. We partner with clients to push the limits of leading technology by combining our expertise in machine learning, data engineering, and analytics. With Google Cloud Platform as our foundation, we help businesses future-proof their solutions, deepen their understanding of consumers, increase competitive advantage, and unlock massive operational efficiencies through data transformation programs. The Role Datatonic is seeking a Chief Solution Architect as the first hire in our new pre-sales function to help shape, qualify, and win our most strategic data, AI, and Agentic transformations. This role sits at the intersection of data & AI consulting, technical advisory, and industry storytelling. You will partner with the Account Manager and technical/engineering leadership to grow our most strategic accounts across Telecommunications, FSI, Media, and Agencies. You will help take our clients along a transformative journey in their thinking about what is possible with data and AI. This will result in large-scale engagements with direct links to the C-suite. You will run early discovery, define solutions, shape SOWs, and represent Datatonic’s offerings in the market. You do not need to manage people, but you must be exceptional with technical and business stakeholders, able to build trust quickly, and comfortable presenting at C-suite and architect levels. What You’ll Do PRE-SALES LEADERSHIP - Lead early discovery alongside Sales: understand business pain points, qualify opportunities, and translate ambiguity into structured technical narratives. - Take an insight-led approach to bring industry best practices in data and AI to shape and guide clients’ strategic transformations - Architect data, ML, and GenAI solutions on Google Cloud. - Own scoping, estimation, and writing of Statements of Work and RFP responses in collaboration with Sales and Delivery. - Support RFP responses, solution reviews, and deal strategy for opportunities and accounts £1m+. STRATEGIC ADVISORY - Facilitate client workshops on AI strategy, platform modernization, and GenAI readiness, with a lens toward bringing our clients along on a transformative journey in their approach to data and AI. - Build POVs and architecture options that balance business value, feasibility, and cost. - Act as a trusted advisor for our clients across data platforms, MLOps, Generative and Agentic AI, and application design. THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, GTM & VERTICAL EXPERTISE - Represent Datatonic on site at client, at events, conferences, partner sessions, and executive dinners - Work with our GTM team to create industry-relevant content (decks, briefs, POVs) tailored for Telecommunications, FSI, Media, and Agencies and help shape our offering by surfacing patterns, reusable architectures, and packaged solutions. - Work with the Office of the CTO and our Architecture delivery team to establish standards, handbooks, and technical best practices for data and agentic deployments. - Enable Sales and Delivery teams on industry trends, discovery patterns, and Datatonic accelerators. What You Bring - 7–12 years of experience in data, analytics, ML, or cloud engineering/architecture, including in large scale digital/data/AI transformations, with at least 3 years in a pre-sales or client-facing advisory role. - Strong knowledge of cloud-based architectures (including infrastructure, data architecture, governance), application design, and Generative and Agentic AI concepts and deployments. - Hands-on depth in GCP is ideal, but strong AWS/Azure SAs with a proven ability to cross-skill to GCP quickly will be considered. - Excellent written and verbal communication; able to simplify complex technical ideas for business leaders. - A consultative sales approach with experience shaping deals over $1M. - Comfortable presenting to C-suite, negotiating trade-offs, and influencing stakeholders. - Ideally, a track record in at least one of our verticals: Telecommunications, FSI, Media, and Agencies What Success Looks Like (first 12 months) - Consistently shaping and winning large scale data and AI transformations for our biggest clients. - Recognized by Sales as the go-to technical partner for complex pursuits. - Recognized by Delivery for the accuracy of SOW scoping and technical leadership when needed. - Trusted by strategic accounts as a value-driven advisor. - Strong contribution as a thought leader to vertical narratives, events, and Datatonic’s GTM.