Principal Consultant

Softchoice•Chicago, FL

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Softchoice is reimagining the role we play in our customers' lives, and we are seeking exceptional people to lead that charge within our Cloud practice. As the Solution Lead, you are the senior-most technical and delivery authority for multi-cloud engagements spanning Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. You are the person who walks into a C-level conversation, translates complex business challenges into cloud transformation strategies, and then leads a team of architects and consultants to deliver them. You bridge pre-sales and delivery seamlessly — your clients trust you to define what good looks like, and your team trusts you to back them up when things get hard. This is not a role for someone who knows one cloud platform well. It requires genuine fluency across all three major providers — the ability to guide customers to the right platform decisions based on their workloads, governance requirements, and long-term strategy. In addition to technical depth is business acumen to drive the financial success of a P&L, the maturity to lead senior practitioners, and the presence to represent Softchoice at the highest levels of a client organization.

Requirements

12+ years of progressive experience in enterprise IT, with clear progression through both technical delivery and leadership roles
5+ years leading multi-disciplinary teams of architects and/or consultants on complex, client-facing engagements
Demonstrated track record spanning both pre-sales solution design and full-lifecycle delivery ownership — not one or the other
Proven experience leading financial oversight for engagements, balancing P&L performance with forward-looking forecasting, clear reporting, and risk mitigation strategies.
Genuine fluency across all three major cloud providers — not deep in one and passable in others. You can architect, compare, and defend platform decisions across AWS, Azure, and GCP
Hands-on expertise in cloud architecture patterns: migrations (lift-and-shift through full re-architecture), cloud-native application design, multi-cloud governance, landing zone design, IaaS/PaaS, and hybrid cloud
Strong command of cloud security frameworks, identity and access management, and compliance controls across all three providers
Proficiency with infrastructure-as-code and automation tooling (Terraform, Bicep, CloudFormation, Ansible) — able to review and guide engineers, not just describe concepts
Comfort operating at multiple altitudes: from whiteboard strategy sessions with CIOs to reviewing architecture and cost designs with engineers
Active and current certifications across all three providers (required)
Amazon Web Services AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02) — required
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) — required
Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect — required
Executive presence: ability to command a room, simplify complexity for non-technical audiences, and build trust with client leadership quickly
Structured problem-solver: asks the right questions, uncovers root cause, and drives to clear, actionable recommendations
Entrepreneurial mindset: manages engagements as if they were their own business — focused on outcomes, profitability, and client satisfaction simultaneously
Exceptional written and verbal communication: able to produce and review client-ready deliverables (strategies, roadmaps, business cases, architecture designs) to a publishable standard
Ability to travel up to 15% domestically
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field required

Nice To Haves

AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional (DOP-C02) — preferred
AWS Certified Security – Specialty — preferred
Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400) — preferred
Google Cloud Professional Cloud Security Engineer — preferred
Google Cloud Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer — preferred
Certifications in AI/ML cloud services across any of the three providers
Master's degree in a technical or business discipline preferred; equivalent demonstrated experience will be considered

Responsibilities

Serve as the highest-level technical authority for cloud engagements — the final escalation point for solution design, architecture decisions, and technical risk across AWS, Azure, and GCP
Lead the design and delivery of complex, multi-workstream cloud transformations: migrations, modernizations, cloud-native builds, multi-cloud governance, and cloud security frameworks
Guide customers through provider-selection decisions with objectivity — recommending the right cloud platform (or combination of platforms) based on workload fit, cost, compliance, and long-term strategy
Review and approve architecture documents, deployment plans, technical assessments, and statements of work to ensure quality, consistency, and alignment with Softchoice standards
Stay at the leading edge of cloud innovation — translate emerging trends (AI/ML services, cloud-native development, platform engineering) into practical service offerings
Maintain active certifications across all three major cloud providers; represent Softchoice as a thought leader at industry events, partner briefings, and customer advisory boards
Act as a trusted advisor to C-level and VP-level client stakeholders — conduct discovery, define business outcomes, and craft tailored transformation roadmaps that create measurable value
Partner with account teams through the full sales cycle: lead solution scoping workshops, develop business cases, author and review statements of work, and respond to RFPs and RFIs
Identify, shape, and support new business opportunities within existing accounts — introduce new Softchoice capabilities and cross-practice offerings to expand client relationships
Quantify the value of proposed transformations; help clients understand how to measure and track success
Lead the delivery of complex, multi-phase engagements from initiation to closure — own scope, quality, timeline, and profitability
Partner with PMO counterparts to manage risks, issues, resource plans, and client communications; function as the "Two in the Box" technical lead
Hold team members, contractors, and partners accountable to Softchoice delivery standards and best practices
Drive up- and cross-sell opportunities organically from within active engagements
Mentor, coach, and develop architects, senior consultants, and consultants on their technical growth, utilization performance, and delivery quality throughout engagements
Build a high-performance project culture: create psychological safety, encourage candid debate, and model Softchoice values of personal growth, customer passion, taking care of others, and owning the end result
Contribute to hiring decisions, onboarding, and capability development for the Cloud practice team
Represent the practice in leadership forums — bring forward insights on market trends, team health, and strategic opportunities