Senior Solutions Architect - Presales

NetApp • San Jose, CA

1d

About The Position

The DataPelago Solution Architect serves as a technical partner to customers throughout the pre-sales and early-adoption journey. Working with DataPelago and NetApp Account Executives and NetApp AI sales teams, the role identifies customer workloads, designs potential solutions, leads hands-on technical evaluations, and conveys customer requirements to DataPelago's engineering and product teams.

Beyond demonstrations and standard solution configuration, the position helps identify where the technology creates value, drives proof-of-concept execution, establishes measurable success criteria, and advances customer interest toward technical evaluation and deployment. The role calls for expertise in modern data architectures and distributed data processing, along with the agility and ownership required in a startup environment. The architect will also help establish technical practices and field engagement models that can integrate into NetApp as DataPelago matures.

DataPelago is building a data-processing platform that applies accelerated computing to analytics and AI workloads by bringing high-performance compute closer to enterprise data. Following its acquisition by NetApp, DataPelago combines a focused, startup-style operating model with NetApp's customer reach, resources, and enterprise relationships. The position is based in San Jose, California.

Requirements

• 12+ years of overall experience.
• Strong technical experience in databases, data processing, analytics platforms, cloud architecture, or a related area.
• Hands-on experience with distributed data-processing technologies such as Apache Spark, Flink, Trino, Hadoop, or similar frameworks.
• Understanding of enterprise data engineering and analytics workloads, including ETL/ELT, data preparation, batch and stream processing, SQL-based analytics, and large-scale data transformation.
• Proficiency in SQL and Python, including experience analyzing workloads, diagnosing performance bottlenecks, and troubleshooting distributed data-processing environments.
• Familiarity with modern data architectures and platforms, including data lakes, lakehouse, cloud object storage, Databricks, Snowflake, and major cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
• Experience in a customer-facing technical role such as Solution Architect, Sales Engineer, Field Architect, consultant, or customer-facing engineer.
• Experience collaborating with enterprise Account Executives and field technical teams.
• Ability to evaluate early customer leads and assess technical fit, use-case clarity, and readiness for deeper engagement.
• Experience supporting complex evaluations, proofs of concept, or early production deployments.
• Strong communication skills with technical practitioners, architects, business stakeholders, and executives.

Nice To Haves

• Strong Apache Spark experience.
• Experience in both an early-stage technology company and a larger enterprise organization.

Responsibilities

• Partner with DataPelago and NetApp Account Executives to identify and qualify technically compelling customer opportunities.
• Join early customer conversations initiated by NetApp sellers and turn initial interest into structured technical discovery.
• Understand customers' existing architectures, performance bottlenecks, operational constraints, and desired outcomes.
• Design and communicate solution approaches using DataPelago technology.
• Develop and deliver technical presentations, demonstrations, workshops, and proof-of-concept plans.
• Work hands-on with customers during technical evaluations and help remove barriers to adoption.
• Translate complex product capabilities into clear technical and business value.
• Collaborate with DataPelago engineering and product teams to address customer requirements and share field feedback.
• Create reusable solution patterns, discovery questions, technical qualification criteria, competitive guidance, and evaluation methodologies.
• Support early production deployments when continuity between pre-sales discovery and customer implementation is important.
• Build the technical content, processes, and relationships needed to scale DataPelago through NetApp's broader field organization.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package, which may include health insurance, life insurance, retirement or pension plans, paid time off, leave options, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSUs). Offerings vary by region and are governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed