Solutions Architect (Pre-Sales) Recruiters | Contingency Solutions Architect (Pre-Sales) Headhunters

No upfront fee
Pay only if you hire
Technology only
We reach engineers who aren't on job boards
Replacement guarantee on standard searches

Partner Solutions ArchitectCustomer Solutions ArchitectPartner Solutions ArchitectCustomer Solutions Architect

What this hire really comes down to

The Solutions Architect acts as the definitive design authority in pre-sales engagements. You are tasked with constructing reliable high level architectural roadmaps that solve enterprise scale problems. Unlike other roles, you spend significant time integrating disparate systems and evaluating infrastructure trade-offs. Your primary goal is to ensure the proposed technical strategy is both feasible and scalable for the prospective client.

Your responsibilities include leading complex RFP responses and designing secure, compliant systems for fortune 1000 environments. You bridge the technical gulf between current customer infrastructure and future cloud native architectures. This role requires a heavy emphasis on architectural integrity, systems thinking, and the ability to influence cross functional teams. You serve as the lead technical advisor throughout the sales cycle.

What we check before you see anyone

Enterprise architecture design
We evaluate your experience designing holistic systems across fragmented customer environments. You must demonstrate how you account for existing infrastructure while proposing modern solutions that reduce technical debt. Successful candidates provide evidence of complex system diagrams they have created for high stakes client initiatives. We look for your logic in balancing performance requirements with security and budget constraints during initial design.
Cloud certification validity
We assess your practical knowledge of major cloud platforms through your history of maintaining relevant certifications. Beyond just holding the credentials, we need to know how you have applied these concepts to solve real world scaling and migration challenges. We test the candidate's understanding of cloud architecture patterns and the candidate's ability to recommend the best deployment models for unique enterprise requirements.
RFP leadership experience
Leading RFP responses requires immense attention to detail and clear communication. You must showcase the candidate's ability to interpret complex requirements and formulate winning responses that align with business needs. We look for your experience in coordinating with legal, security, and engineering teams to ensure all technical claims are accurate and defensible against rigorous scrutiny during the procurement and evaluation process.
Security compliance integration
We ask the candidate to explain how you embed security and data privacy into your solutions from the start. We examine your approach to work through compliance requirements such as data residency or industry specific mandates. Candidates must provide examples of how they have addressed security concerns raised by prospect risk management teams while ensuring the proposed architecture remains functional and efficient for users.
Systems integration capability
Their ability to map how a new platform integrates with existing middleware and data warehouses is crucial. We assess your technical fluency in API ecosystems and your experience with common data integration patterns. Applicants must explain how they manage data migration risks and ensure minimal disruption when introducing new technology into a mature, production environment that demands high availability and uptime.
Stakeholder design consensus
This check focuses on the candidate's ability to build consensus among technical and non technical stakeholders during the design process. We examine how you facilitate whiteboard sessions and work through differing opinions about technical direction. You must demonstrate the maturity to guide senior decision makers toward the most architecturally sound path without alienating them or compromising the core integrity of your proposed technical solution.

Send Us Your Open Role Book a 15-minute call with Ivan Call 305-306-4829

Where we find them

We source candidates from cloud infrastructure teams and established systems integrators where technical depth is paramount. The best prospects have transitioned from hands-on engineering or consulting roles into pre-sales architecture. They possess a deep understanding of cloud native patterns and are accustomed to work through the procurement challenges of large scale enterprise environments. We target those with proven technical authority.

Our outreach identifies professionals who have moved into pre-sales after long tenures as infrastructure architects. These individuals have work through the complexity of massive migrations and are comfortable designing for security and scale. We seek out those who have demonstrated consistent success in designing solutions for Fortune 1000 clients and possess the technical credibility required to advise senior IT leadership.

Mistakes we see

Treating a credential as the answer
Do not let enterprise architecture design become a keyword filter. We look for your logic in balancing performance requirements with security and budget constraints during initial design.
Leaving the actual scope out
Put the responsibility for cloud certification validity in the brief, including who helps the hire and who decides. We assess your practical knowledge of major cloud platforms through your history of maintaining relevant certifications.
Waiting until the offer to discuss the work
Discuss what the person will own in rfp leadership experience before the interview loop. We look for your experience in coordinating with legal, security, and engineering teams to ensure all technical claims are accurate and defensible against rigorous scrutiny during the procurement and evaluation process.

The search in three steps

Agree the brief
The selection process begins with a review of your architectural project portfolio and a technical deep dive session. You are asked to present a recent complex design scenario you managed for a client, focusing on your decision process and the outcome. This ensures your technical foundation matches the complexity of the environments we support and the solutions we build.
Find and speak with people
The second stage involves a live architecture whiteboarding exercise where you design a solution for a set of challenging constraints. We evaluate your systematic approach, technical trade off analysis, and ability to address security or operational concerns. Final rounds focus on the candidate's ability to work with commercial counterparts and your capacity to lead technical strategy across multiple high stakes opportunities.
Introduce the people who fit
We send a written brief on each person you meet, including why the work fits and the questions still worth asking about stakeholder design consensus. You decide who to interview. We help with the conversations through the offer.

Questions about this search

When will we see a shortlist?

We agree the search plan after checking your requirements for enterprise architecture design and cloud certification validity, rather than promising a date before the brief is clear. We evaluate your experience designing holistic systems across fragmented customer environments.

What if a candidate gets a counteroffer?

We ask what would make someone leave work involving enterprise architecture design, and what could make them stay. Before you invest in interviews, we discuss whether your offer changes the problem they want to leave, including the responsibility for stakeholder design consensus.

Should this role be remote or on site?

Experience with enterprise architecture design and cloud certification validity does not settle the location question. Tell us what access and supervision the work needs, including who owns decisions about stakeholder design consensus, so we approach people who can accept the arrangement.

How will you check fit before we interview?

We evaluate your experience designing holistic systems across fragmented customer environments. You must demonstrate how you account for existing infrastructure while proposing modern solutions that reduce technical debt. We assess your practical knowledge of major cloud platforms through your history of maintaining relevant certifications.

How does the fee work?

No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. Agree the fee and the responsibilities covering enterprise architecture design and cloud certification validity in the recruiting agreement before the search proceeds.

What if the hire does not work out?

We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement. Make sure the agreed scope includes what you expect of stakeholder design consensus, rather than leaving that discussion until after the start.

Pay snapshot