Principal Solution Architect, Data & AI

At CDW, we make it happen, together. Trust, connection, and commitment are at the heart of how we work together to deliver for our customers. It’s why we’re coworkers, not just employees. Coworkers who genuinely believe in supporting our customers and one another. We collectively forge our path forward with a level of commitment that speaks to who we are and where we’re headed. We’re proud to share our story and Make Amazing Happen at CDW.

Job Summary

The Principal Solution Architect, AI will act as the expert link between our customers, internal sales organisation and our technical architects, bringing subject matter expertise in positioning CDW Custom AI solutions and capabilities, identifying and leading engagements with customers. They will be subject matter experts in the areas of Predicative AI, Machine Learning, Generative AI along with associated capabilities in areas like MLops, Data Pipelines, and DevOps. The role will interface directly with the customers' business, data science and IT Operations teams to establish CDW credibility and position our capabilities to provide AI Strategy, Governance and Platform solutions.

The role also supports the development of the AI Proposition and Offerings as well as developing the architect team and wider department by contributing to team projects and helping team members achieve their own career aspirations, whilst also developing and maintaining their own skills and knowledge through research, self-guided learning, lab time and formal training.

What you will do

• Position CDW Custom AI capabilities - Engage with all Customer AI personas: technical personas (CDO, MLOps, AI/ML Engineer, Data Scientist), outcome-driven personas (CEO, CTO, LOB) and ITDMs (CIO, VP Infrastructure).
• Technical SME on CDW Custom AI – Maintain expert level knowledge and skills through use case and industry research, hands on learning and training as well as engagement with key partner technical leads.
• Technical Conduit - Be the AI SME link between CDW Solution Sales Specialists, Partner BDM’s and domain platform architects (Cloud, Servers, Storage, Networking) to successfully deliver end to end AI outcomes for customers.
• Build and Execute AI Use Case Demos – Provide customer facing demos on the effective use of technology platforms to deliver Generative AI, MLOps, Data Pipelines/Preparation activities
• Architect end-to-end AI systems - integrating data pipelines, machine learning models, and deployment platforms as required to meet customer use cases across a diverse platform portfoio
• Offering Development – Work with the team, leadership, the Office of the CTO, and key stakeholders to continually assess technology trends and our solutions portfolio and support the creation, launch, marketing, and ongoing development of new offerings
• AI Technology Leadership - Stay updated on emerging AI technologies and trends to provide thought leadership, advocate for innovation and ensure continued relevance.
• Multi-technology - Lead complex engagements that require bridging expertise across a range of disciplines including Hybrid Platforms, Modern Workspace, Security and Services to ensure the component parts of a solution come together to deliver quick, pragmatic, and cost-effective outcomes to our customers’ business problems.
• Independent technology viewpoint – Provide independent views and opinions to our customers on how technology and the CDW portfolio can assist in delivering business value and outcomes.
• Sales Engagement – Support the Sales team in breaking into high-value new accounts, demonstrating the experience, expertise and strength of opinion that proves credibility.
• Team Development - Support the development of the wider Solution Sales team and the wider department by contributing to team projects as well as helping less experienced team members achieve their own career aspirations.
• Customer Opportunities - Work with customers, salespeople and Business Development Managers (BDM’s) to qualify opportunities, understand business and technical requirements and design appropriate solutions using the full CDW stack and portfolio whilst maintaining accurate and up to date information in CDW’s CRM system to support sales forecast and pipeline management.
• Documentation - Produce high-quality documentation from solution designs and request for proposal (RFP) responses to total cost ownership (TCO) & return on investment (ROI) models, business cases, high level designs (HLD’s) and statement of works (SoWs)
• CDW Evangelist - driving and evangelising CDW capabilities to our customer base in a credible, friendly, and relatable way. Differentiating CDW through its productised services, consulting capability and full stack expertise.
• SME Evangelist - Explain and evangelise the features, benefits and technical specifications of your subject matter and adjacent technologies, solutions, and services to internal and external audiences.
• Internal Collaboration – Build and develop strong relationships across the business, including with Sales, Professional Services, Managed Services, and the wider Solution Sales community to draw upon as the need arises.
• Partner Engagement – Cultivate strong relationships between with CDW’s partner community to stay up to date with offerings and roadmaps and leverage this knowledge as an agnostic advisor to customers. Work with partners, the partner management team, and other stakeholders to support and drive strategic growth plans and meet agreed targets.
• Commercial Acumen – The role requires that you understand the commercial impact of the proposed solutions and assist customers and CDW’s sales teams in choosing the correct solution to meet budget and expectations.
• Sales Enablement - Assist CDW Salespeople with technical guidance on a variety of products and solutions across a range of customer sizes and types and evangelise the team’s capabilities.
• Accreditation – Attain and maintain the highest level of relevant accreditations for your SME area.
• External Brand – Use social media and other means of effective communication for self-marketing, raising awareness and profile and displaying thought leadership to build your own and CDW’s brand in the market.

What we expect of you

• University or bachelor’s degree or other equivalent qualification in the field of Artificial Intelligence is desirable but not essential
• AI use case identification and translation to deliverable outcomes that are commercially viable.
• Be viewed as expert in given field by coworkers, partners and customers
• Channel experience, working the VAR, Vendor landscape is desirable.
• 5+ years of related experience is essential
• Evidence of judgement-based decision-making trade-offs made, unsuitable approaches rejected, risks identified and commercially credible solutions developed.
• Experience with AI/ML frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn)
• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., Azure AI, AWS SageMaker, Google Cloud AI)
• Experience with Private cloud platforms (HPE Private AI, Nvidia AI Enterprise, Dell AI Factories)
• Understanding of data engineering practices (ETL, data lakes, big data tools like Spark).
• Knowledge of designing scalable, distributed systems.
• Familiarity with model lifecycle management and MLOps practices.
• Ability to align AI initiatives with business outcomes to develop effective use cases and help drive AI Strategies
• Experience in pre-sales engagements and client-facing interactions.
• Passionate about technology and able to demonstrate a depth of expertise in one of the areas that are core to CDW’s portfolio – Hybrid Infrastructure, Cloud, Workspace and Security.
• A broad understanding of technology and its impact on business with an ability to quickly get to grips with new concepts and integrate them into an overall solution.