Job Description:
The Principal Solutions Architect is the highest-level individual contributor within the Solutions Engineering & Architecture organization and represents the top of the individual contributor career ladder. This role operates with significant autonomy and serves as an authoritative technical expert in data center physical infrastructure, including interconnection, electrical fit-outs, power distribution, resilience engineering, heat-rejection systems, and data center construction methodologies. The Principal Solutions Architect proactively identifies emerging customer requirements, architectural risks, and industry trends, translating complex engineering challenges into measurable business outcomes. This role provides technical leadership across Architecture, Engineering, Product, Data Center Operations, and Executive Sales functions, with a primary focus on pre-sales technical leadership and customer decision support, while also representing the company externally through published research, conference speaking engagements, and standards participation as appropriate based on business needs and individual strengths.
Key Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions
- Independently define and lead solution strategy for high-value and strategic sales pursuits, acting as the principal technical authority for data center infrastructure, interconnection, power, and mechanical system design.
- Proactively engage strategic customers during pre-sales cycles to anticipate long-term architectural needs, business drivers, growth plans, and infrastructure risks.
- Architect non-standard, highly complex physical infrastructure solutions, ensuring alignment with customer priorities, internal facility capabilities, and long-term platform strategy.
- Lead customer requirement-gathering sessions and executive workshops, translating technical constraints into clear architectural approaches and business narratives.
- Provide executive-level technical storytelling and solution justification during RFP responses, design workshops, and final customer selection processes.
- Serve as the final escalation point for solution integrity, ensuring designs meet engineering standards, resilience objectives, and customer business outcomes.
- Establish, evolve, and evangelize architectural standards, reference designs, and best practices for physical data center infrastructure.
- Perform advanced technical evaluations, modeling, and design validation for solutions requiring non-standard engineering or novel approaches.
- Influence product strategy, infrastructure investment decisions, and long-range capacity and resilience planning through customer insight and technical research.
- Act as an informal technical leader across Architecture, Engineering, Product, Operations, and Sales organizations without formal authority.
- Translate complex infrastructure designs into quantified business outcomes, including ROI, TCO, and risk analysis.
- Serve as a primary external technical evangelist, as appropriate based on business needs and individual strengths, representing the company at conferences, industry panels, standards bodies, and customer executive briefings.
- Author white papers, technical briefs, and thought leadership content that position the company as an industry leader in data center and interconnection infrastructure.
- Initiate and drive the development of internal tools, calculators, design frameworks, and enablement materials for Solutions Engineering & Architecture teams.
Required Qualifications
- 15+ years of experience in data center engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical systems, facilities design, or related mission-critical infrastructure fields.
- Deep expertise in power distribution systems, heat rejection systems, mechanical engineering, and facility resilience modeling.
- Strong understanding of data center construction methodologies, commissioning processes, and electrical fit-outs.
- Proven ability to translate engineering complexity into business outcomes such as ROI, TCO, and risk quantification.
- Demonstrated experience presenting at industry events or authoring externally facing technical content.
- Exceptional communication skills across executive, customer, and engineering audiences.
- Demonstrated history of influencing cross-functional strategy and technical direction without formal authority.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
- Professional Engineering (PE) license or equivalent professional certification.
- Experience working with industry standards bodies such as ASHRAE, Uptime Institute, ANSI/BICSI, or similar organizations.
- Experience reviewing or developing commissioning scripts, basis-of-design documents, and MEP construction drawings.
Base Pay Range: Annualized salary range offered for this position is estimated to be $175,000 - $200,000. However, the actual pay range depends on each candidate’s experience, location, and qualifications.
Variable Pay: This role is eligible for commission. The expected annual commission amount is $65,000 based on achievement of targets and other performance indicators.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to work in an office or remote environment with appropriate workspace and connectivity.
- Ability to use a computer keyboard and mouse for extended periods.
- Availability for after-hours customer interaction and networking as required.
- Ability to travel approximately 30–40% of the time to all data center locations.
#LI-Hybrid
Not meeting every single requirement? No problem! We are looking for candidates who possess unique skills that set them apart from the rest. If you're enthusiastic about this role and believe you have the skills and abilities that would make you successful, don't hesitate to apply today!
Benefits of working at Flexential:
• Medical, Telehealth, Dental and Vision
• 401(k)
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Life and AD&D
• Short Term and Long-Term disability
• Flex Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Leave of Absence
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellness Program
• Rewards and Recognition Program
Benefits are subject to change at the Company's discretion.
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EEOC Statement: Flexential is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
