Experienced Customer Solutions Architect and Technical Leader - Cloud and Data Solutions Development and Implementation at blithequark

Introduction to blithequark

blithequark has been at the forefront of innovation, pioneering a tech journey that has seen the company become the first large bank to fully adopt the public cloud. This bold move has enabled blithequark to operate efficiently in a complex and highly regulated business environment. With a large engineering organization in place, the company has successfully moved to the cloud, re-architected its applications and data platforms, and embraced machine learning at scale. The AI/ML capabilities developed by blithequark are now leading the way in what's possible in banking, with notable examples such as blithequark Eno.

Through this journey, blithequark's teams have built and battle-tested new capabilities to meet the evolving needs of the business. The company has open-sourced several software tools it has developed, such as Cloud Custodian and Hygieia, and has forged new partnerships with other digital leaders, including Microsoft. As a result, blithequark has developed a suite of internal solutions uniquely designed to meet the challenges of a digital-first, cloud-first business at scale.

Recognizing that many other businesses are facing similar data management needs as they accelerate their cloud and data journeys, blithequark is now exploring how to bring some of its tools to market as enterprise B2B software solutions. This exciting development has created new opportunities for talented professionals to join the blithequark team and contribute to the company's continued growth and success.

Role Overview

The blithequark Software team is seeking a customer-centric, energetic, and highly motivated individual to join its team as a Customer Solutions Architect. The ideal candidate will be entrepreneurial by nature, comfortable working with diverse cross-functional teams, and talented at helping customers align technical and business outcomes. A key aspect of this role is the ability to obsess over removing friction from the overall customer experience and thrive in an environment driven by bold ideas, collaboration, and creativity.

Specifically, blithequark is looking for experienced and collaborative technical pre-sales individuals to partner with technically skilled customers, internal Product and Engineering teams, and other cross-functional verticals. In this role, the successful candidate will need to be technically capable and credible in their own right, as well as effective in shaping the customer and solutions-focused skills of their team. A passion for learning and introducing new technology to help colleagues and customers embrace and adopt new solutions is essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Cultivate trust and build relationships with customers by identifying, documenting, and measuring pain points and desired business outcomes.
• Effectively advocate and represent the voice of customers to influence organizational objectives, product roadmaps, and improve the overall customer experience.
• Manage relevant customer activity, identify risk and growth opportunities, and partner with internal teams to mitigate risks or close opportunities.
• Build and manage key processes, including product fit and tech fit discoveries, customer technical wins, customer FAQs, customer objections, customer feedback, and customer tech research.
• Serve as a knowledge resource and escalation point for coworkers and customers.
• Autonomously work through complex situations and ambiguous environments by building mechanisms and solutions to close gaps and grow the business.
• Lead cross-functionally to achieve organizational objectives, including the attainment of targets for customer solution needs, product fit, product growth, and evolution.
• Lead high customer satisfaction through the use of data and proactive solutions.
• Productively challenge the status quo with clarity, identifying and proposing different approaches and solutions.
• Conduct periodic check-ins with customers to ensure product fit and align on ways to drive more value together through technical solutioning.
• Develop and maintain technical support procedures and policies.
• Build credibility and trust within the team and with business customers and stakeholders.
• Drive architecture/design reviews for customers focused on business requirements, and as needed, design, plan, and manage architectural projects.
• Analyze, define, and document requirements for data, workflow, logical processes, hardware, and operating system environment to support customer needs.
• Work with business partners, architects, and other groups to identify technical and functional needs of systems and determine priority of needs.
• Stay current with new technology options and products, evaluating which ones would be a good fit for the customer or even a good fit for blithequark to develop.

Key Areas of Focus for Customer Solutions Architects

• Trusted Advisor: Serve as the front line for customers' tech, product, and cyber needs, as well as for solutioning product-specific improvements.
• Customer Ambassador: Represent the voice of the customer and customer needs in internal discussions and working groups.
• Demonstrate Value: Focus on identifying the best solutions that bring value to customers.
• Thought Leadership: Use research and customer solutioning experiences to build and share thought leadership both internally and externally.
• Subject Matter Experts: Gain deep understanding of products and deep subject matter expertise across technology domains to best advise customers, solve complex problems, and identify areas of improvement for products.
• Pre-Sales & Post-Sales: Serve customers predominantly in the pre-sales stages, determining how to best implement products for their needs, and also solve for any unique requests in the post-sales stages.
• Solution-Oriented: Focus on finding solutions to address every customer problem and need using every tool, skillset, and creativity at disposal.
• Channel Partnership: Collaborate with Partner Sales Engineers and Partner Sellers on joint customer strategies and joint value props, as applicable for different products.

Essential Qualifications

To be considered for this role, candidates must have:

• A Bachelor's degree or military experience.
• At least 4 years of experience in a customer-facing role in an organization or entrepreneurial context.
• At least 3 years of experience working with cross-functional teams.
• At least 3 years of experience with cloud services (such as AWS, GCP, Azure), or data clouds (such as Snowflake, Databricks), and data manipulation languages (such as SQL).
• At least 2 years of experience with design, implementation, or consulting experience of distributed applications.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred candidates will have:

• A Master's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology.
• A high level of comfort communicating effectively across internal and external organizations.
• A history of successful technical consulting and/or architecture engagements with large-scale customers or enterprises.
• 2+ years of experience in developing, marketing, selling, or supporting a client-facing technical product or service at scale.
• 2+ years of experience in a cybersecurity role or understanding of cybersecurity concepts with an ability to learn quickly and apply critical thinking when challenged with customer questions.

Career Growth Opportunities and Learning Benefits

At blithequark, we are committed to the growth and development of our employees. As a Customer Solutions Architect, you will have the opportunity to:

• Develop your leadership skills and dive deep into various hands-on solutions while developing new skills.
• Make strong contributions in architecture transformation discussions.
• Work with a talented team of professionals who are passionate about delivering exceptional customer experiences.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends in the industry.
• Participate in training and development programs to enhance your skills and knowledge.

Work Environment and Company Culture

blithequark is a dynamic and innovative company that values diversity, inclusion, and creativity. Our work environment is collaborative, fast-paced, and exciting, with a focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences. We offer a range of benefits, including:

• Comprehensive health, financial, and other benefits that support your total well-being.
• A competitive salary and incentive compensation package.
• Opportunities for career growth and development.
• A dynamic and innovative work environment.
• A talented team of professionals who are passionate about delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Compensation, Perks, and Benefits

blithequark offers a comprehensive compensation package that includes:

• A competitive salary range of $170,700 - $194,800 per year, depending on location and experience.
• Performance-based incentive compensation, including cash bonuses and long-term incentives.
• A range of benefits, including health, financial, and other benefits that support your total well-being.
• Opportunities for career growth and development.
• A dynamic and innovative work environment.

Conclusion

If you are a motivated and customer-focused professional with a passion for technology and innovation, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity to join the blithequark team as a Customer Solutions Architect. With its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and creativity, blithequark is the perfect place to grow your career and make a real impact in the industry. Don't miss out on this chance to be part of a dynamic and innovative team that is shaping the future of technology and customer experience.