Senior Solutions Architect (VMware)

Location : Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (On-site) Language Requirement : Fluent Arabic and English About Rackspace Technology Rackspace Technology™ is a leading end-to-end, hybrid cloud and AI solutions company. We can design, build, and operate our customers' cloud environments across all major technology platforms, irrespective of technology stack or deployment model. We partner with our customers at every stage of their cloud journey, enabling them to modernize applications, build new products, and adopt innovative technologies. Named a best place to work by Newsweek and Forbes, we attract and develop world-class talent to deliver a Fanatical Experience™ – so our customers can achieve better outcomes and stay ahead of what’s next. The Role We are seeking a Senior Solutions Architect with deep expertise in VMware technologies and infrastructure  modernisation to support strategic sales opportunities across the Middle East region. In this presales-focused role, you will work closely with Sales, Solutions, and Delivery teams to design innovative solutions that address customers' datacentre modernisation, virtualisation, hybrid cloud, disaster recovery, business continuity, and platform transformation requirements. These solutions are often part of broader end-to-end engagements spanning managed services, security, networking, data platforms, and application modernisation. As a senior technical leader, you will act as a trusted advisor to customers while becoming a recognised subject matter expert within Rackspace for VMware and infrastructure modernisation solutions. Key Responsibilities Develop trusted relationships with client executives and technical stakeholders, acting as both a business and technical advisor. Lead customer workshops focused on VMware technologies, private cloud adoption, data centre modernisation, hybrid cloud architectures, and platform transformation strategies. Design and position solutions leveraging VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), vSphere, NSX, VMware Aria Suite, Tanzu, and complementary technologies. Assess customer requirements and develop solution architectures that address current and future business objectives. Lead complex presales engagements, coordinating with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), Product Management, Sales, and Delivery teams. Produce high-quality proposals, RFI/RFP responses, bids, and Statements of Work (SoWs) that clearly articulate customer requirements, solution designs, project scope, and delivery effort. Provide specialist guidance on VMware platforms, migration strategies, infrastructure transformation, and hybrid cloud adoption. Identify buying signals, compelling events, key stakeholders, and potential barriers to successful sales outcomes. Anticipate and address technical and commercial objections, reducing customer risk and increasing confidence in Rackspace solutions. Advise customers on infrastructure operations, platform governance, cloud strategy, and transformation roadmaps. Estimate project effort, resource requirements, and delivery approaches using Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid methodologies. Maintain accurate pipeline, opportunity, and customer engagement information within Salesforce. Contribute to the development of the wider solutions organisation through mentoring, knowledge sharing, and technical leadership. Maintain deep expertise in VMware technologies and stay current with industry developments and market trends. Required Qualifications & Experience Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or a related discipline; alternatively, 10+ years of relevant experience in technical presales, consulting, or solution architecture. Extensive experience designing enterprise infrastructure and VMware-based solutions. Strong understanding of datacentre and infrastructure modernisation strategies, including virtualisation, workload migration, consolidation, private cloud, and hybrid cloud adoption. Proven expertise across VMware technologies, including: VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), vSphere, vCenter, NSX, VMware Aria Operations and Automation, and VMware Tanzu. Strong knowledge of enterprise infrastructure architectures, including compute, storage, networking, and security. Experience designing highly available, scalable, resilient, and secure virtualised environments. Understanding of disaster recovery, backup, business continuity, and infrastructure resilience solutions. Familiarity with infrastructure automation and orchestration tools such as Terraform, Ansible, Aria Automation, or similar technologies. Knowledge of Kubernetes and container platforms, particularly VMware Tanzu, is advantageous. Demonstrated success solving complex technical challenges within enterprise VMware, virtualisation, or hybrid cloud environments. Strong commercial awareness and the ability to navigate complex customer engagements and negotiations. Advanced understanding of industry trends relating to virtualisation, private cloud, hybrid cloud, and data centre transformation. Experience using solutioning and presales tools, including Salesforce, proposal management, project scoping, and assessment frameworks. Exceptional communication, presentation, whiteboarding, analytical, and problem-solving skills. Strong organisational and time-management skills with the ability to balance multiple opportunities and strategic initiatives. What Success Looks Like Becoming the recognised VMware and Infrastructure Modernisation expert within Rackspace. Driving successful solution outcomes for complex enterprise customers. Influencing strategic technology decisions and transformation programmes. Helping customers modernise their infrastructure while accelerating their cloud and digital transformation journeys. Enabling sustained revenue growth through technical leadership, innovation, and trusted advisory relationships. #LI-LP2 About Rackspace Technology We are the multiclo