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Solutions Architect Job Description (2026): Duties, Skills and Salary

A solutions architect designs how systems fit together to solve a specific business or customer problem: which services talk to which, where data lives, how it scales and how it stays secure. They sit between sales or product and the engineering team that builds the thing, translating requirements into an architecture diagram and a set of technical decisions everyone can follow.

Many solutions architects work pre-sales, helping close deals by proving a platform can do what a customer needs, while others work internally, designing systems for their own company's engineering teams. Either way, the job mixes deep technical knowledge with the communication skills to explain tradeoffs to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders.

Solutions Architect job description template

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Solutions Architect

[Company] · [City and office days, or remote with the countries or time zones you hire in] · [Full-time]

About [Company]

[Two or three sentences on what your company does, who it serves and why this team matters now.]

About the role

[Company] is hiring a solutions architect to design systems for [product/customers]. You'll work with [sales / engineering / clients] to turn requirements into an architecture that's secure, scalable and realistic to build on [cloud platform/stack].

What you'll do

  • Design end-to-end architecture for new systems or major features, including diagrams and technical documentation.
  • Work with sales or account teams to scope technical requirements and present solutions to clients.
  • Review proposed designs from engineering teams for scalability, security and cost.
  • Choose between build, buy and integrate options for new capabilities.
  • Act as the technical point of contact for complex implementations or integrations.
  • Estimate effort and risk for proposed architectures.
  • Keep reference architectures and standards up to date as the platform evolves.
  • Mentor engineers on architectural patterns and trade-offs.

What you'll bring

  • [X]+ years in software engineering or infrastructure, with architecture-level design experience.
  • Deep knowledge of [cloud platform: AWS, Azure or GCP] services and pricing trade-offs.
  • Experience designing for scalability, availability and security at a system level.
  • Comfortable presenting technical designs to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders.
  • Strong documentation and diagramming skills (e.g. C4, sequence diagrams).
  • Experience with distributed systems, APIs and integration patterns.

Nice to have

  • A cloud architecture certification (AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect Expert).
  • Pre-sales or client-facing experience.
  • Experience with [domain, e.g. fintech, healthcare or e-commerce] compliance requirements.
  • Hands-on coding ability in [language] for prototyping.

What we offer

  • [Pay range: e.g. $X–$Y base salary, plus bonus or equity if offered]
  • [Certification budget, conference travel, flexible hours]
  • [Health cover, retirement or pension plan, paid time off, parental leave]
  • [Work authorization: whether you can sponsor a visa or hire through an employer of record]

[Our process: a recruiter call, a technical interview on past architecture decisions, a design exercise with a whiteboard or diagram, and a presentation to a panel including non-technical stakeholders.]

[Your equal opportunity statement, and how candidates can ask for adjustments during the process]

Put the pay range in the ad. Several US states, including California, Colorado, New York and Washington, require it in job postings, and the EU Pay Transparency Directive gives applicants the right to know the starting pay or its range before the interview.

Solutions Architect duties by seniority

What the job usually looks like at each level. Pitch the ad at one level and say which in the title.

Junior

  • Designs components within an architecture set by others.
  • Documents existing systems and contributes to design reviews.
  • Learns the platform's reference architectures and constraints.

Mid-level

  • Owns architecture for a product area or set of client engagements.
  • Leads design reviews and presents solutions to stakeholders directly.
  • Balances cost, scalability and delivery speed in design decisions.

Senior

  • Sets architecture standards and reference designs company-wide.
  • Leads architecture for the most complex or highest-risk engagements.
  • Mentors other architects and influences platform strategy.

Solutions Architect career path

  1. Senior Software Engineer
  2. Solutions Architect
  3. Senior Solutions Architect
  4. Principal Architect or VP of Engineering

Solutions architect is usually a move from senior software engineering or infrastructure roles, often via a stint in pre-sales engineering or platform engineering. From here, people move into principal architect roles, engineering leadership, or specialized consulting.

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Solutions Architect job description FAQ

What does a solutions architect do?

Designs how systems fit together to solve a business or customer problem: which services connect, how data flows, and how it scales and stays secure. They work with both engineers and non-technical stakeholders to agree on a design.

What skills should a solutions architect job description require?

Deep experience with a cloud platform, system design at scale, and strong documentation and presentation skills. A cloud certification is a useful signal but shouldn't replace real project experience.

Is solutions architect a hands-on coding role?

Usually not as a main responsibility. Most time goes to design, documentation and stakeholder conversations, though some roles expect prototyping. State the expected balance clearly in the posting.