Description Trusted by more startups around the world, AWS makes the power of cloud computing accessible for all by giving founders everywhere access to the same technology that powers the world’s largest companies. With nearly 20 years of experience gained from supporting hundreds of thousands of startups that have come before, we help founders prove that their world-changing ideas are possible, at any stage of growth or level of funding. This is why more startups, and over 80% of unicorns, build on AWS. Startup Solutions Architects work hand in hand with AWS customers to help them make the most of the Cloud. They are at the crossroads of business and technology and engage with startups of different stages. Supporting the overall technical relationship between customers and AWS, they work to understand the customer's business needs and give prescriptive guidance on how to create business value with technology. Solutions Architects also have broader impact at scale, taking a supporting role in creating and presenting technical content and best practices. In this role you will get to practice your creativity, linking technology to tangible solutions and educating AWS customers about the art of the possible. You will have the opportunity to produce cloud-native reference architectures for a variety of use cases. You will have the support to grow your expertise in industry and technology areas of depth. Every day you will be learning something new from your customers, your peers and your own experiments. You will be part of a team that is responsible for driving adoption of AWS technologies while bringing differentiated value to customers. This is a team dedicated to Startups, an important and growing subset of customers for AWS. Startups follow unique technology adoption patterns and growth trajectories that distinguish them from traditional businesses, so you will be employing engagement strategies and programs tailored to their business needs and technical preferences. AWS Global Sales is responsible for driving revenue, adoption, and growth from the largest and fastest growing small- and mid-market accounts to enterprise-level customers including public sector. The AWS Global Support team interacts with leading companies and believes that world-class support is critical to customer success. AWS Support also partners with a global list of customers that are building mission-critical applications on top of AWS services. Key job responsibilities • As a Solutions Architect, you will work directly with customers to accelerate their projects and recommend best-practice architectures in line with their long-term business outcomes. • You operate as a trusted advisor for startups. The best interests of the customer will shape the guidance you provide. You work backwards from their priorities and find inventive ways to add value with solutions utilizing AWS and its Partners’ technology. • You capture and share the voice of the customer to influence the roadmap of new features and services for AWS. You use your customer understanding to participate the creation or updates of technical content and reference architectures (e.g. white papers, code samples, blog posts). • Evangelize and educate about AWS technology (e.g. workshops, user groups, meetups, public speaking, online videos or conferences). To be successful in this role you need to be passionate about startups and cloud architectures. You are a builder with genuine curiosity about how technology can support your customers’ business models and objectives. You are a lifetime learner that develops areas of depth in technical domains relevant to your interests and your customer's outcomes. You are prepared to work in a fast-paced environment, where you will be positively challenged and consistently embrace the Amazon Culture. A day in the life The Solutions Architect team at AWS is responsible for helping customers successfully implement cloud technologies. In a typical week you will meet multiple customers and you will collaborate with them on designing and operating well-architected solutions. You will earn their trust and show them the art of the possible, educating them around the capabilities of AWS. Partnering with internal teams and experts, leveraging a deep knowledge of our tools and products, you’ll craft highly-scalable, flexible, and resilient cloud architectures that address our customers’ business problems. As part of our team, you’ll have the opportunity to continuously learn and innovate daily. About the team The AWS Startup Solutions Architecture team is dedicated to working with startup companies as they build and scale their businesses. We’re here to make sure that they can deploy the best, most scalable, and most secure architectures possible – and that they spend as little time and money as possible doing so. We are a group of technologists with varied backgrounds; from fresh graduates to ex-CTOs, all growing our skills and startup expertise, while working on cutting edge technology use-cases with some of the world’s most innovative companies. About AWS: Diverse Experiences AWS values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying. Why AWS Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. We pioneered cloud computing and never stopped innovating — that’s why customers from the most successful startups to Global 500 companies trust our robust suite of products and services to power their businesses. Inclusive Team Culture Here at AWS, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon (gender diversity) conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness. Mentorship and Career growth We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional. Basic Qualifications - 5+ years of design, implementation, or consulting in applications and infrastructures experience - Over a decade of IT development or implementation/consulting in the software or Internet industries experience - Extensive experience in specific technology domain areas (e.g., software development, cloud computing, systems engineering, infrastructure, security, networking, data & analytics) Preferred Qualifications - Experience working within software development or Internet-related industries - Experience migrating or transforming legacy customer solutions to the cloud - Experience working with AWS technologies from a dev/ops perspective Amazon is an equal opportunities employer, and we value your passion to discover, invent, simplify and build. We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of age, sex, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief. Amazon is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from South African citizens who are members of designated groups who may contribute to Employment Equity within the workplace and the further diversification of ideas. In this regard, the relevant laws and principles associated with Employment Equity will be considered when appointing potential candidates. We are required by law to verify your ability to work lawfully in South Africa. Amazon requires that you submit a copy of either your identity document or your passport and any applicable work permit if you are a foreign national, along with an updated curriculum vitae.