About this role
<b>Overview</b><br><p>The Software and Digital Platforms team is looking for a <strong>Cloud and AI Solution Architect (CSA) </strong>to join our EMEA HQ team, with a primary focus on Digital Natives and high growth software companies in the United Kingdom. This role is focused on helping some of the most innovative technology teams build the next generation of AI first data platforms and data enabled applications on Azure.</p><p>As the primary technical leader for your accounts, you will own the end to end technology strategy, providing overarching visibility across technical workstreams and aligning architecture direction, workload prioritization, and adoption milestones with customer goals and Microsoft Cloud Success metrics.</p><p>A key focus of the role is helping Digital Natives build the data and intelligence layer required for the AI era. You will guide customers in adopting Microsoft Fabric and the Microsoft IQ platform, including Fabric IQ and Foundry IQ, to connect enterprise data, analytics, AI, and intelligent applications. You will help engineering teams move from traditional data platforms to AI first architectures that power advanced analytics, AI applications, and the next generation of data enabled agentic experiences.</p><p>You will also work with customers to modernize and scale their existing data estates across relational, NoSQL, and vector databases, while establishing the governance, security, performance, and operational foundations required for AI at scale.</p><p>As the voice of the customer within Microsoft, you will champion customer technical priorities while collaborating with engineering, product groups, account teams, and partners. You will drive Azure consumption through disciplined technical execution and proactive expansion, while continuously identifying new Data and AI scenarios that create future growth.</p><p>Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We foster a culture built on a growth mindset, innovation, collaboration, and inclusion. Guided by our values of respect, integrity, and accountability, we create an environment where everyone can thrive, contribute their best work, and make a meaningful impact. </p><br><br><b>Responsibilities</b><br><ul><li>Serve as the primary technical leader for strategic Digital Native accounts in the UK, owning the end to end Data and AI technology strategy and aligning technical execution with customer goals and Microsoft Cloud Success metrics.</li><li>Provide overarching visibility across technical workstreams, owning architecture direction, workload planning, prioritization, and adoption milestones across Data, AI, analytics, and application workloads.</li><li>Drive adoption of Microsoft Fabric as the foundation for modern Data and AI platforms, helping customers bring together data engineering, analytics, AI, governance, and business intelligence.</li><li>Architect the intelligence layer using Microsoft Fabric and the Microsoft IQ platform, including Fabric IQ and Foundry IQ, enabling Digital Natives to turn their data into intelligence and build AI powered and agentic experiences.</li><li>Guide customers through large scale implementations and modernization of relational, NoSQL, distributed, and vector database platforms, helping them scale existing workloads while preparing their data estates for AI.</li><li>Advise engineering and data leaders on data architecture, performance optimization, governance, security, data quality, and operational excellence required to run AI and data platforms at scale.</li><li>Drive Azure consumption growth through disciplined delivery and proactive expansion, identifying opportunities across Azure Data, AI, databases, analytics, and application services.</li><li>Own both immediate consumption value to plan and the staging of new Data and AI scenarios that create future adoption and growth.</li><li>Launch scalable initiatives including Data and AI ideation sessions, architecture workshops, hackathons, Build to Scale assessments, and production readiness engagements.</li><li>Act as the voice of the Digital Native within Microsoft, championing customer technical priorities and bringing insights and feedback to Microsoft engineering and product teams.</li><li>Keep customers current on Microsoft's latest Data and AI innovations and translate new capabilities into tangible product improvements, technical outcomes, and cloud growth.</li><li>Collaborate across Microsoft engineering, product groups, account teams, and partners to deliver complex Data and AI transformations and accelerate production adoption.</li><li>Provide technical leadership through executive briefings, architecture reviews, technical workshops, and mentorship across customer and Microsoft communities.</li><li>Identify common technical patterns and opportunities across Digital Native customers and help develop repeatable architectures, practices, and intellectual property that can scale across the ecosystem.</li></ul><br><br><b>Qualifications</b><br><p>Required qualifications:</p><p>Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering and several years of experience working with modern data platforms, cloud architectures, or data and AI solutions.or equivalent practical experience.</p><p>Hands on experience with Microsoft Fabric, including data engineering, analytics, data integration, or AI related workloads.</p><p>Experience designing or implementing scalable data architectures across relational, NoSQL, distributed, or vector databases.</p><p>Experience working in a customer facing technical, architecture, consulting, or engineering role.</p><p>Preferred qualifications:</p><p>Understanding of modern AI workloads and how data platforms enable generative AI, intelligent applications, and agentic experiences.</p><p>Experience working with software companies, Digital Natives, or high growth startups is preferred.</p><p>Strong communication skills with the ability to engage data leaders, architects, CTOs, founders, and senior engineering stakeholders.</p><p>Passion for Data and AI and for helping innovative software companies transform their products and platforms through cloud technology.</p> <br><p>This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.</p><br><hr><br><p>Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about <a href="https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html"><b><u>requesting accommodations.</u></b></a></p>