Overview
As part of CDW’s Digital Velocity (DV) organization, Cloud Presales Managers engage with Portfolio, Professional Services, and Cross Practice stakeholders to drive and lead successful development of solutions to achieve our customer’s stated objectives. Cloud Managers are responsible for a portfolio of digital transformation services engagements that help customers meet business velocity objectives leveraging their solutions team consisting of Cloud Native and public cloud-focused solution architects. Solution areas include, but are not limited to, cloud-native solutions, public cloud solutions, DevOps/SRE patterns and practices, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD). Additionally, the Cloud Manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of their solution architecture team. This includes leadership in driving towards finance, operations, growth, scale, coworker performance management, and internal and external client quarterly and yearly targets.
Key Areas of Responsibility
- Manage and own day-to-day operations for the Azure-focused presales solution architecture team
- Manage and support a team of Azure CSP Focused Solution Architects, dedicated to providing strategic, transformative solutions for our customers focusing on cloud and cloud-native technologies
- Define and prioritize initiatives across the regional sales teams in collaboration with the Cloud Portfolio team to achieve quarterly and annual revenue goals
- Oversee the performance and delivery of the team’s overall practice initiatives
- Work functionally across the portfolio, professional services, and cross-practice solutions and sales teams to ensure successful scoping and development of strategic solutions for our customers
- Attain revenue and gross profit growth targets within the Azure presales practice
- Provide leadership and support for business development, portfolio, and professional services teams within the presales practice
- Accelerate the professional and technical development of coworkers through coaching and training, ensuring a laser focus on achieving high client satisfaction
- Manage their team to provide the right level of skill and size to meet client demand while balancing utilization and profitability
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders within CDW including regional sales leadership, BDMs, and other presales managers across the DV landscape
- Lead and manage Azure presales team to finance, operations, client, and coworker targets
- Collaborate with chief architectures and GTM practice to develop strategy and services vision for the assigned technology portfolio
- Stay informed on economic, competitive, and industry changes affecting practice and make recommendations as appropriate, adjusting skills among engineering teams across services
- Regular cadence with Cloud Presales Leadership on staffing plans and pipeline
Client Responsibilities
- Support the BDMs in client satisfaction/loyalty with CDW clients; proactively resolve issues, as necessary
- Act as an escalation point for resolution of issues pertaining to the region and practice
- Conduct face-to-face client loyalty meetings for top services clients
- Validate and approve complex or cross-practice proposals for services engagements, and provide feedback to sales and presales
- Ensure the team fully understands their roles and possesses the right set of professional consulting, technical, and sales skills
- Create individual technical and professional development plans with each team member
- Provide professional services performance feedback and coaching to team members
- Attract, recruit, and retain the talent and skills needed to scale and grow the practice
- Monitor and resolve coworker satisfaction; ensure best practices are incorporated in the delivery of all presales’ organizational responsibilities
- Collaborate with Cloud Presales leader on new hires, development plans, internal projects, coworker compensation, and bonuses
- Understand and align with the cloud GTM and Professional services team to ensure overall practice strategy is implemented throughout project lifecycle
- Participate in the recruitment and selection of other coworkers
- Review team financials and project performance to ensure profitability of projects
Education and/or Skill-Set Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Business Management or related field or equivalent experience
Seven years of related consulting or IT technical selling and/or services delivery experience
Required Qualifications
- Previous consulting management experience
- Ability to lead teams and scale virtual, geographically diverse teams
- Effective oral and written communication skills
- Ability to identify and creatively resolve client, project, and people issues
- Proven negotiation skills
- Knowledge of and experience with Google Cloud, AWS, Microsoft Azure, cloud-native patterns, app modernization, automation solutions, etc.
- Ability to lead and manage to ensure the attainment of critical results
- Ability to act as a trusted advisor in a strategic opportunity
- Ability to travel up to 10%
- Ability to articulate complex technical solutions into executive-level conversations
Preferred Qualifications
- 2 – 5 years management and/or solution architecture experience
- Strong project and risk management skills
- Strong IT background in cloud technologies and DevOps solutions
- Strong presentation skills
