The Cloud & AI Data Solution Architect (CSA) is a customer-facing technical leader responsible for helping enterprise customers build a unified, governed Data & AI estate and accelerate the adoption of AI-powered business solutions. The role combines technical architecture, strategic advisory, and customer success to drive business outcomes, Azure consumption growth, and successful AI transformation journeys.
As part of Microsoft's Cloud & AI Platforms Customer Success organization, the CSA partners with customer executives, architects, engineering teams, account teams, and specialists to design modern data platforms, enable AI and agentic solutions, and ensure customers realize value from their Microsoft investments. The role requires balancing delivery excellence with opportunity identification and consumption growth .
For strategic Financial Services customers, the CSA acts as a trusted technical advisor, helping customers modernize data estates, establish governance, unlock business insights, and deploy AI solutions that drive measurable business impact.
Responsibilities
- Serve as a trusted advisor to customer technical stakeholders, enterprise architects, and technology leaders.
- Lead architecture discussions and guide customers on data modernization, AI adoption, governance, and analytics strategies.
- Translate customer business objectives into actionable technology roadmaps and solution architectures.
- Drive executive-level conversations around data, AI, transformation, and innovation initiatives.
- Design and recommend modern data platform architectures using Microsoft Fabric, OneLake, Azure Data Services, and analytics platforms.
- Architect AI-powered solutions leveraging Azure AI Foundry, Azure AI Search, generative AI, RAG patterns, agents, and intelligent applications.
- Provide technical guidance on data governance, security, compliance, scalability, and operational excellence.
- Support proof-of-concepts, solution design workshops, and architectural reviews.
- Help customers establish AI-ready data foundations.
- Drive adoption of AI-powered experiences, intelligent agents, and agentic workflows.
- Advise customers on AI architecture patterns, model selection, grounding strategies, and responsible AI practices.
- Enable customers to realize value from Microsoft AI platform investments.
- Ensure successful deployment and adoption of Microsoft Cloud & AI solutions.
- Identify and mitigate technical risks that may impact customer outcomes.
- Drive customer health, solution adoption, and consumption acceleration.
- Partner with Customer Success Account Managers (CSAMs) and delivery teams to achieve business and technical objectives.
- Monitor progress against agreed success criteria and transformation milestones.
- Identify new opportunities to expand Azure consumption and AI adoption.
- Collaborate with sales and specialist teams to develop technical strategies supporting account growth.
- Generate data and AI pipeline opportunities through architecture engagements and customer success outcomes.
- Connect delivery achievements to future modernization, analytics, and AI initiatives.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent industry experience.
- Experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale data and analytics solutions.
- Hands-on knowledge of modern data platform technologies, including Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Services, Data Warehousing, Lakehouse architectures, and enterprise analytics.
- Experience with AI and machine learning solutions, including generative AI, Azure AI services, and intelligent application architectures.
- Strong customer-facing communication and presentation skills.
- Ability to influence technical and business stakeholders at multiple organizational levels.
- Demonstrated problem-solving, architecture, and consultative engagement skills.
- Experience with Azure AI Foundry, Azure AI Search, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), Agentic AI, and intelligent automation solutions.
- Financial Services industry experience and understanding of regulatory and governance requirements.
- Knowledge of data governance, security, privacy, and responsible AI frameworks.
- Experience engaging C-level executives, enterprise architects, and business decision makers.
- Azure certifications in Data, AI, or Solution Architecture disciplines.
- Experience with Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft IQ, AI-powered analytics, and enterprise data transformation initiatives.
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
- Strong technical depth across Data & AI technologies.
- Consultative customer engagement and executive presence.
- Ability to connect technology solutions to business outcomes.
- A growth mindset and continuous learning capability.
- Strong collaboration across sales, customer success, engineering, and partner teams.
- Passion for helping customers transform through data, AI, and cloud innovation.
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
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 requesting accommodations.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent experience
- Experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale data and analytics solutions
- Hands-on knowledge of Microsoft Fabric, OneLake, Azure Data Services, data warehousing, lakehouse architectures, and enterprise analytics
- Experience with AI and machine learning solutions, including generative AI and Azure AI services
- Strong customer-facing communication and presentation skills
- Ability to influence technical and business stakeholders at multiple organizational levels
- Demonstrated problem-solving, architecture, and consultative engagement skills
- Experience with Azure AI Foundry, Azure AI Search, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and agentic AI
- Financial Services industry experience and knowledge of regulatory and governance requirements
- Knowledge of data governance, security, privacy, and responsible AI frameworks
- Azure certifications in Data, AI, or Solution Architecture disciplines
- Experience engaging C-level executives, enterprise architects, and business decision makers
Microsoft Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Microsoft and has not been reviewed or approved by Microsoft.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is presented as broadly competitive overall, with clear role/level/location variation and an emphasis on using posted ranges and band information for apples-to-apples comparisons.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits are described as a standout, highlighted by a strong 401(k) match structure and immediate vesting, plus additional plan features for tax-advantaged saving.
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Parental & Family Support — Family-oriented benefits are portrayed as a meaningful strength, with substantial paid parental leave and added supports like back-up care and adoption/surrogacy assistance.
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