Principal Solutions Architect

Who are we?

A place where bold ideas are welcomed, human connection is valued, and everyone has the opportunity to shape their future.A career at Equinix means being at the center of shaping what comes next and amplifying customer value through innovation and impact. You’ll work across teams, influence key decisions, and help shape the path forward. You’ll find belonging, purpose, and a team that welcomes you—because when you feel valued, you’re empowered to do your best work.

Job Summary

The Principal Solutions Architect works strategically with enterprise customers and sales teams on pre-sales engagements, owning the technical win for Equinix Managed Solutions (EMS) opportunities. This role is responsible for designing, positioning, and validating managed private and hybrid cloud solutions deployed within Equinix data centers.

The Principal Solutions Architect balances deep technical expertise with commercial awareness and operational discipline to ensure solutions are sellable, scalable, and supportable within the EMS operating model.

Responsibilities

• Design, position, and validate managed private and hybrid cloud architectures leveraging Equinix Managed Solutions and public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)

• Own the end-to-end technical solution for EMS opportunities, from discovery through deal close and delivery handoff

• Act as the technical authority in customer workshops, architecture sessions, and executive-level discussions

• Partner closely with Sales to shape deal strategy, solution scope, and value articulation

• Translate customer business objectives into repeatable, managed service architectures

• Support solutions for disaster recovery, backup, business continuity, and regulated workloads

• Ensure all architectures align to EMS standards, reference designs, and operational models

• Provide technical input into proposals, RFPs, and marketing initiatives

• Research, evaluate, and stay current on emerging infrastructure, cloud, and virtualization technologies

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Delivery, and Operations teams to ensure deployment readiness

• Identify, develop, and improve technical standards, documentation, and procedures

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in a pre-sales Solutions Architect or Technical Architect role supporting enterprise customers

• Strong expertise in VMware technologies, including vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)

• Experience designing managed private cloud and hybrid cloud solutions

• Working knowledge of at least one major public cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP)

• Solid understanding of storage systems, disaster recovery architectures, and data replication methods

• Familiarity with automation and infrastructure-as-code tools (Terraform, Ansible, PowerCLI)

• Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, and communication skills

• Ability to engage effectively with infrastructure, security, and executive stakeholders

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related engineering discipline preferred

• Public cloud certifications (AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI) preferred

The targeted pay range for this position in the following location is / locations are:

United States - Chicago Office CHO1 : 241,000 - 361,000 USD / Annual

Our pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum target for new hire pay for the full-time position determined by role, level, and location.The pay range shown is based on our compensation structure in place at the time of posting and may be updated periodically based on business needs. Individual pay is based on additional factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education and/or training.

The targeted pay range listed reflects On-Target Earnings or OTE, which is base pay plus commissions, and does not include equity or benefits. Equity may be offered depending on the position.

Equinix Benefits

As an employee, you become important to Equinix’s success. We ensure all your benefits are in line with our core values: competitive, inclusive, sustainable, connected and efficient. We keep them competitive within the current marketplace to ensure we’re providing you with the best package possible. So, wherever you are in your career and life, you’ll be able to enhance your experience and bring your whole self to work.

Employee Assistance Program: An Employee Assistance program is available to all employees.

US Benefits: - Insurance: You may enroll in health, life, disability and voluntary plans that are designed for you and your eligible family members. - Retirement: You and Equinix may contribute to a retirement plan to help you plan for your financial future. - Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays: You will receive an accrued amount of PTO each pay period along with various paid holidays for you to rest and recharge. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific plan or program terms.

Equinix is committed to ensuring that our employment process is open to all individuals, including those with a disability.  If you are a qualified candidate and need assistance or an accommodation, please let us know by completing this form.

Equinix is an Equal Employment Opportunity and, in the U.S., an Affirmative Action employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to unlawful consideration of race, color, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, place of birth, citizenship, sex, pregnancy / childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic partnership status, age, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, political / organizational affiliation, status as a victim or family member of a victim of crime or abuse, or any other status protected by applicable law. 

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