Sr. Solution Architect (SA)

Company Description

Organizations everywhere struggle under the crushing costs and complexities of “solutions” that promise to simplify their lives. To create a better experience for their customers and employees. To help them grow. Software is a choice that can make or break a business. Create better or worse experiences. Propel or throttle growth. Business software has become a blocker instead of ways to get work done. 

There’s another option. Freshworks. With a fresh vision for how the world works.

At Freshworks, we build uncomplicated service software that delivers exceptional customer and employee experiences. Our enterprise-grade solutions are powerful, yet easy to use, and quick to deliver results. Our people-first approach to AI eliminates friction, making employees more effective and organizations more productive. Over 74,000 companies, including Bridgestone, New Balance, Nucor, S&P Global, and Sony Music, trust Freshworks’ customer experience (CX) and employee experience (EX) software to fuel customer loyalty and service efficiency. And, over 4,500 Freshworks employees make this possible, all around the world. 

Fresh vision. Real impact. Come build it with us.

Job Description

Sr. Solution Architect (SA) role is a critical internally and externally-facing role within Freshworks Professional Services (FPS) which acts the senior technical SME heavily involved in Sales, Delivery and Expansion phases of the customer lifecycle.

FPS Senior SA is a trusted advisor internally and externally working with the highest level functional and technical resources within Freshworks and the customer organizations to translate business outcome requirements into scalable solutions. In this role, the Senior SA will lead the Americas Technical team in consulting behavior, best practices development and deployment, technical and product risk management, and overall portfolio risk management. 

Your role and responsibilities:

• Act as the senior technical leader in the Americas FPS team

• Collaborate with Sales, Solution Engineering, Product/Engineering, Support and other Customer Success functions to improve internal process efficiencies toward improved customer adoption

• During the Sales cycle, FPS SA will work closely with the Freshworks Presales team to understand a prospects pain points and solutions discussed to address them, and then directly interacts with the prospects leadership and functional owners to devise the best implementation approach for the identified solutions in line with industry and FPS best practices.

• During the Delivery phase, FPS SA will be the key resource who translates the high-level solution provided during the sales cycle into detailed design information to meet the customer’s objectives and also for the FPS technical resources to implement the final solution.

• In the Expansion phase, FPS SA will work with the customer to adjust or expand their deployed capabilities by adjusting their implemented solutions to the customer’s updated needs and organizational changes.

Some of the specific SA deliverables and activities are:

• Primary Escalation Contact for the Americas Region: Remain aware of the technical status of Americas’ region’s major initiatives and engagements coordinating and communicating with various stakeholder groups such as Sales, Solution Engineering, Customer Success, Support and Product/Engineering on behalf of FPS and the customer.

• Product Champion: Act as a product leader in the region, instilling confidence in prospects during the sales cycle, devising innovative solutions during implementation, assessing existing enterprise customer health for improvement suggestions, and providing valuable customer feedback to the product team.

• Solution Design: Collaborate with stakeholders to gather requirements and develop custom Freshworks product solutions in line with business goals and industry standards. Create architecture diagrams for proposed designs and deliver presentations.

• Technical Implementation: Configure, customize, and deploy Freshworks products, encompassing workflows, automation, integrations, and reporting.

• AI and Automation Solutioning: Identify opportunities for prospects and customers to leverage AI, automation, and agentic capabilities to achieve measurable business outcomes. Advise customers on the data readiness, governance, security, accuracy, adoption, and operational ownership required to successfully deploy and manage AI-enabled solutions.

• Process Optimization: Identify areas for enhancement, proposing efficient solutions to improve operational efficiency.

• Training and Support: Provide training to customers’ support agents, administrators, and relevant teams, ensuring the proficient use of Freshworks products during deployments.

• Issue Resolution: Liaise with the Product and Engineering teams to troubleshoot and resolve technical challenges and implementation issues related to Freshworks products.

• Integrations Design: Create and integrate Freshworks products with other systems and third-party applications to streamline 3rd-party integrations and facilitate data flow.

• Documentation: Develop and maintain comprehensive technical and architectural documentation, covering system configurations, integrations, and customizations.

• Stay Informed: Stay updated on industry trends, Freshworks product updates, and best practices to continually enhance the capabilities of the customer support ecosystem.

What success in this role looks like:

Success in this role means the Americas technical team is utilizing the most effective means to execute the critical process and major functions of FPS: opportunities are accurately scoped, proposed solutions are technically feasible and supportable, delivery teams receive clear and actionable designs, architecture decisions are made quickly, risks are surfaced early, and customers have confidence that the solution will meet their intended business outcomes. This role serves as the main point of technical escalation for the customer and the project teams within the Region prior to Regional Leader.

Qualifications

Our perfect match:

• 10+ years of professional experience in ITSM, ESM, ITOM, ITAM

• Experience with guiding customers in organization change management (OCM) to improve technology adoption is highly desirable. 

• 5+ years experience working with internal and external leaders to assess and manage technical risks at the highest levels

• Ability to read complex situations with several competing constraints and identify solutions that benefit both the customers and Freshworks

• Excellent listening and presentation skills

• Proficient in handling ambiguity and objections

• Skilled in negotiation and objection handling

• Previous experience in mentoring and developing technical talent

• Experience navigating difficult technical decisions and communicating tradeoffs to executives, architects, administrators, and delivery teams.

Required skills:

• 7+ years of Professional Services experience in software industry in SaaS platforms

• Previous roles in Solution Architect or Domain Architect within ITIL oriented / ITSM systems are advantageous

• A problem-solving innovator with a knack for thinking outside the box

• Proficient at creating architecture diagrams, process maps, data-flow diagrams, and clear design documentation.

• Extensive expertise in Enterprise landscapes across various domains, including ERP systems, Accounting Systems, HRMS, IDAM, and more

• Demonstrated experience in designing customer experience process flows

• Strong understanding of the Cloud Stack and SaaS products

• Proficiency in developing custom apps and REST API-based integrations

• Preferred, though not mandatory, background in Javascript and NodeJS

• ITIL Certification

• Knowledge of Project Management principals

Additional Information

The annual salary range for this position is $115,700–$166,400 USD + Commissions

Compensation is based on a variety of factors including but not limited to location, experience, job-related skills, and level. Bonus/equity may be available.

Freshworks offers multiple options for dental, medical, vision, disability and life insurances. Equity + ESPP, flexible PTO, flexible spending, commuter benefits and wellness benefits are also offered. Freshworks also offers adoption and parental leave benefits.

At Freshworks, we have fostered an environment that enables everyone to find their true potential, purpose, and passion, welcoming colleagues of all backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and ethnicities. We are committed to providing equal opportunity and believe that diversity in the workplace creates a more vibrant, richer environment that boosts the goals of our employees, communities, and business. Fresh vision. Real impact. Come build it with us.

At Freshworks, we have fostered an environment that enables everyone to find their true potential, purpose, and passion, welcoming colleagues of all backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and ethnicities. We are committed to providing equal opportunity and believe that diversity in the workplace creates a more vibrant, richer environment that boosts the goals of our employees, communities, and business. Fresh vision. Real impact. Come build it with us.