Title:  Sr Director, Principal Architects

Job Summary

We are seeking a dynamic and strategic leader to head our Principal Architect team. This individual will be instrumental in evolving our technical principal architects into influential thought leaders and trusted advisors—both within NetApp and across our partner and customer ecosystems.
In this role, you will drive the development and execution of scalable, repeatable programs that align with our go-to-market strategies and our core solution areas. Your efforts will empower our technical field teams to accelerate revenue growth and elevate customer satisfaction and ensuring we have a strong bench of customer-facing technical professionals who have mastery of the NetApp products with their aligned business segment and understand how to solve customer challenges with NetApp solutions. A key focus will be on creating solution-building frameworks and customer engagement models that address the critical technical priorities of NetApp’s customers.
The ideal candidate brings a strong background in sales, customer engagement, and product innovation, with a proven ability to think strategically and lead cross-functional initiatives. This position reports directly to the Vice President of Specialists, Engineering, and GTM Solutions.

Job Requirements

•    Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement a global specialist and technical solutions strategy aligned with company goals, ensuring innovation and efficiency across all initiatives.
•    Team Development: Lead, mentor, and inspire a diverse team of engineers and specialists, promoting a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning.
•    Technical Expertise: Stay abreast of industry trends and advancements, providing thought leadership and guidance on technical challenges and opportunities.
•    Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including clients, partners, and senior management, to align engineering efforts with business needs.
•    Product Innovation: Collaborate with product development teams to integrate customer insights into new offerings, ensuring that solutions meet market demands and enhance customer satisfaction.
•    Market Analysis: Conduct thorough market research to identify emerging trends, customer needs, and competitive landscape, adjusting strategies accordingly.
•    Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with marketing, product development, and customer success teams to ensure alignment and support for sales initiatives.
•    Client Engagement: Build and maintain relationships with key clients and partners, driving customer satisfaction and loyalty through exceptional service.
•    Training and Development: Oversee training programs for sales specialists, equipping them with the tools and knowledge needed to excel in their roles.
•    Feedback Loop: Actively gather customer feedback and insights, collaborating with product management and engineering teams to influence product development and enhancements.
•    Analytical Thinking: Proficiency in analyzing market trends and performance metrics to inform decision-making and strategic direction.
•    Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to convey complex ideas clearly to various stakeholders, including executives, teams, and clients.
•    Emotional Intelligence: High level of empathy and awareness of team dynamics, enabling effective conflict resolution and relationship building.
•    Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment and pivot strategies as needed in response to market shifts.
•    Global Cultural Awareness: Possessing a deep understanding of diverse cultures, they adapt leadership styles to resonate with global teams, navigating different working practices and building a cohesive, high-performance team across borders.

Qualifications

•    Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.
•    15+ years of experience in engineering, with at least 10 years in a leadership role.
•    Experience managing cross-functional teams, with a strong understanding of sales, engineering, and customer engagement.
•    Exceptional communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
•    Strong analytical and strategic thinking abilities, with a focus on data-driven decision-making.
•    Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, global environment, navigating diverse cultures and markets.