Pre-Sales Solutions ArchitectRemote w/ travel (25-30%)Reports to: Director of SalesPosition OverviewThe Solutions Architect is the technical authority for how Istari enables modern digital engineering workflows across federal and commercial missions. This role partners closely with engineering leaders, program teams, and account executives to understand how engineering data is created, shared, governed, and operationalized across tools, organizations, and security boundaries-and to architect Istari as the connective infrastructure that makes those workflows possible.
You will lead engineering-centric discovery, design workflow-driven solution architectures, and deliver compelling technical narratives that resonate with engineers, program managers, and digital engineering leadership. While you will advise on secure deployment patterns, your primary focus is enabling new ways of working: faster collaboration, reusable data, cross-program visibility, and measurable mission impact.
Account Executives own account strategy, opportunity qualification, and overall deal execution.
Solutions Architects own technical credibility, engineering workflow alignment, and solution viability-ensuring Istari is positioned as foundational digital engineering infrastructure, not just another tool or deployment.
Together, these roles form Istari's growth engine by aligning mission needs, engineering realities, and platform capabilities into winning capture strategies.
Core ResponsibilitiesEngineering Workflow Discovery & Mission Understanding- Lead discovery sessions with engineering teams to understand design, analysis, simulation, integration, and sustainment workflows.
- Analyze how data flows across CAD, CAE, PLM, MBSE, simulation, and custom engineering tools.
- Identify friction points such as broken handoffs, siloed data, limited reuse, and cross-program collaboration challenges.
- Understand mission context, program structure, and organizational boundaries that shape how engineering work gets done.
- Translate engineering pain points into Istari-enabled workflow architectures and value narratives.
Engineering-Centric Solution Architecture- Architect Istari solutions that orchestrate engineering tools, data models, and workflows across programs and organizations.
- Design patterns for engineering data versioning, traceability, access control, and reuse.
- Define how Istari integrates into existing toolchains rather than replacing them.
- Ensure solution designs support engineering velocity, collaboration, and program outcomes-not just technical correctness.
- Incorporate secure deployment considerations (cloud, on-prem, hybrid) as constraints within engineering-first designs.
Demo Delivery, Technical Storytelling & Value Translation- Own end-to-end demo preparation and delivery for prospects
- Tailor demos to mission-specific scenarios, data flows, engineering tools, and classification requirements.
- Build repeatable demo environments and customize them for unique use cases across DoD, IC, and federal civilian agencies.
- Collaborate with AEs to craft compelling technical narratives that articulate the "why," not just the "how," of Istari.
- Capture demo feedback to refine content, improve demo flows, and influence roadmap priorities.
Pre-Sales Engagement & Technical Validation- Lead whiteboarding sessions focused on engineering workflows, data movement, and collaboration patterns.
- Develop lightweight proofs of value that validate engineering integrations and workflow improvements.
- Partner with Account Executives to quantify engineering impact (cycle time, reuse, coordination, risk reduction).
- Articulate a clear technical path from initial workflow validation to production-scale adoption.
Security, Compliance & Infrastructure Expertise- Design engineering workflows that respect classification boundaries without breaking collaboration or continuity.
- Advise on deployment patterns that enable cross-domain engineering while aligning with federal security requirements.
- Partner with cybersecurity and infrastructure stakeholders to balance risk management with engineering productivity.
Cross-Functional Collaboration- Collaborate with Product and Engineering to translate real-world engineering needs into roadmap inputs.
- Partner with Cybersecurity and Customer Success to ensure solutions scale beyond initial use cases.
- Support federal capture efforts by shaping teaming strategies, solution architectures, and technical win themes.
- Contribute reusable workflow patterns, demo assets, and technical documentation to scale the federal GTM motion.
Required QualificationsEducation- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience).
Experience- 5-10+ years in solutions architecture, systems engineering, pre-sales engineering, or technical consulting for complex engineering or infrastructure software.
- Experience supporting federal missions (DoD, IC, national labs, or defense primes).
- Hands-on experience working with engineering tools, workflows, or digital engineering environments.
- Experience leading technical demos and customer-facing engineering discussions.
Skills & Capabilities- Deep ability to understand and articulate engineering workflows and data lifecycles.
- Strong technical storytelling skills-able to translate complex engineering concepts into mission-relevant narratives.
- Comfort whiteboarding workflows, toolchains, and data movement with engineering stakeholders.
- Ability to design secure, distributed systems that support engineering collaboration.
- Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with sales, product, and engineering teams.
Preferred Experience- Background in aerospace, defense, or mission-critical engineering environments.
- Familiarity with CAD/CAE, PLM, MBSE, simulation pipelines, or engineering data platforms.
- Experience supporting sales efforts or technical win strategy.
$140,000 - $210,000 a year
The anticipated compensation range for this position may vary based on experience, skills, qualifications, location, and business needs. In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for bonuses, equity, and a comprehensive benefits package.
