Technical Architect (Pre-Sales) - All Levels (Chicago)

To get the best candidate experience, please consider applying for a maximum of 3 roles within 12 months to ensure you are not duplicating efforts.Job CategorySalesJob DetailsAbout SalesforceSalesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn’t a buzzword — it’s a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we're looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce's core values at the heart of it all.Ready to level-up your career at the company leading workforce transformation in the agentic era? You’re in the right place! Agentforce is the future of AI, and you are the future of Salesforce.The Salesforce Cloud Technical Architect is a pre-sales customer-facing enterprise domain expert applying broad technical skills, with industry knowledge and deep business acumen, supporting sales teams in developing Salesforce value propositions that align to our customers’ business strategies on digital transformation and cloud adoption. The Salesforce Cloud Technical Architect is a subject matter expert in one or more categories that may include: business strategy, application architecture, data & information, integration, security, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, distributed platforms, mobile, and analytics. With a solid blend of technical and sales skills, the Salesforce Cloud Technical Architect uses a consultative approach to understand business and technical requirements.The Salesforce Cloud Technical Architect determines which Salesforce and third party technologies to leverage in customer driven architectures, based upon product knowledge, industry experience, industry standard integration frameworks and Salesforce Architecture methodologies.With a broad IT background including solution architecture, technical architecture, software/systems engineering, cloud computing, and governance, the Salesforce Cloud Technical Architect leads key discussions and considerations around change programs from both a business and technical perspective.The Salesforce Cloud Technical Architect helps the sales teams develop specific, repeatable propositions and go to market strategies.The Salesforce Cloud Technical Architect also participates in the delivery of solution best practices, reference architectures, educational sessions and industry summits to existing customers, partners and to internal audiences.Baseline Requirements:Ability to understand business & IT department requirements, translate those business needs into a compelling solution, and present your recommendations to executive, technical, and business audience.Deep knowledge of enterprise software applications and their deliverySome coding experience and a willingness to work with code (Apex, Node, Go, R, Java or C#, JavaScript, python, Ruby, etc.)Database and data management fundamentalsWeb and mobile application development and architectureApplication lifecycle managementIntegration principles and toolsEnterprise data management tools and methodsProcess orchestrationPrinciples of network, application, and information securityStrong oral, written, presentation, and interpersonal communication and relationship skills.Strategic problem solver, thought leadership and comfort communicating with executive audiences.Excellent time management skills and the ability to support multiple, concurrent projects.Lifelong learner, inquisitive, practical, and passionate about technology and sharing knowledge.Willing and able to travel domestically.Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, MIS, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Data Science, Management Information Systems, other STEM degrees or equivalent work experience. Graduate study a plus.Preferred Requirements:Experience working as an architect, solution engineer, IT consultant or developer in a customer facing role that provided differentiated software technology solutions. We are open to a variety of backgrounds.Experience in roles that required working hands-on to build, implement, administrate, or maintain enterprise software (e.g. software engineer, implementation architect, integration architect, or similar).Understanding of risk mitigation, compliance and security.Experience with design thinking, persona-based discovery or other innovation techniques.Proven experience in a specific field, vertical or market segment is helpful.Knowledge of the Salesforce platform, including Salesforce Certifications and/or Trailhead SuperbadgesAgentic AI & Generative AI and platform desired SkillsThe ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with the following skills, which are critical for designing modern, AI-powered solutions.Agentic AI & Agentforce: Direct experience with developing, deploying, and managing agentic AI frameworks. This includes proficiency with Agentforce (the Salesforce agent framework) and an understanding of how to build autonomous agents that can perform tasks, make decisions, and interact with various systems.Prompt Engineering & Large Language Models (LLMs): Proven ability to design, refine, and optimize prompts to control the behavior of generative AI models. This involves understanding different prompting techniques, such as chain-of-thought, few-shot, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), to ensure reliable and accurate outputs.Generative AI Architecture: Experience in architecting and integrating generative AI solutions into enterprise systems. This includes knowledge of API gateways, model management platforms, and data pipelines necessary for serving LLMs at scale.Data360: Deep understanding of Salesforce Data360 for unifying, harmonizing, and activating customer data. This includes using Data Cloud to prepare and enrich data for use in generative AI and agent-based applications.Flow & Orchestration: Advanced proficiency with Salesforce Flow for orchestrating complex business processes, especially those involving AI agents and automated workflows. This includes building flows that can trigger agent actions, handle responses, and manage data interactions across systems.Professional & Strategic CompetenciesCommunication & Leadership: Strong oral, written, presentation, and interpersonal skills are a must. The role demands a strategic problem-solver, a thought leader, and someone comfortable communicating with executive audiences.Project Management: Excellent time management skills and the ability to support multiple, concurrent projects.Continuous Learning: A lifelong learner who is inquisitive, practical, and passionate about technology and sharing knowledge.Travel: Willing and able to travel domestically.Unleash Your PotentialWhen you join Salesforce, you’ll be limitless in all areas of your life. Our benefits and resources support you to find balance and be your best, and our AI agents accelerate your impact so you can do your best. Together, we’ll bring the power of Agentforce to organizations of all sizes and deliver amazing experiences that customers love. Apply today to not only shape the future — but to redefine what’s possible — for yourself, for AI, and the world.AccommodationsIf you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please submit a request via this Accommodations Request Form.Please note that Salesforce uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help our recruiters assess and evaluate candidates’ resumes and qualifications throughout the recruiting process. Humans will always make any candidate selection and hiring decisions. Please see our Candidate Privacy Statement for more information about how we use your personal data and your rights, including with regard to use of AI tools and opt out options.Posting StatementSalesforce is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a policy of non-discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. What does that mean exactly? It means that at Salesforce, we believe in equality for all. And we believe we can lead the path to equality in part by creating a workplace that’s inclusive, and free from discrimination. Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal. Any employee or potential employee will be assessed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications – without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, political viewpoint, or other classifications protected by law. This policy applies to current and prospective employees, no matter where they are in their Salesforce employment journey. It also applies to recruiting, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, assessment of job performance, discipline, termination, and everything in between. Recruiting, hiring, and promotion decisions at Salesforce are fair and based on merit. The same goes for compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, reduction in workforce, recall, training, and education.In the United States, compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, job level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and benefits. Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well including: time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program. More details about company benefits can be found at the following link: to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Salesforce will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.At Salesforce, we believe in equitable compensa