Manager, Startup SA, Startups, AWS (Sub Saharan Africa) at United Parcel Service (UPS)

Job ID: 2067053
Employee Type: Permanent

Job Summary

• We are looking for an experienced technical manager to lead a solutions architecture team that helps some of the highest growth startups in Sub-Saharan Africa succeed using AWS technologies.
• Your team members will leverage their deep knowledge of AWS technologies to impact how solutions are proposed, architected and implemented for potential and existing customers.
• In this role, you will hire and develop some of the industry’s best cloud-based solutions architects, coach them on cloud adoption best practices, empower them to further develop their technical areas of depth as well as their communication, presentation and strategy skills.
• You will be partnering with other teams within AWS such as account management, business development, service teams, marketing, and professional services, prioritizing your initiatives and aligning goals to maximize long term value.
• You and your teams will shape and deliver on a strategy to build mind share and broad use of AWS services within Early stage and High Growth Startup customers. You will be interacting directly with customers to better understand their needs and align the right resources and tools to maximize their success. You will be measuring and delivering results, while staying in touch with the pace of innovation of the AWS technology and its use cases. You will need be technically capable and credible in your own right as well so that you can shape the customer and solutions-focused initiatives of your team. You will get to practice your creativity in linking technology to tangible solutions and educating customers about the art of the possible. Central to this will be your leadership in driving Solutions Architects to create cutting edge reference architectures for a variety of use cases.
• The ideal candidate has experience building and leading teams of senior engineers or solutions architects at large enterprises or startups. Customer-facing experience is required, ideally having worked as a Solutions Architect, Consultant, Pre-sales engineer or other similar role.
• Practical knowledge of the AWS platform is desired but not required, provided you have sound leadership skills and strong technical foundation in secure, scalable and reliable IT architectures.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Hire, on-board, train, and develop new Solutions Architects and Solutions Architect managers. First and foremost, you need to be an exceptional builder of great people
• Coach Solutions Architects in acquiring the skills needed to conduct one-to-few and one-to-many technical sessions so they can transfer deep technical skills to customers who are considering or using AWS
• In partnership with account management and business development teams, formulate and execute a customer-focused strategy to drive adoption of AWS
• Capture and share best-practice knowledge amongst the AWS solutions architect community and the startup ecosystem (Meetups, Accelerators, Incubators, VCs)
• Guide and prioritize the development of whitepapers, data sheets, and other high-value customer facing guidance and best practices
• Own the technical strategy that will increase customer value and adoption of well architected AWS solutions across Startup customers.
• Act as a conduit and liaison between customers, service engineering teams and support

Basic Qualifications

• Experience leading and growing teams of senior technology professionals, ideally in customer facing roles
• High level of comfort communicating effectively across internal and external organizations, with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to match technical solutions to real business problems
• Business english communication skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• History of successful technical consulting and/or architecture engagements with startup or digital native customers
• CTO/co-founder/mentor experience for a VC-backed technology startup company
• Prior working experience as Solution Architect and / or manager of a team of Solutions Architects.
• Previous professional experience architecting/operating solutions built on AWS.
• Business French communication skills