Pre Sales AI Architect

Company Description

Version 1 has celebrated over 28 years in Technology Services and continues to be trusted by global brands to deliver solutions that drive customer success. Our expertise enables our customers to navigate the rapidly changing Digital-First world we live in. We foster strong partnerships with leading technology giants including Microsoft, AWS, Oracle, Red Hat, OutSystems, Snowflake, ensuring that our customers are provided with the highest quality solutions and services.

We’re an award-winning employer reflecting how our employees are at the very heart of Version 1 and what we do:

• UK & Ireland's premier AWS, Microsoft & Oracle partner
• 3300+ strong, €350/£300m revenue business
• 10+ years as a Great Place to Work in Ireland & UK
• Best Workplace for Women in the UK & Ireland by GPTW
• Best Workplace for Wellbeing in the UK by GPTW

We’re a core values driven company, we hire people who share our values, and we reward those who display and foster them, it’s deeply embedded within our DNA. Invest in us and we’ll invest in you!

Job Description

Role Overview

As a Pre-Sales AI Architect, you will play a pivotal role in identifying, shaping, and securing new AI opportunities by bridging the gap between complex customer challenges and transformative, AI-powered solutions. This highly consultative role requires a strong blend of technical expertise, business acumen, and communication skills. You will work closely with clients, account teams, and delivery leads to understand customer needs, design compelling AI solutions, and contribute to successful bid strategies and proposals.

You are expected to act as a trusted advisor to both internal teams and client stakeholders, translating real-world challenges into scalable AI architectures that demonstrate tangible business value. Your work will directly support sales growth by influencing solution design, estimating effort and risk, and differentiating our offer through innovation and credibility.

Key Responsibilities

1. Shape and Translate Client Needs into AI Solutions

• Lead discovery sessions to uncover business drivers, pain points, and AI opportunities.
• Map business requirements to AI/ML use cases and define value-focused solution strategies.

2. Design Scalable AI Architectures

• Architect end-to-end AI/ML solutions including model design, data pipelines, MLOps, and cloud integration.
• Leverage platforms like Azure ML, AWS SageMaker, Google Vertex AI, Databricks, Hugging Face, and LangChain.

3. Drive Sales and Proposal Success

• Lead technical contributions to RFPs/RFIs, creating compelling narratives, architecture diagrams, and cost estimates.
• Shape bid strategy and differentiation using innovations in GenAI, LLMs, NLP, and computer vision.

4. Communicate Value and Inspire Confidence

• Present complex technical solutions to business audiences in clear, value-driven terms.
• Build demos or PoCs that validate solution design and inspire client trust.

5. Collaborate Across Functions

• Partner with data scientists, engineers, and delivery teams to ensure solutions are feasible, scalable, and aligned with client needs.
• Support commercial modeling alongside sales, legal, and pricing teams.

6. Track Trends and Advise on Emerging Technologies

• Monitor advances in AI (e.g., RAG, vector databases, prompt engineering, Responsible AI).
• Educate internal stakeholders and apply emerging tools to strengthen proposals.

Qualifications

Required Experience & Skills

• Strong experience in AI/ML solution design, with a focus on pre-sales, consulting, or client-facing roles.
• Proven ability to align business problems with AI-powered solutions in cloud environments (Azure, AWS, or GCP).
• Deep knowledge of AI/ML techniques (e.g., GenAI, supervised/unsupervised learning, LLMs, MLOps, embeddings, vector search).
• Hands-on experience with modern AI tools/platforms such as Databricks, LangChain, Azure ML, and Hugging Face.
• Skilled in developing technical artefacts (e.g., HLDs), estimating effort/cost, and contributing to winning proposals.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills; able to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience collaborating in bid teams or with account executives, ideally in a consultancy or solutions environment.
• Awareness of data governance, security standards, and ethical AI considerations.
• Versatility to adapt solutions across industries such as public sector, utilities, health, and finance.

Additional Information

Why Version 1?

At Version 1, we believe in providing our employees with a comprehensive benefits package that prioritises their wellbeing, professional growth, and financial stability.

• Share in our success with our Quarterly Performance-Related Profit Share Scheme, where employees collectively benefit from a share of our company's profits.
• Strong Career Progression & mentorship coaching through our Strength in Balance & Leadership schemes with a dedicated quarterly Pathways Career Development programme.
• Flexible/remote working, Version 1 is tremendously understanding of life events and people’s individual circumstances and offer flexibility to help achieve a healthy work life balance.
• Financial Wellbeing initiatives including; Pension, Private Healthcare Cover, Life Assurance, Financial advice and an Employee Discount scheme.
• Employee Wellbeing schemes including Gym Discounts, Bike to Work, Fitness classes, Mindfulness Workshops, Employee Assistance Programme and much more. Generous holiday allowance, enhanced maternity/paternity leave, marriage/civil partnership leave and special leave policies.
• Educational assistance, incentivised certifications, and accreditations, including AWS, Microsoft, Oracle, and Red Hat.
• Reward schemes including Version 1’s Annual Excellence Awards & ‘Call-Out’ platform.
• Environment, Social and Community First initiatives allow you to get involved in local fundraising and development opportunities as part of fostering our diversity, inclusion and belonging schemes.

And many more exciting benefits… drop us a note to find out more.

Laura Cowan

laura.cowan@version1.com

#LI-LC1