So you decided to pursue a Solutions Architect career path and are curious about what your career may look like in a few years?
Or, maybe, you're still deciding if a Solutions Architect career path is the right track for you.
Either way, we've got you covered! In this article, we'll be sharing:
- Solutions Architect Careers To Pursue
- The Solutions Architect Career Path: Roles, Skills, & Progression
- Solutions Architect Salaries (Entry-Level, Mid-Level, & Senior Level)
- Level-Up Your Game: How To Step Into A New Solutions Architect Role
Solutions Architect Careers To Pursue
There are several different career opportunities you can explore in the solutions architecture field. However, different industries might require more expertise in specific areas.
For example:
- A Solutions Architect role at a tech startup might focus heavily on cloud-native design, rapid prototyping, and cost-optimized architectures to support fast product growth.
- A Solutions Architect role at a healthcare company could emphasize security-by-design, HIPAA-compliant data flows, and interoperability to optimize patient outcomes and regulatory adherence.
- A Solutions Architect role at a finance firm could offer opportunities in high-availability architectures, zero-trust security models, and data governance to inform mission-critical decision-making.
Not all companies will demand every specialty, but every specialty has a place within many different companies!
So, if you're thinking about which Solutions Architect career you should pursue, it might be a good idea to first consider what kind of company you would like to work for.
Maybe you'd like to work for a company in big tech.
Maybe you're aiming for a recognized brand in healthcare.
Or, maybe, you'd like to join a startup.
You will find different solutions architecture opportunities with different scopes and setups. Having clarity about where you'd like to be within a certain time frame is key to deciding which path is right for you.
Most skills you need for a solutions architecture career are transferable across different roles, industries, and companies. The purpose of the exercise is so you can look at the opportunities on your horizon and decide where you'd like to be in the short term and eventually down the road!
💡 Pro Tip:
If you're struggling to find out where you'd like to be, check out the article “What Should I Do With My Life? A Step-By-Step Guide” and read it from top to bottom. If “Solutions Architect” still feels like the right path, head back here and continue reading!
Once you've set your mind on your career path, it's time to understand what roles might be a good fit for you.
The Solutions Architect Career Path: Roles, Skills, & Progression
We've selected the most common Solutions Architect roles for each level and their job descriptions. Take a look below!
Entry-Level Solutions Architect Roles
Most people begin their solutions architecture careers in specialist roles, such as:
Associate Solutions Architect
This role offers broad exposure to discovery, design, and documentation and doesn't usually require extensive experience.
📝 Associate Solutions Architect Job Description: Responsible for gathering requirements, producing reference architectures, supporting proofs of concept, and collaborating with engineering to translate designs into delivery.
✅ Skills Required: Foundational cloud knowledge (AWS/Azure/GCP), systems design basics, diagramming (e.g., Lucidchart), and strong communication.
⬆️ Possible progression: Associate Solutions Architects can progress into a Solutions Architect role.
Solutions Consultant (Pre-Sales)
This role requires a basic understanding of product capabilities and customer pain points to shape technical solutions that drive adoption.
📝 Solutions Consultant Job Description: Responsible for product demos, light solution design, RFP/RFI responses, and partnering with sales on technical validation.
✅ Requirements: Discovery skills, presentation ability, basic integrations knowledge (APIs, webhooks), and stakeholder management.
⬆️ Possible progression: Solutions Consultants can progress into Senior Solutions Consultant or Solutions Architect roles.
Cloud Engineer (Associate)
This role generally requires proficiency with one cloud platform and the ability to implement designs under guidance.
📝 Cloud Engineer (Associate) Job Description: Responsible for provisioning infrastructure, automating deployments (IaC), and implementing secure, reliable services.
✅ Requirements: CLI/IaC (Terraform/CloudFormation), scripting (Python/Bash), basic networking, and CI/CD familiarity.
⬆️ Possible progression: Cloud Engineers can progress into Cloud Solutions Architect roles.
Mid-Level Solutions Architect Roles
As you gain experience, mid-level roles often involve more responsibility and the opportunity to lead programs or mentor others. Some common mid-level solutions architecture roles include:
Solutions Architect
At this level, professionals are responsible for end-to-end solution design across applications, data, and infrastructure, aligning technology choices with business outcomes.
📝 Solutions Architect Job Description: Responsible for running discoveries, creating target-state architectures, selecting services and patterns, and de-risking delivery via POCs.
✅ Skills Required: Cloud architecture, security by design, cost/performance tradeoffs, integration patterns (REST, event-driven), and stakeholder communication.
⬆️ Possible progression: Solutions Architects can advance to roles like Senior/Principal Solutions Architect.
Senior Solutions Consultant (Pre-Sales)
This role focuses on shaping technical value propositions and solution narratives that map to customer ROI.
📝 Senior Solutions Consultant Job Description: Responsible for tailored demos, solution proposals, competitive positioning, and technical win strategies.
✅ Skills Required: Domain knowledge, storytelling, discovery frameworks, and light architecture skills.
⬆️ Possible progression: Senior Solutions Consultants can move into Solutions Architecture Manager or Principal SA roles.
Cloud Solutions Architect
This role specializes in cloud-native and hybrid architectures with an emphasis on scalability, resilience, and cost optimization.
📝 Cloud Solutions Architect Job Description: Responsible for multi-account/multi-subscription patterns, networking and identity design, and operational guardrails.
✅ Skills Required: Deep AWS/Azure/GCP, IaC, observability, FinOps, and disaster recovery architectures.
⬆️ Possible progression: Cloud Solutions Architects can progress to Principal Architect or Enterprise Architect roles.
Senior-Level Solutions Architect Roles
Senior-level roles involve greater strategic oversight and leadership, often requiring professionals to guide larger portfolios and make high-level decisions.
Principal/Lead Solutions Architect
Principal Architects shape the overall architecture strategy across products and programs and act as trusted advisors to executives.
📝 Principal/Lead Solutions Architect Job Description: Responsible for setting architecture standards, governing critical design decisions, and coaching architects and engineers.
✅ Skills Required: Enterprise design patterns, platform thinking, risk management, executive communication, and mentorship.
⬆️ Possible progression: Principal/Lead SAs can move up to roles such as Enterprise Architect.
Enterprise Architect
This role requires deep expertise and is responsible for aligning technology roadmaps with business capabilities across the organization.
📝 Enterprise Architect Job Description: Responsible for capability mapping, target-state blueprints, portfolio rationalization, and architecture governance.
✅ Skills Required: Strategy, portfolio management, security and compliance, operating model design, and vendor management.
⬆️ Possible progression: Enterprise Architects can advance to roles like Head of Architecture or Director of Enterprise Architecture.
Director/Head of Solutions Architecture
This role oversees the solutions architecture function, manages teams, and ensures delivery aligns with organizational priorities.
📝 Director/Head of Solutions Architecture Job Description: Responsible for building the SA practice, defining KPIs, partnering with Product/Engineering, and ensuring technical excellence.
✅ Skills Required: Leadership, strategic planning, budget/people management, and cross-functional alignment.
⬆️ Possible progression: Directors/Heads of SA can move up to executive roles such as VP of Architecture or Chief Architect.
Solutions Architect Salaries (Entry-Level, Mid-Level, & Senior Level)
Now that we’ve covered the most common solutions architect career paths, you might be asking yourself what the pay range is for each role.
To answer this question, let’s head over to one of our favorite tools for salary research: Glassdoor.
Glassdoor is one of the world’s top job and recruiting websites, where users can anonymously provide information about their companies – including their current salary. Glassdoor provides an average salary range for various roles based on the information sent by its users.
According to Glassdoor, the base salary for the most common solutions architecture roles in 2025 are:
Solutions Architecture Roles:
- Associate Solutions Architect (Entry-Level): $97K – $151K / year base pay
- Solutions Architect (Mid-Level): $130K – $189K / year base pay
- Principal/Lead Solutions Architect (Senior-Level): $139K – $199K / year base pay
Cloud & Enterprise Architecture Roles:
- Cloud Engineer (Associate) (Entry-Level): $95K – $133K / year base pay
- Cloud Solutions Architect (Mid-Level): $177K – $181K / year base pay
- Enterprise Architect (Senior-Level): $132K – $194K / year base pay
Customer-Facing Architecture Roles:
- Solutions Consultant / Sales Engineer (Entry-Level): $95K – $135K / year base pay (often with additional variable comp)
- Senior Solutions Consultant (Mid-Level): $103K – $158K / year base pay (often with additional variable comp)
- Director/Head of Solutions Architecture (Senior-Level): $120K – $204K / year base pay
Level-Up Your Game: How To Step Into A New Solutions Architect Role
Whether you're looking for an entry-level job in solutions architecture or aiming to advance in your solutions architecture career, it's important to know that you don't necessarily need a graduate degree or specialization to move up the solutions architecture career ladder. Your unique experience and skills can go a long way, as long as you learn how to sell them!
Here are a few tips and tricks that will help you land your next Solutions Architect role.
1. Run A Resume Scan To Find Out Skill Gaps In Your Target Role
Wondering if you are the right fit for that target role you've been eyeing?
We've got you covered.
Here's a simple, step-by-step guide to find out if you have the skills to land a job in solutions architecture:
- Copy the job description of the Solutions Architect role that sparked your interest
- Head over to ResyMatch.io (or use our shortcut below)
- Grab a copy of your most updated resume
- Upload your resume on the left side
- Paste the job description on the right side
- Hit “Start Resume Scan”
Boom! ResyMatch will compare and score your resume against the job's description and identify missing skill gaps, such as:
ResyMatch will also make sure your resume is ATS compatible (ATS is a software that recruiters often use to track candidates through the hiring process). And of course, ResyMatch will provide suggestions and outline best practices you can use to edit and improve your resume!
Use our shortcut below to get started:
Scanning...
2. Update Your Resume With Compelling Resume Bullets
After you've compared your resume against your target job description, you will likely find yourself in one of two scenarios:
1. You have some missing skills that you'll need to master before taking on a new role — if that's the case, you can take action and start building those skills through online courses and a portfolio strategy.
OR…
2. You have already mastered most of the skills — if that's the case, all you need to do is update your resume with compelling resume bullets, leveraging the keywords found in your resume and job description scan.
To get started, you'll want your resume bullets to have just the right amount of hard and soft skills, action words, measurable results, and common words.
This means a compelling resume bullet for someone applying for a Solutions Architect role might look something like this:
Designed cloud-native reference architecture reducing infrastructure costs by 28% while improving availability to 99.95% through autoscaling, IaC, and zero-downtime deployments.
This bullet focuses on solutions architecture–specific skills while also showcasing measurable results!
To help you write the perfect resume bullet, we've created ResyBullet.io, a free resume bullet analyzer that helps you write your resume in a way that grabs attention and illustrates value. Simply copy and paste your resume bullet below to begin your analysis:
ResyBullet will analyze and score your resume bullet and give you actionable insights for improvement.
Here's how our resume bullet scored on ResyBullet:
If you're a visual learner, check out our video that walks you through the step-by-step of writing a crazy-effective resume bullet:
3. Build A Visually Appealing, ATS-Friendly Resume
Now that you've updated the content on your resume, it's time to transfer it over to an awesome layout that's also ATS-friendly.
We recommend using a resume template so you can save the time you'd normally spend designing your resume and instead allocate it to your job search.
You can use ResyBuild.io, a free AI resume builder, to easily build and customize your resume in no time. Just pick one of the templates below and get started:
Free Job-Winning Resume Templates, Build Yours In No Time.
Choose a resume template below to get started:
Choose from 8 proven templates and easily create, edit, and customize your resume. ResyBuild's AI assistant also helps you craft personalized, job-winning bullets in a single click. Simply add your experience, hit “Optimize,” and watch the magic happen.
4. Don't Apply Online — Do This Instead
The most common next step in the process is to start applying for Solutions Architect roles.
While applying online can absolutely be the next step in your job search, the truth is, it will only get you so far. In fact, only 2% of resumes submitted for the average open role end up reaching the interview stage.
Sure, optimizing your resume will boost your chances of being a part of that 2%.
But some estimates, like this one from the Wall Street Journal, show that 80% of hires come from referrals.
This means your best shot at landing the role you've been eying is through networking.
And no, we're not talking about attending conferences, events, and meetups. We're talking about a fresh approach that really builds relationships and gets your resume at the top of the resume pile at companies like Microsoft, Google, Uber, and more.
You can read all about it in our flagship guide for effective job searching:
Read More: How To Get A Job Anywhere Without Applying Online
Final Notes
Whether you're just starting out or looking to advance in your Solutions Architect career, getting clarity on the possibilities ahead of you can help you navigate your career with more ease.
Just don't forget: your career path isn't set in stone. Jobs and career goals will often evolve with life transitions. Always remember that your career should adapt to fit your life and not the other way around.
