Sr. Solutions Architect - Innovation Lab (m/f/d)

About Role

Digital Realty is seeking a forward-thinking and technically seasoned Sr. Solutions Architect (f/m/d) to join our Digital Realty Innovation Lab (DRIL) team. This role is ideal for a professional with a blend of strategic architectural expertise and hands-on engineering experience across compute, storage, and networking—plus strong domain knowledge in AI infrastructure and data center space, power, and cooling.

Key Responsibilities

Innovative Architecture & Infrastructure Design

• Design and deliver enterprise-grade solutions that integrate hybrid/multi-cloud, AI-ready compute, and intelligent infrastructure platforms.
• Develop blueprints for high-density, GPU-based workloads and emerging AI/ML infrastructure needs.
• Ensure alignment of technical solutions with data center space, power, and cooling capacities, incorporating sustainability and energy-efficiency goals.

Compute, Storage & Networking Implementation

• Architect and deploy robust infrastructure using hardware/software from vendors such as Dell, HPE, NVIDIA, Cisco, NetApp, and Juniper.
• Apply deep knowledge of high-performance computing (HPC) and low-latency networking to AI/ML solution design.
• Integrate automation tools (Terraform, Ansible, cloud-native orchestration) to streamline deployment and management.

Data Center Optimization

• Collaborate with facilities and operations teams to optimize infrastructure deployments based on available rack space, power draw, thermal dynamics, and airflow efficiency.
• Contribute to the planning and provisioning of data center resources, ensuring support for both traditional workloads and AI-intensive environments.
• Evaluate emerging technologies for space, power, and cooling efficiency in next-gen data center deployments.

Innovation Program Leadership

• Lead the technical execution of R&D initiatives within DRIL, from concept through prototype and deployment.
• Define milestones, scope, risks, and deliverables for innovation programs involving AI and infrastructure modernization.
• Communicate progress and findings to executive stakeholders and cross-functional teams.

Stakeholder Engagement & Evangelism

• Serve as a technical consultant to internal stakeholders and enterprise clients, especially on AI workload infrastructure and resource planning.
• Create technical whitepapers, solution briefs, and presentations to showcase innovative solutions.
• Represent Digital Realty in external engagements, including workshops, industry forums, and conferences.

Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing

• Mentor junior engineers and architects, encouraging continuous learning and best-practice adoption.
• Develop and maintain reference architectures, design standards, and lab documentation to drive consistency and scalability.

Your Profile

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field required.
• Master’s degree preferred.

Experience:

• 10+ years of hands-on experience in infrastructure architecture, systems engineering, or solution architecture.
• Proven track record with AI/ML infrastructure design (e.g., NVIDIA GPUs, distributed compute, high-speed storage).
• Demonstrated understanding of data center operational constraints including power provisioning, rack planning, and cooling technologies.

Technical Expertise:

• Deep knowledge of enterprise networking (routing/switching, SDN), storage platforms (SAN/NAS), and compute systems (virtualized, bare metal, HCI).
• Experience with public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and hybrid cloud strategies.
• Familiarity with HPC architectures and containerization technologies (e.g., Kubernetes, Docker) for AI workloads.

Certifications (Preferred):

• Relevant technical certifications such as AWS Solutions Architect, Cisco CCNP/CCIE, NVIDIA Certified, VMware VCP, or PMP.

Soft Skills:

• Strong communication and presentation skills across diverse audiences.
• Excellent organizational and time-management abilities.
• Strategic thinker with a hands-on approach to technical problem-solving.

About DRIL:

The Digital Realty Innovation Lab (DRIL) is the center of innovation and experimentation within Digital Realty. DRIL brings together infrastructure architects, engineers, and technologists to prototype and implement next-generation solutions across AI, cloud, edge, and hybrid environments. Our team shapes the future of connected infrastructure with a focus on sustainability, performance, and scale.

A bit about us 

Digital Realty is the leading provider of carrier and cloud neutral data centre services by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL®, the company’s global data center platform, provides customers with a secure data meeting place and a proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx™) solution methodology for powering innovation and efficiently managing Data Gravity challenges. Digital Realty gives its customers access to the connected data communities that matter to them with a global data center footprint of 300+ facilities in 50+ metros across 28 countries on 6 continents. We've 3,500+ colleagues around the world who work together, come up with life-changing solutions and create connections that matter every day. 

What we can offer you 

Our rapidly evolving business sector offers the opportunity to be part of a courageous and passionate team who work together to understand and meet the changing needs of our global customers. Join us and you’ll be part of a supportive and inclusive environment where you can bring your whole self to work. As part of our team, you’ll get to work with people from different business areas, challenge the way we do things and put your ideas into action. We’ll also give you plenty of development opportunities so you can build a rewarding and successful career with us. This is an exciting time to join our business so apply now and make your mark on our future.