Hiring a Salesforce Solution Architect can be challenging. Solution Architects are some of the most highly sought after professionals in the Salesforce ecosystem.
To help your search for the perfect candidate, we put together a sample job description for Salesforce Solution Architects, include an overview of the responsibilities, required qualifications, and desirable abilities. It also includes a list of common job benefits Salesforce candidates seek, salary expectations, and suggested interview process. Feel free to take this template and make it your own!
Verified by:
Gemma Blezard
CEO & Solution Architect at The Architech Club
Salesforce Solution Architect
Thanks for your interest in [your company name], we are pleased to share that we have the following role available.
| Role | Solution Architect |
|---|---|
| Basis | Full Time |
| Type | Permanent |
| Salary: | $146k – $165k, depending on experience. |
A note about Salesforce salaries: the average salary for a solution architect in the US is
$136,000 for junior level architects, and $156,000 for seniors. One single figure without context can be misleading – there will be a significant difference in the salaries based on certain factors. Our salary guides aim to explain the influencing factors behind the numbers, such as experience, location, certifications, and others.
About us:
What to insert:
Insert a paragraph about your organisation – just like you would write on the ‘what we do’ section of your website. You should also include who your customers are, and a small pitch on your vision.
About the role:
As a Solution Architect, you will own the integrity and strength of the solutions recommended. You’ll be acting as a trusted advisor to our team and clients, and an effective mentor for other Salesforce professionals working alongside you. You will need a deep understanding of the Salesforce platform but just as importantly, top-notch people skills to get your ideas and solutions across to stakeholders and gain integrity to get your visions built into successful solutions.
Don’t forget:
Don’t forget to include which benefits you can offer prospective employees. Of course, this will be different from one organization to the next, even by role. Which benefits are Salesforce professionals attracted to? One global survey of Salesforce professionals found that the most sought after benefits were 13th-month pay/year-end bonus (29%), free internet 26%, gym membership/fitness expense allowance (21%), 4 weeks or more paid time off (20%).
These ‘perks’ are, of course, outside of the most common benefits that come with Salesforce roles (in order of prevalence).
Responsibilities
This is a varied delivery leadership role, with the following responsibilities:
- Conduct research into clients’ use of Salesforce, producing a report of findings with recommended steps and a roadmap for Salesforce solutions,
- Collaborate with colleagues and customers to create prototypes and proofs of concept as a means of eliciting and defining requirements,
- Review solutions and recommending improvements,
- Groom and refine the Salesforce product backlog, in liaison with stakeholders on the project,
- Own the design of Salesforce and (optionally) other affiliated solutions for Sales, Service, and platform solutions,
- Act as a release manager, approving configuration and coded items to be deployed between environments. Where appropriate, this could include deploying changes,
- Provide guidance on user story writing style,
- Ensure success and acceptance criteria are defined for each story,
- Describe and illustrate designs with appropriate justifications,
- Ensure documentation of the steps for testing,
- Groom and refine the Salesforce product backlog, in liaison with Salesforce SMEs,
- Supervise the configuration, quality assurance, testing, and deployment of Salesforce,
- Collaborative project and workstream planning.
Required Qualifications and Background
- At least 5 years’ experience in a leading role in delivering Salesforce projects,
- Excellent communication skills, written, verbal, and interactive when online,
- Minimum Salesforce certified:
- Administrator
- Sales Cloud Consultant
- Service Cloud Consultant
- Platform App Builder
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Required:
- A pro-active personality, with a can-do attitude,
- Excellent relationship-building skills,
- Strong analytical skills, with the ability to observe trends. Able to actively make suggestions based on the results,
- Available and responsive to question, clarifications and instructions
- Ability to tailor communication to multiple audiences at all levels
- A self-starter, experienced in leading projects or delivery work streams
- Outstanding written communication skills
- Ability to demonstrate concepts visually and in writing in a way that enables stakeholders to decide with confidence
- A strategic approach to solution design, with proven ability to develop and execute tactical plans to support the strategy
- Excellent ability to coach, motivate and direct work tasks to a multi-discplinary team of Salesforce professionals
Desirable/bonus:
- Bachelor’s / Postgraduate degree or professional qualification in Business, Computer Science, Marketing, Finance or a similar field of study,
- Salesforce Designer certifications,
- Salesforce Architecture certifications,
- Active in the Salesforce community.
What You’ll Get
What to include:
Don’t forget to include which benefits you can offer prospective employees. Of course, this will be different from one organization to the next, even by role. Which benefits are Salesforce professionals attracted to? One global survey of Salesforce professionals found that the most sought after benefits were 13th-month pay/year-end bonus (29%), free internet 26%, gym membership/fitness expense allowance (21%), 4 weeks or more paid time off (20%).
These ‘perks’ are, of course, outside of the most common benefits that come with Salesforce roles (in order of prevalence):
- Competitive salary – reviewed annually
- Bonus
- Company laptop
- Health and medical insurance
- Homeworking
- Retirement savings plan/401(k)
- Match/pension contributions
- Dental plan
- Casual dress policy
- Life insurance
- Training and development opportunities
- Flexible working hours
- Certification exam vouchers
- Charity/volunteer days
Here’s an example of what you could write:
At [your company name] you can expect to join a warm and welcoming team in a business that wants you to succeed. Employee satisfaction is of paramount importance to us and we show this through a wide range of benefits including working from home, flexible working hours, [X] days holiday per annum, [enter other key benefits]. We know how important the role of junior Salesforce Developer is to our business and are committed to supporting your personal and professional development. We’ll do this by paying for [X] Salesforce certifications per year and reimbursing study costs up to [X]. In addition, we are supportive of you attending both Salesforce and Salesforce Community events, meaning you can attend during working hours and can be reimbursed up to [X] for costs associated with attending i.e. ticket cost.
Summary
Include a summary of your organization to wrap up the job description. Here you should also mention the ‘softer’ benefits of working for your organization that appeal to a candidate’s aspirations, such as growth potential, colleagues, company culture, and more. Your aim is to ‘re-sell’ the role after going through all the bullet-pointed roles and responsibilities – here is your chance to add a touch of colour!
Example Interview Process
- CV submission and review.
- Initial interview: with up to 2 people. Sharing more about what we do, and getting to know you – your motivations, personality and background.
- Second stage interview: solve and present back the solution to a business scenario provided.
- Decision.