Mid-career · Presales and solutions · also called Sales Engineer, Presales Consultant, Solutions Architect (presales)
Solutions Engineer
Owns the technical win: architecture, integration, security review and proof of concept.
No credential gets anyone a job or a salary, and ASTRA does not promise either. An ASTRA credential attests that the holder passed an examination; it does not certify performance in a job. External programmes and certifications are listed because people in these roles commonly hold them. ASTRA is not affiliated with their issuers and does not endorse them; names are trademarks of their owners. Details change, so check the issuer's site before you buy. Last reviewed 12 October 2026.
What you do
- Design the solution and its integrations
- Model cost and capacity
- Lead security and architecture reviews
- Run and report proofs of concept
What you need to be able to show
- Architecture across cloud, data and AI
- Cost modelling
- Assurance evidence and its limits
- AI governance: training, retrieval, human-in-the-loop
- Handover to delivery
Where ASTRA fits
Integrating architecture, economics, assurance, AI governance, discovery, channel boundaries and rollout into a defensible recommendation. 56 questions across 8 cases · 120 minutes.
Technical certifications prove you can build it. The ASTRA Tech Sales Advisor certifies that you can turn what you build into a recommendation a buyer can defend; the ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist adds the security-sale specifics.
Also relevant: ASTRA Cybersecurity Sales Specialist
Credentials people in this role commonly hold
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate · Amazon Web Services · Paid exam
Designing workloads on AWS. Technical; common in presales and solutions roles. - Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert · Microsoft · Paid exam
Designing solutions on Azure. Technical; presales and architecture roles. - Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect · Google Cloud · Paid exam
Designing solutions on Google Cloud. Technical; presales and architecture roles. - CompTIA Security+ · CompTIA · Paid exam
Core security concepts, threats, controls and operations. Technical; vendor-neutral. - ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) · ISC2 · Cost varies
Entry-level security principles, network and access concepts, incident response basics. - AWS Certified AI Practitioner · Amazon Web Services · Paid exam
AI, machine-learning and generative-AI concepts and AWS AI services, at an introductory level.