Senior Solutions Architect II, AI/ML

Dive in and do the best work of your career at DigitalOcean. Journey alongside a strong community of top talent who are relentless in their drive to build the simplest scalable cloud. If you have a growth mindset, naturally like to think big and bold, and are energized by the fast-paced environment of a true industry disruptor, you’ll find your place here. We value winning together—while learning, having fun, and making a profound difference for the dreamers and builders in the world. We want people who are passionate about solving complex cloud infrastructure challenges for our customers. We are seeking a Solutions Architect II with deep expertise in Kubernetes migrations and cloud infrastructure to drive the success and retention of DigitalOcean’s high-value customers while also acquiring and onboarding net new customers. Reporting to the Manager of Solutions Architecture, you will play a critical role in leading customers through Kubernetes migrations and cloud-native transformations, helping them achieve their business objectives while expanding their use of DigitalOcean’s platform. In this role, you will partner with Customer Success, Support, and Sales teams to deliver technical excellence that supports the retention and expansion of our largest and fastest-growing customers, as well as onboarding new businesses seeking modern, scalable solutions. As the technical subject matter expert , you will design, implement, and optimize cloud architectures, guide customers on best practices, and deliver solutions tailored to their needs. Additionally, you will collaborate across functions—Product, Engineering, and Operations—to ensure customer feedback informs the continuous improvement of DigitalOcean’s products and services. Your insights and leadership will be instrumental in building trust with both existing customers and new prospects, showcasing DigitalOcean as their go-to partner for Kubernetes and cloud infrastructure needs. This role offers an exciting opportunity to combine your technical depth, communication skills, and entrepreneurial mindset to make a significant impact on DigitalOcean’s growth and success. What You Will Be Doing: As a Staff Solutions Architect specializing in Kubernetes, you will be a hands-on technical leader responsible for guiding customers through complex Kubernetes migration projects. Leveraging deep expertise in migrations and the Kubernetes ecosystem, you will play a pivotal role in designing, implementing, and optimizing cloud-native solutions for customers. Collaborating closely with customer success teams, engineering, and other stakeholders, your efforts will directly contribute to workload expansion, customer retention, and the adoption of modern cloud practices. Lead hands-on Kubernetes migration projects, ensuring seamless transitions of workloads to Kubernetes environments. Analyze customers’ existing infrastructure and applications to design robust migration strategies. Implement Kubernetes architectures, taking ownership of the technical execution throughout the migration lifecycle. Troubleshoot and resolve complex migration challenges, ensuring minimal downtime and optimal performance. Deep expertise in Kubernetes, container orchestration, and the cloud-native ecosystem. Software engineering experience 7 years+ Design, plan, and review Kubernetes migration and modernization strategies tailored to specific use cases. Build detailed infrastructure diagrams and explain architectural decisions clearly to technical and non-technical audiences. Partner with Technical Customer Success Managers and Account Managers to identify customer needs, define success plans, and ensure smooth migrations. Conduct hands-on technical workshops, proof of concepts, and demonstrations showcasing Kubernetes migration processes and cloud-native solutions. Offer tailored onboarding and migration assistance to guide customers through technical blockers and adoption challenges. Act as a trusted advisor, helping customers navigate technical complexities and adopt Kubernetes best practices. Collaborate with engineering and support teams to resolve technical escalations during migrations. Advocate for customer feedback to inform the development of new Kubernetes-related features and platform enhancements. What We'll Expect From You: Extensive professional experience in cloud infrastructure, Kubernetes, and migration projects, or equivalent education. Deep understanding of Kubernetes architecture, container orchestration, and related cloud-native technologies. Strong foundational knowledge of Linux, distributed systems, and their application in cloud environments. Proven programming and scripting experience to support automation and migration processes. Prior experience in a pre-sales, technical consulting, or customer-facing role, with a focus on solving complex technical challenges. Passionate about delivering exceptional customer experiences and fostering customer success. Demonstrated track record of developing effective technical solutions to address customer business challenges. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences. Highly motivated, with a proactive mindset and the ability to work independently and collaboratively. Relevant certifications such as Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD), or Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS). Proficiency in IaC tools like Terraform, Helm, or Ansible, and experience automating complex deployments. Extra Credit: Demonstrated experience contributing to open-source projects, particularly within the Kubernetes ecosystem or related cloud-native technologies. Advanced knowledge of cloud providers and tools (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform) and experience with multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environments. Active participation in Kubernetes or cloud-native communities, including meetups, conferences, or forums. Experience creating tools, plugins, or frameworks that enhance Kubernetes migrations or operational efficiency. Published articles, blogs, or documentation on Kubernetes best practices, migration strategies, or cloud-native solutions. Compensation Range: Base: $150,000 - $182,000 / Target OTE: $200,000 - 240,000 *This is a remote role JR: 2026-7693 #LI-Remote Why You’ll Like Working for DigitalOcean We innovate with purpose. You’ll be a part of a cutting-edge technology company with an upward trajectory, who are proud to simplify cloud and AI so builders can spend more time creating software that changes the world. As a member of the team, you will be a Shark who thinks big, bold, and scrappy, like an owner with a bias for action and a powerful sense of responsibility for customers, products, employees, and decisions. We prioritize career development. At DO, you’ll do the best work of your career. You will work with some of the smartest and most interesting people in the industry. We are a high-performance organization that will always challenge you to think big. Our organizational development team will provide you with resources to ensure you keep growing. We provide employees with reimbursement for relevant conferences, training, and education. All employees have access to LinkedIn Learning's 10,000+ courses to support their continued growth and development. We care about your well-being. Regardless of your location, we will provide you with a competitive array of benefits to support you from our Employee Assistance Program to Local Employee Meetups to flexible time off policy, to name a few. While the philosophy around our benefits is the same worldwide, specific benefits may vary based on local regulations and preferences. We reward our employees. The salary range for this position is based on market data, relevant years of experience, and skills. You may qualify for a bonus in addition to base salary; bonus amounts are determined based on company and individual performance. We also provide equity compensation to eligible employees, including equity grants upon hire and the option to participate in our Employee Stock Purchase Program. DigitalOcean is an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service. Application Limit: You may apply to a maximum of 3 positions within any 180-day period. This policy promotes better role-candidate matching and encourages thoughtful applications where your qualifications align most strongly.