Solutions Architect - Payward Services

About the role

As a Solutions Architect at Kraken, you will focus on defining pre-sales processes and leading a team of Solutions Engineers. Your role will involve engaging with potential clients to understand their technical needs and mapping them to Kraken's offerings.

You will design tailored solutions, build Proof of Concepts, and create a Solutions Engineering playbook. Success in this role requires a strong background in technical pre-sales and the ability to communicate effectively with both clients and engineering teams.

The salary range for this role is between $127,200 and $254,400, offering competitive compensation for the skills required.

Skills that matter here

• Solutions Architecture: This role involves designing solutions that meet the specific needs of fintech clients.
• REST API: Fluency with REST APIs is essential for integrating Kraken's products with client systems.
• OAuth: Knowledge of OAuth is necessary for implementing secure authentication in client solutions.
• Integration Debugging: You will need to troubleshoot integration issues to ensure seamless client implementations.
• Crypto-as-a-service: Experience in this area is crucial for delivering tailored solutions in the financial sector.
• Proof of Concept (PoC): Building PoCs will be a key responsibility to demonstrate Kraken's capabilities to potential clients.

Who this role suits

• Candidates should have a strong technical background and experience in pre-sales roles.
• A successful applicant will thrive in a structured communication environment and be able to lead discovery calls.
• Those who have built processes from scratch and have a proactive approach to problem-solving will excel.
• A passion for crypto and a deep understanding of financial services will be beneficial.

From the employer

Responsibilities

• Define the pre-sales process and lead best practices for a growing team of Solutions Engineers.
• Run technical discovery with prospective customers to map their architecture, constraints, and compliance needs to Kraken's product suite.
• Help define the product suite by identifying common requests and communicating priorities to engineering teams.
• Design tailored solutions spanning existing offerings, customizations, bespoke integrations, or direct work in customer codebases.
• Scope and build Proof of Concepts (PoCs) and ensure a structured handoff to the Implementation team.
• Build the pre-sales Solutions Engineering playbook (discovery frameworks, solution templates, PoC standards, handoff runbooks).
• Identify product gaps blocking deals and escalate blockers to leadership.

Requirements

• 7+ years in a technical pre-sales role (solutions engineering or solutions architecture) at a B2B API or infrastructure company.
• Proven track record owning the technical pre-sales motion — discovery, solution design, PoC delivery, and deal-winning.
• Fluency with REST/WebSocket APIs, auth patterns (OAuth, JWT), webhook architecture, and integration debugging.
• Experience designing and building complex integrations for technical buyers at fintechs, banks, or neobanks.
• Background building process from scratch — you've been an early or founding SE hire before and have created the playbook others run.
• Strong knowledge transfer skills — you know how to package a solution design so an implementation team can execute it faithfully.
• Clear, structured communicator who can run a discovery call, a design review, and a handoff debrief back to back.
• Experience writing RFPs and documenting solution approaches that clearly communicate how our product and our customizations will solve a customer's problem.
• Crypto domain knowledge — trading, custody, KYC, staking, fiat ramp mechanics.
• Experience with embedded finance or crypto-as-a-service products.
• Experience with Coast and building out proof of concept sales demos inside Coast.
• Hands-on with AI development tools (Claude Code, Cursor) for rapid prototyping.
• You've built a playbook and then hired the team to run it.

Conditions

• Salary: $127.2K – $254.4K.
• Offers Equity.
• Offers Bonus.