Principal Solutions Architect, Enterprise

Role Summary

The Principal, Solutions Architect — Enterprise Sales is Tekion’s most senior domain authority in enterprise sales engagements, serving as the decisive voice of expertise that gives large dealer group executives the confidence to commit to the Tekion ARC platform. You partner with enterprise Account Executives as a peer and strategic advisor — not in a support capacity, but as a principal-level leader who shapes how Tekion approaches and wins the most complex, highest-value opportunities.

This role is defined first and foremost by deep, earned credibility. You have spent years inside or alongside large dealership operations and understand — in genuine detail — how a multi-rooftop dealer group runs: how the Controller thinks about a chart of accounts migration, how a Fixed Ops Director evaluates labor guide integrations, how a CFO stress-tests a platform transition. That operational depth is what separates this role from a traditional pre-sales function, and it is what makes you trusted rather than merely tolerated in executive conversations.

You bring fluency across every major dimension of a DMS and dealer operations — fixed ops, variable ops, accounting, F&I, parts, service, CRM, and retail — and the executive presence to engage at the VP and C-suite level with authority. Target customers include large publicly traded and privately held dealer groups (e.g., Asbury, Lithia, Penske, Group 1, AutoNation) as well as high-growth mid-market groups where Tekion’s platform can deliver transformative operational value.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Sales Engagement & Advisory

• Partner with enterprise Account Executives as a principal-level peer and domain advisor throughout the sales cycle — from discovery and qualification through proposal, executive alignment, and close.
• Lead solution discovery sessions with prospective dealer group executives, developing a thorough understanding of their current DMS environment, operational structure, pain points, and strategic priorities.
• Design and deliver tailored solution presentations and platform demonstrations that connect Tekion ARC capabilities directly to the prospect’s operational realities — grounded in how their business actually works, not generic product pitches.
• Navigate complex, multi-stakeholder evaluations involving dealer group executive leadership (CEO, CFO, COO, CIO), department heads (Controller, Fixed Ops Director, F&I Director), and IT decision-makers, building independent credibility with each audience.
• Travel 40–60% to engage prospects onsite, lead executive briefings, and be present for the moments that determine deal outcomes.

DMS & Dealer Operations Domain Expertise

• Serve as Tekion’s deepest subject matter expert on DMS platforms and end-to-end dealer operations, covering fixed operations (service, parts, repair), variable operations (retail, F&I, desking), accounting and financial reporting, and CRM.
• Understand the full operational footprint of large, multi-rooftop dealer groups — including how processes, reporting hierarchies, and system dependencies scale across dozens or hundreds of rooftops.
• Articulate the operational and financial impact of a DMS migration credibly, including data conversion, workflow retraining, integration dependencies, and go-live risk management.
• Stay current on competitive DMS platforms (CDK, Reynolds & Reynolds, DealerSocket) — understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and the switching costs and objections they create.

Executive-Level Credibility & Trusted Advisor Positioning

• Establish immediate and durable credibility with dealer group executives by demonstrating firsthand knowledge of how large dealership operations work — not product features in the abstract, but the operational decisions, tradeoffs, and pressures that define their day-to-day reality.
• Lead executive discovery conversations that go beyond the immediate platform evaluation to uncover strategic priorities: growth and acquisition plans, margin improvement goals, talent and process challenges, and long-term digital transformation ambitions.
• Position Tekion as a long-term strategic partner, not a software vendor — advising prospective customers on industry best practices, operational benchmarks, and how the ARC platform can serve as a foundational capability for their next phase of growth.
• Handle the toughest objections — on platform maturity, migration risk, competitive alternatives, and organizational change — with transparency, data, and the quiet confidence of someone who has seen these transitions succeed.
• Be the person in the room that dealer group executives want to call back. Your credibility extends the relationship beyond the sales cycle.

Solution Design & Technical Scoping

• Design and document tailored solution architectures for complex, multi-rooftop implementations, including integration requirements, data migration scope, phasing strategies, and third-party connectivity.
• Identify and evaluate solution tradeoffs, clearly communicating implications for timeline, cost, and operational risk to both the prospect and internal Tekion stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Tekion’s product and implementation teams to validate feasibility of proposed solutions and establish realistic delivery commitments.
• Produce high-quality deal artifacts including solution overviews, scope summaries, integration maps, and RFP responses.

Internal Alignment & Feedback Loop

• Act as a direct feedback channel from large dealer group prospects to Tekion’s product organization — surfacing gaps, competitive pressures, and feature requests that influence roadmap prioritization.
• Collaborate with Sales, Product, and Implementation leadership to continuously refine Tekion’s enterprise go-to-market approach, demo environments, and competitive positioning materials.
• Contribute to a growing library of enterprise sales assets including reference architectures, objection handling guides, and case studies.

Skills & Experience

Required

• 10+ years in solutions architecture, domain consulting, or senior technical leadership roles, with substantial experience in automotive dealer management systems or dealership operations technology at the enterprise level.
• Comprehensive, hands-on knowledge of DMS platforms and dealership operations across all major departments: fixed ops (service, parts, repair), variable ops (retail, desking, F&I), accounting and financial reporting, and CRM.
• Demonstrated ability to engage with mid-market or large dealer group executives (VP and C-suite) with genuine authority — as a domain peer, not a vendor presenter.
• Deep understanding of DMS migration complexity at scale — data conversion, third-party integrations, workflow change management, and multi-rooftop go-live sequencing.
• Deep familiarity with at least one major legacy DMS platform (CDK, Reynolds & Reynolds, DealerSocket, or equivalent) from an implementation, operational, or consulting context.
• Exceptional executive communication, listening, and presentation skills; able to command credibility in a boardroom and adapt fluently across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Proven experience contributing to complex, high-value B2B evaluations in a domain expert or senior advisory capacity.

Preferred

• Direct operational or consulting experience at or with a large, publicly traded dealer group (e.g., Asbury, AutoNation, Lithia, Penske, Group 1, Sonic) — understanding how these organizations are structured, governed, and how technology decisions get made.
• Prior experience in a principal or staff-level solutions architect role with accountability for the most strategically significant accounts or opportunities in the portfolio.
• Familiarity with Tekion ARC or experience evaluating Tekion as part of a competitive DMS assessment.
• Understanding of dealer group financial structures, including multi-entity accounting, OEM financial statement requirements, and group-level reporting consolidation.
• Deep fixed operations expertise beyond the DMS core — including shop management, labor guides, parts procurement, warranty claim processing, and service lane technology.
• Exposure to digital retail, online F&I, and consumer-facing platforms and how they integrate into DMS workflows at enterprise scale.

Sponsorship

• Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this position. 

Perks and Benefits

• Competitive compensation and generous stock options   
• 100% employer-paid top-of-the-line medical, dental and vision coverage  
• Great benefits including unlimited PTO, parental leave and free snacks and beverages  
• The opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds from Silicon Valley’s most dominant and successful companies   
• Be part of an early stage, hyper-growth start-up with the opportunity to grow and prosper    
• Work on the latest and coolest technologies – everything is home-grown and built ground-up   
• A dynamic work environment with a strong sense of community and collaboration   
• The open and transparent culture that encourages innovation, rewards performance and discourages hierarchy   
• Exciting opportunities for career growth and development   

Current Tekion Employees – Please apply via Greenhouse Internal Job Board