Principal Architect, Financial Services, Google Cloud, UK, Ireland

Principal Architect, Financial Services, Google Cloud, UK, Ireland Overview

This role sits within Google Cloud’s financial services-focused customer engagement organization and is centered on helping customers adopt and expand cloud solutions. The position combines technical architecture, customer advisory work, and sales support. You would act as a trusted technical partner to customers, working closely with sales teams to shape opportunities, remove technical barriers, and show how Google Cloud can solve complex business problems. The work is especially focused on financial services customers across the UK and Ireland.

Google Cloud’s platform team supports organizations as they modernize and build new capabilities using cloud technology. The environment is designed around security, reliability, and scalability, with solutions that span the full technology stack from infrastructure to applications and beyond. In this role, you would help customers understand how Google Cloud can support transformation, growth, and new business outcomes, while also contributing to the technical strategy behind new deals and long-term customer adoption.

What you will do

• Take ownership of the technical account strategy and planning for customers, and help shape targeted sales motions from a technical perspective.
• Work with sales colleagues to position Google Cloud effectively, using technical depth and commercial awareness to demonstrate value across the platform portfolio.
• Lead detailed customer engagements such as demonstrations, pilots, and workshops, using programming knowledge and solution-architecture skills to make the case for Google Cloud.
• Design solutions that span multiple cloud domains, secure technical wins, and establish the first version of the delivery approach for the customer.
• Remain the main technical point of contact through the solution phase, ensuring continuity from early engagement through to delivery planning.
• Lead technical discussions with customer teams to understand business challenges, answer questions, and remove obstacles that could slow progress.
• Support proofs of concept and product demonstrations, and use those engagements to help customers evaluate practical cloud options.
• Identify and pursue new workloads, especially in areas such as infrastructure modernization, application modernization, data analytics, and related cloud opportunities.
• Use financial services industry knowledge to tailor technical conversations and uncover opportunities that fit the customer’s business and regulatory environment.
• Drive penetration testing activity within existing customer accounts as part of the broader technical engagement.
• Help move opportunities from sales into implementation by contributing to pricing discussions and handing over the final delivery plan to the delivery teams.
• Monitor progress against the agreed plan and support cross-functional teams during ramp-up, migration, implementation, and delivery phases.
• Present practical, business-relevant cloud solutions to both technical audiences and senior business leaders.

What the role requires

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• At least 10 years of experience in cloud-native architecture in a role that involved direct customer interaction or support.
• Experience with cloud engineering, on-premises engineering, virtualization, or containerization technologies.
• Experience presenting to, engaging with, or influencing technical stakeholders and executive decision-makers.
• Practical experience with programming languages, debugging, systems design, prototyping, demonstrations, or running customer workshops.
• Direct experience working with customers in financial services.
• Strong ability to work through ambiguous problems, make decisions, and influence stakeholders while bringing deep expertise in the domain.
• English fluency, since Google states that English proficiency is required for all roles unless the posting says otherwise.

Preferred background

• Experience selling technical solutions in one or more of these areas: infrastructure modernization, application modernization, data management, data analytics, cloud AI, networking, migrations, or security.
• Experience managing the full business cycle, including defining how a solution will be delivered and consumed, then moving that plan into execution.
• Experience building long-term technical strategies that reveal additional workloads and expansion opportunities with customers.
• Experience migrating applications and services to cloud platforms.
• Knowledge of security concepts such as encryption, identity and access management, access control, attack vectors, and penetration testing.

Additional context

The broader Google Cloud organization helps customers transform their businesses using enterprise-grade cloud technology. Its products are built for security, reliability, and scale, and the company emphasizes helping customers, developers, businesses, educational institutions, and public-sector organizations realize the benefits of cloud technology. The role is part of an entrepreneurial business area where you would help shape how customers adopt Google Cloud and how new workloads are won.

Google also states that it is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer and that it is committed to building a workforce that reflects the users it serves. The company says it provides equal employment opportunity regardless of protected characteristics under law and points applicants to its EEO policy, workplace rights information, belonging resources, and hiring information. If an applicant needs an accommodation, Google asks them to use its accommodations form.

The posting also notes that information collected through a Google Careers profile and any submitted application is handled under Google’s Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy. In addition, Google says that English proficiency is required for all roles unless the posting says otherwise, and that it does not accept agency resumes or pay fees for unsolicited resumes sent by recruitment agencies.

There is also a note about equity: any equity grant is discretionary and issued by Alphabet Inc. under the terms of the relevant stock plan and grant agreement. The posting explains that such grants are not guaranteed, require approval, and do not affect statutory payments.

To apply, use the Google Careers application process for this role. The page includes an application link and indicates that candidates can submit their application through Google Careers.

Degree Requirement: Bachelor’s

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