Cloud & AI Solution Engineer - AI Applications - Job Opportunity at Microsoft

Toronto, Canada
Full-time
Mid-level
Posted: July 27, 2025
Hybrid
CAD 69,600 - CAD 177,600 per year

Benefits

Flexible work opportunities providing enhanced work-life balance and productivity optimization
Professional development through continuous learning programs and skill advancement initiatives
Career acceleration opportunities with structured growth paths and mentorship
Collaborative innovation environment fostering creativity and cutting-edge technology exposure
Comprehensive Microsoft employee benefits package including health, retirement, and wellness programs

Key Responsibilities

Drive strategic technical sales initiatives with C-level decision makers through compelling demonstrations and proof-of-concepts that directly influence multimillion-dollar solution architectures and accelerate enterprise-wide AI transformation deployments
Lead high-impact customer engagement programs including hackathons and architecture workshops that establish Microsoft as the preferred cloud platform partner and drive measurable adoption metrics across enterprise accounts
Build and maintain trusted strategic relationships with platform engineering leaders, co-designing mission-critical secure and scalable AI architectures that become the foundation for organizational digital transformation initiatives
Resolve complex technical challenges and objections while serving as the critical bridge between customer needs and Microsoft engineering teams, directly influencing product roadmap decisions and feature development priorities
Maintain deep technical expertise across Microsoft's comprehensive Intelligent Application Development portfolio including AI Foundry, Azure Kubernetes Service, App Service Environment, Azure Container Apps, API Management, and Azure Managed Redis to position as the definitive technical authority
Develop and sustain advanced proficiency in Azure's enterprise database ecosystem including Cosmos DB, PostgreSQL, and SQL DB to architect data-driven AI solutions that scale across global enterprise environments
Establish thought leadership presence within Application Development communities and customer forums, representing Microsoft's AI vision and driving industry conversations around intelligent application development standards and best practices

Requirements

Education

Master's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field

Experience

1+ years technical pre-sales or technical consulting experience with Master's degree OR 2+ years with Bachelor's degree OR 3+ years without degree

Required Skills

Extensive experience in software development architecture and development techniques for cloud native environments Ability to communicate technical concepts to business and technical audiences Proven ability to lead technical engagements (e.g., hackathons, PoCs, MVPs) that drive production-scale outcomes Experience with cloud and hybrid, or on premises infrastructures, architecture designs, migrations, industry standards, and/or technology management Experience modernizing legacy applications to cloud native architectures Experience developing generative AI or Agentic AI solutions (LangChain, AutoGen, Semantic Kernel)
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Sauge AI Market Intelligence

Industry Trends

The enterprise AI market is experiencing unprecedented growth with organizations investing heavily in generative AI and agentic AI solutions, driving demand for technical professionals who can bridge the gap between complex AI technologies and practical business applications. Microsoft's position as a leader in this space, particularly with their Azure AI services and partnerships with OpenAI, creates significant opportunities for solution engineers who can guide enterprise digital transformation initiatives. Cloud-native application development has become the standard for enterprise software architecture, with containerization, microservices, and API-first designs dominating new development projects. This shift requires technical professionals who understand both traditional enterprise systems and modern cloud architectures, making hybrid expertise increasingly valuable in the current market. The convergence of AI and cloud platforms is creating new categories of intelligent applications that require specialized knowledge in both domains. Organizations are seeking professionals who can architect solutions that leverage AI capabilities while maintaining enterprise-grade security, scalability, and compliance standards, positioning this role at the center of major technology trends.

Salary Evaluation

The CAD 69,600 - CAD 177,600 salary range reflects the two-tier structure (IC3 and IC4 levels) and is competitive for the Canadian market, particularly in Toronto's technology sector. This range translates to approximately USD 51,000 - USD 130,000, which aligns well with similar solution engineering roles at major technology companies. The wide range allows for significant growth within the role based on experience and performance, with the upper tier representing strong compensation for mid-level technical roles in Canada.

Role Significance

Solution Engineers typically work within teams of 5-8 professionals supporting specific geographic regions or industry verticals, collaborating closely with account managers, technical specialists, and product engineering teams. The role involves frequent cross-functional collaboration with Microsoft's broader ecosystem including partner organizations, engineering teams, and executive stakeholders, creating a dynamic team environment with extensive networking opportunities.
This is a mid-level individual contributor role with significant customer-facing responsibilities and technical leadership opportunities. The position carries substantial influence over customer technical decisions and product direction, indicating a role that sits between pure technical implementation and strategic account management. The requirement to work with decision makers and influence solution design suggests meaningful autonomy and impact on business outcomes.

Key Projects

Leading enterprise AI transformation initiatives for Fortune 500 companies implementing Microsoft's AI platform across multiple business units and geographic regions Architecting and deploying large-scale cloud-native applications that serve millions of users while integrating advanced AI capabilities for personalization and automation Conducting technical due diligence and solution design for multi-million dollar enterprise software implementations involving complex integration requirements and regulatory compliance Developing proof-of-concept solutions that demonstrate the business value of emerging AI technologies like generative AI and agentic systems for specific industry use cases

Success Factors

Deep technical expertise combined with exceptional communication skills to translate complex AI and cloud concepts into compelling business value propositions that resonate with both technical teams and executive stakeholders, enabling successful solution adoption across diverse organizational levels. Strong relationship-building capabilities and consultative approach to customer engagement, as success in this role depends heavily on establishing trust with technical decision makers and becoming viewed as a strategic advisor rather than just a vendor representative. Adaptability and continuous learning mindset to stay current with rapidly evolving AI technologies and cloud platforms, as the pace of innovation in this space requires constant skill development and the ability to quickly master new tools and frameworks. Project management and execution excellence to successfully lead complex technical engagements from initial concept through production deployment, ensuring customer success while managing multiple concurrent initiatives and stakeholder expectations.

Market Demand

Demand for Cloud & AI Solution Engineers is exceptionally high as organizations across industries prioritize AI adoption and cloud modernization initiatives. Microsoft's dominant position in enterprise software and growing AI capabilities creates particularly strong demand for professionals who can effectively communicate and implement these solutions. The combination of technical depth and customer-facing skills required for this role makes qualified candidates relatively scarce, leading to competitive compensation and strong job security.

Important Skills

Critical Skills

Cloud-native architecture expertise is absolutely essential as this represents the foundational technology stack for modern enterprise applications, and the ability to design, implement, and optimize cloud-native solutions directly determines success in customer engagements and solution deployments. AI and machine learning application development skills, particularly with generative AI frameworks like LangChain and AutoGen, are critical differentiators in the current market as organizations increasingly seek to integrate AI capabilities into their core business processes and customer experiences. Technical communication and presentation abilities are fundamental to success as the role requires translating complex technical concepts into business value propositions for diverse audiences ranging from developers to C-level executives, making this skill set essential for driving customer adoption and solution success.

Beneficial Skills

Industry-specific domain knowledge in sectors like financial services, healthcare, or manufacturing can significantly enhance effectiveness by enabling more targeted solution design and deeper customer relationship development, as enterprises increasingly seek partners who understand their unique challenges and regulatory requirements. Open source technology familiarity and contribution experience demonstrates technical credibility and innovation mindset that resonates with developer communities and technical decision makers, while also providing access to emerging technologies and industry trends that can inform solution strategies. Data architecture and analytics expertise becomes increasingly valuable as AI solutions require sophisticated data pipelines and governance frameworks, and the ability to design comprehensive data strategies enhances the scope and impact of AI implementations for enterprise customers.

Unique Aspects

This role offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of two of the most transformative technologies of our time - artificial intelligence and cloud computing - while being part of Microsoft's mission to democratize AI capabilities for enterprise customers across industries.
The position provides direct access to cutting-edge AI technologies and platforms before they become widely available, including early access to new Azure AI services, generative AI tools, and agentic AI frameworks that are shaping the future of enterprise software development.
Working with Microsoft's enterprise customer base offers exposure to some of the world's most complex and challenging technical problems, providing accelerated learning opportunities and the chance to influence technology decisions at organizations that impact millions of users globally.
The role combines technical depth with business strategy, offering a unique career path that develops both technical expertise and business acumen while working on solutions that have measurable impact on customer success and organizational transformation.

Career Growth

Career progression typically occurs within 2-4 years for high-performing individuals, with opportunities for advancement accelerated by strong customer success metrics, technical thought leadership, and contribution to Microsoft's go-to-market strategies. The rapid growth in AI and cloud markets creates additional advancement opportunities as Microsoft expands its technical organization.

Potential Next Roles

Senior Solution Engineer or Principal Solution Engineer roles with expanded geographic or industry responsibilities, leading larger customer accounts and mentoring junior team members Technical Product Manager positions leveraging customer insights and technical expertise to influence Microsoft's AI and cloud product roadmaps Customer Success Director or Technical Account Manager roles focusing on strategic enterprise relationships and long-term customer outcomes Solution Architecture leadership positions designing enterprise-wide technology strategies for major global customers

Company Overview

Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is one of the world's largest technology companies and a dominant force in enterprise software, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. The company has successfully transformed from a traditional software company to a cloud-first, AI-powered organization, with Azure becoming one of the leading cloud platforms globally and significant investments in AI research and development through partnerships with organizations like OpenAI.

Microsoft maintains a leading position in the enterprise technology market with Azure ranking as the second-largest cloud platform globally after AWS, and Office 365 dominating the productivity software market. The company's early and aggressive investment in AI technologies, including the integration of GPT models into its product suite, has positioned it at the forefront of the enterprise AI revolution, creating significant competitive advantages in the current market.
Microsoft Canada represents a significant regional operation with major offices in Toronto, Vancouver, and other key Canadian markets. The Toronto location provides access to one of North America's largest and most diverse technology talent pools, with strong connections to the financial services, healthcare, and government sectors that represent key customer segments for Microsoft's enterprise solutions.
Microsoft has cultivated a growth mindset culture that emphasizes continuous learning, innovation, and collaborative problem-solving. The company's culture transformation under current leadership has created an environment that values diversity, inclusion, and employee empowerment, with significant investment in professional development and career advancement opportunities for technical professionals.
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