Director Solution Consulting

Job Purpose

The Dir Solution Consulting reports to the Head of Global Solution Consulting and leads a multi-regional team of solution consultants and major efficiency, performance and change management programs for the Solution Consulting function globally.

A senior member of the commercial leadership team, the Dir Solution Consulting collaborates with multi-regional and multi-functional counterparts to define and execute a commercial strategy that maximizes both sales and revenue growth performance. For this, he/she leverages his/her own and his/her team's industry expertise and understanding of market trends to help guide the commercial strategy and define pipeline generation and sales execution plans. 

The Dir Solution Consulting orchestrates their direct solution consulting team members assignment across a set of commercial activities, including the contribution to marketing campaigns content creation, preparation of reusable sales artifacts, pipeline/account planning activity, and to the pursuit of sales opportunities.

He/she oversees the solution consulting team efforts throughout the sales cycle from the discovery stage through to the solution win stage. This includes engagements with prospects and customers to understand both their business and technology needs, the design of a solution that best serves their needs, conveying the solution value propositions and demonstrating solution benefits proof points, in a manner that convinces customers that ACI's technology and services are the solution of choice over any competitor's.   

The Dir Solution Consulting proactively monitors sales and revenue reports, participates in sales pipeline reviews and forecasting activity, and ensures solution consulting activity prioritization is aligned. He/she proactively identifies opportunities to maximize revenue growth and champions proposals for change to his/her sales and other applicable functions leadership peers. 

The Director closely collaborates with the client delivery/onboarding services leadership team to consistently improve and ensure efficient and quality exchange of information between the pre & post sales teams, in a manner that positions the best profitable solution, deployment and ongoing solution support pricing, while maximizing the customer satisfaction, experience and ongoing value growth. 

As part of the Global Solution Consulting leadership team, the Dir Solution Consulting defines team KPI targets, and ensures working tools, procedures and special programs are in place to maximize the solution consulting KPI attainments. He/she consistently monitors his/her team KPIs including in the area of efficiency and win rate contribution, and when necessary, puts in place team specific KPI improvement measures.

In addition, for any corporate level program led by the Dir Solution Consulting, he/she proactively defines team target KPIs and consistently monitors the program performance metrics, adjusting the program activity as needed to maximize results. 

He/she strategically and proactively defines means to monitor resource and skillset re-alignment needs to corporate strategic objectives. He/she proposes solution consulting role evolution needs, organizational constructs and team knowledge growth plans that can be leveraged by the overall global solution consulting team. He/she actively works with corporate functions such as sales operations and learning services to deploy new global solution consulting training programs, and takes a leadership role in championing and monitoring the knowledge growth progress of both his/her own team as well as other global solution consulting team members participants as relevant. 

Understanding the global solution consulting team market insight, the Dir Solution Consulting leads collaboration programs with the Product Management team to influence the solution strategy in such way that ACI's long term revenue growth is maximized. He/she identifies the most efficient and impactful methods to collaborate and takes a leadership role in deploying enhanced collaboration processes, tools, and interaction forums. Working with peer Solution consulting leaders across regionals and segments, he/she champions and monitors the global solution consulting team adoption.

The Dir Solution Consulting champions the responsible adoption of AI-enabled tools, automation, and data-driven practices across the Solution Consulting organization. He/she identifies opportunities to improve productivity, accelerate sales cycles, enhance customer engagement, and increase overall team effectiveness through the use of emerging technologies, including generative AI. The Director fosters a culture of innovation and continuous learning, ensuring team members are equipped to leverage AI capabilities while maintaining compliance with corporate policies, data privacy requirements, and customer expectations.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

• Leads a multi-regional team of Solution Consultants in accordance with corporate and functional goals and objectives. 

• Identifies organizational and skillset risks and strategically address to achieve objectives.

• Engages, develops and manages talent to maximize team efficiency and support individual development. 

• Provides regular feedback and conducts performance appraisals.

• Provides mentoring to team and less experienced functional peers.

• Establishes and monitors performance measures and incentive programs for team. 

• Develops and manages budgets across several cost centers, with no assistance.

• Actively participates in the definition of a multi-regional commercial strategy and defines related solution consulting sales execution plans.

• Oversight for the solution consulting team efforts throughout the sales cycle from discovery through to the solution win stage, including the identification and presentation of appropriate solutions and product roadmap to customers/prospects with the aim of establishing the team as a trusted industry partner, achieving sales targets, and maintaining or improving customer satisfaction and value growth.

• Guides the team in providing advice to prospects/customers on design options for modifications, impacts of modifications on the existing system and how to establish and operate related aspects of their business, and in providing sales-orientated product demonstrations.

• Guides the team with preparation of sales artifacts including generic and customer specific RFx responses, solution presentations and product demonstrations.

• Collaborates with the Solution Consulting shared services leader to create an evolving roadmap of product demonstration use cases that best fit to the sales strategy and to innovate with new tools that help secure the customers confidence in the solution & technical capabilities. 

• Represents ACI in industry groups and events to create internal and external awareness of ACI's Solutions.

• Builds and maintains effective C-Level relationships with major customers, prospects, industry trade associations, regulators and key industry partners.

• Acts as a Senior market advocate of ACI’s mission, vision and transformative strategy.

• Keeps current with new trends, products, and technologies in the payments industry

• Leads the design of global education and training programs for solution consulting and sales personnel on sales, customer services, products, and marketing objectives.

• Proactively monitors working methods and sales pursuit approaches, and identifies, expands or leads the deployment of new solution consulting best practices that adapt to highest value generating and complex sales opportunities. 

• Actively orchestrates the development and/or improvements of tools, systems, processes, and procedures to increase team or functional efficiency and effectiveness. 

• Proactively defines and leads initiatives that improve collaboration and partnership with cross-functional internal partners, including multi-regional sales, demand generation and professional services.

• Proactively defines and leads collaboration programs with the Product Management team to influence the solution strategic investment and roadmap decisions.

• Proactively drives the commercial leadership the team to define, prepare and present new solution or new market entry strategies that can accelerate the regional sales growth. 

• Acts as the lead Commercial team representative as part of designated corporate strategic initiatives. 

• Leads the adoption and effective utilization of AI-enabled tools, automation, and emerging technologies to improve solution consulting productivity, sales effectiveness, knowledge sharing, and customer engagement.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Understands and adheres to all corporate policies to include but not limited to the ACI Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

Qualifications (Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

Education / Certifications 

• BS/BA degree. Advanced degrees (MS, MBA) would be an asset or equivalent experience.
• MS Azure Fundamentals Certification is a plus

Experience

• 12 - 15 years consultative selling of on-prem and/or SaaS enterprise software solutions.
• 12 - 15 years in relevant industry sector.
• At least 5 – 7 years leadership experience, managing a geographically dispersed team.
• 5+ years actively leading cross functional initiatives.
• 5+ years preparing and presenting business proposals to internal C-Level executives.
• International business experience.
• Experience leading technology transformation, digital enablement, AI adoption, or operational improvement initiatives across commercial or customer-facing organizations.

Knowledge

• In-depth knowledge of payments industry and markets.
• Working business and high level technical knowledge of related industry software and services.
• Strong knowledge of payment industry products and processor business models.
• Clear understanding of enterprise software implementation and technical services, sales, customer management and support services requirements.

Skills and Other Abilities

• Executive level verbal, written and presentation communication skills.
• Strategic organizational, leadership, motivational, planning and management skills.
• Highly effective relationship and interpersonal skills with ability to relate to C-Level customer objectives.
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills with ability to define, monitor & interpret management KPIs trajectory, and financial reports.
• Proactive and independent decision making skills.
• Excellent teamwork and lateral management skills with proven ability to lead cross functional initiatives to address complex business issues.
• Must be customer focused, demonstrated attention to detail and ability to exercise excellent judgment.
• Change agent with an agile, innovate and team empowerment mindset
• Demonstrated ability to lead organizational adoption of AI-enabled tools and technologies to improve business outcomes, team productivity, and operational effectiveness.
• Ability to work in high pressure, politically sensitive environments.
• Ability to use a personal computer with proficient skills in business applications.

Work Environment: 

• Standard Office Environment.
• Work From Home / Full or Partial Telecommuting.
• Domestic and/or International travel required up to 50%.