AWS Solutions Architect Salary, Requirements, and Responsibilities

February 12, 2021

AWS is a rapidly growing platform that requires expertise from professionals with a specialized skill set to implement and troubleshoot technical elements. It’s no surprise that many tech professionals are sharpening their skill sets in the hopes of landing high-paying specialized roles such as an AWS Developer or AWS Solutions Architect

With a competitive starting salary and promising career prospects, becoming an AWS Solutions Architect can be demanding but rewarding.

What is the AWS Solutions Architect Average Salary?

According to Cloud Academy, the average salary range of an AWS Solutions Architect varies from company to company. But typically, the starting range is upwards of about $75,000 to $190,000/year. 

Getting skilled in AWS requires certification and various other experiences. Being certified helps candidates stand out in the job market and receive specialized AWS certifications that are in-demand. “They can also help you boost your salary when combined with other factors such as your overall skill set and years of experience,” writes Cloud Academy. Other factors also play a role in becoming a successful AWS Solutions Architect or other niche specialties within tech. It also requires a robust understanding of emerging technologies, certifications, and extensive experience in your chosen field.  

Here’s a breakdown of salary ranges via different employment sites: 

  • According to Salary.com, the average Cloud Solutions Architect salary in the United States is $139,548 as of January 29, 2021.
  • According to Glassdoor, the salary for an AWS Cloud Solutions Architect ranges between $114,000-$150,000. The average pay is around $114K. On the other hand, ZipRecruiter estimates the salary to be $155,005 annually, which translates to $75 an hour. 
  • Via PayScale, the salary is around $126,208 to $153,603.

All in all, the average salary for a Cloud Solutions Architect is $126,719

Keep in mind that the salary may be contingent on the number of years of experience, including certifications, prior education, etc. 

We are crafting a Cloud Salary Guide for 2021. If you want to contribute with your expertise, visit our quick Cloud Salary Survey!

What type of work does an AWS Solutions Architect do?

An AWS Solutions Architect emphasizes designing and delivering solutions for customers. Essentially, they are responsible for overseeing and “managing an organization’s cloud computing architecture,” according to Amazon. 

A high level of communication and networking is involved with the day-to-day functions of this role. Aside from the communication and sales aspect, a large part of the job focuses on “designing solutions for customer problems,” according to Medium.

Whether it’s implementing or advising on cloud infrastructure design or offering solutions, there are working parts that involve an immense amount of thinking on your feet and problem-solving complex data. An AWS Solutions Architect works on troubleshooting, understanding new emerging technologies, and configuring problems. The tasks are endless and are in-demand for many companies shifting to the cloud.

Required Experience for AWS Solutions Architects 

In general, companies are looking for AWS Solutions Architects that can tackle complex designs and developments of cloud architecture on AWS. They also want candidates with previous experience with the platform. Many of our clients seek a candidate’s familiarity with emerging technologies. AWS CLI, AWS APIs, and all other aspects of AWS, including the AWS Management Console.

As an example, an Amazon AWS Solutions Architect position would be responsible for knowing the ins and outs of the customer base and various industry verticals, in addition to extensive knowledge of the entire scope of AWS services. Candidates with prior technical and business/sales savvy experience and proper certifications would also be preferred. From ideation to development and execution, an AWS Solutions Architect is the missing piece that helps an organization flow effortlessly.

The majority of our clients who seek AWS Solution Architects are looking for the following competencies:

Sock 2 compliance and endpoint protection application to the firewall, experience with using Jenkins for building CI/CD Pipelines, strong experience with VPC’s, CDKS, Ec2’s, S3’s and more, experience used of Python, Kubernetes, Docker, and experience with DevOps & AWS Architecture. Check out our AWS jobs and apply today to be considered for the opportunities.

Take our survey here to share your thoughts about the salary ranges and job prospects for AWS specialized roles. If you would like to share your insights and contribute to this salary guide, feel free to get in touch with one of our specialized recruiters. 

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