Boolean search strings for solutions architects: presales, delivery and enterprise architects, the platform credentials and the building architect collision
On this page
- Jobs, platforms and credentials that change what a solutions architect search finds
- Ten Boolean strings by kind of solutions architect
- What LinkedIn, Dice and Google actually support
- Narrowing by job, technical depth and customer exposure
- False positives worth excluding with NOT
- A worked example: three passes on a presales architect search
- What a search cannot verify
- Questions people ask
"Solutions architect" names at least three different jobs: the presales technical lead at a software vendor who designs the solution that wins the deal, the cloud provider or partner architect who guides customers' workloads, and the delivery or enterprise architect who designs systems inside a company or for a consulting client. A string that works decides which one first, then adds that job's words (proof of concept and technical discovery for presales; solution design, non-functional requirements and integration for delivery; TOGAF and target architecture for enterprise) and excludes building architects. As of November 2026, the platform credentials worth searching include AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Google Professional Cloud Architect, TOGAF and Salesforce's architect credentials.
Below are ten strings by kind of solutions architect, and what LinkedIn, Dice and Google support as of November 2026. For the operators themselves, see Boolean search strings for recruiters; for what the hiring manager expects once the person starts, see the 30-60-90 day plan for solutions architects.
Jobs, platforms and credentials that change what a solutions architect search finds
| Kind of solutions architect | Terms candidates write | Common titles |
|---|---|---|
| Presales at a software vendor | Proof of concept, POC, technical discovery, demos, RFP, security questionnaires | Solutions architect, solutions engineer, sales engineer, presales architect |
| Cloud provider or partner | Customer workloads, migrations, Well-Architected, partner enablement | Solutions architect, partner solutions architect, cloud solutions architect |
| Delivery, in-house or consulting | Solution design, non-functional requirements, architecture decision records, integration patterns | Solution architect, technical architect, application architect |
| Enterprise | TOGAF, ArchiMate, capability map, target architecture, architecture review board | Enterprise architect, domain architect |
| Platform-specific | Salesforce Application Architect, System Architect, S/4HANA, Dynamics 365 | Salesforce architect, ERP solution architect, technical architect |
- Cloud credentials. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional recommends two or more years using AWS services to design and implement cloud solutions and is valid for three years. The Azure Solutions Architect Expert requires the Azure Administrator Associate and exam AZ-305, and Microsoft describes the role as advising stakeholders and translating business requirements into Azure designs. The Professional Cloud Architect is valid for two years and recommends three or more years of industry experience, including a year designing on Google Cloud.
- TOGAF and ArchiMate. The Open Group's TOGAF certification page lists TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Foundation and Enterprise Architecture Practitioner, based on the TOGAF Standard, 10th Edition, alongside TOGAF 9 Foundation and TOGAF 9 Certified, based on version 9.2, and says there is no TOGAF 10 Foundation or TOGAF 10 Certified. Its ArchiMate page describes ArchiMate as an open modeling language for enterprise architecture, with ArchiMate 3 Foundation and Practitioner certifications.
- Salesforce architect credentials. As of November 2026, Trailhead lists the Salesforce Certified Application Architect, System Architect and Technical Architect, plus domain credentials such as Platform Integration Architect and Platform Data Architect. Trailhead describes System Architects as focusing on off-platform systems, integration and securing access between systems.
- Frameworks, not credentials. "Well-Architected" on a profile refers to the providers' design frameworks, which the 30-60-90 plan for solutions architects compares; it shows the vocabulary of design reviews, not a certification.
Ten Boolean strings by kind of solutions architect
Swap in the product category, platform and metro from your own intake; these are examples. Search on the work and the credentials, never on a term that stands in for age, sex, race, religion, national origin, disability or veteran status.
Presales and cloud partner
1. Presales solutions architect, SaaS — LinkedIn Recruiter, Job titles + Keywords filters
("solutions architect" OR "solutions engineer" OR "sales engineer" OR "presales architect" OR "pre-sales engineer") AND ("proof of concept" OR poc OR "technical discovery" OR demos) AND (saas OR "enterprise software") NOT (revit OR autocad OR recruiter)
2. Presales architect for regulated buyers — LinkedIn general search
("solutions architect" OR "solutions engineer" OR "presales architect") AND (rfp OR rfi OR "security questionnaires") AND ("technical win" OR "deal support" OR "sales cycle")
3. Cloud partner solutions architect — LinkedIn general search
("partner solutions architect" OR "cloud solutions architect" OR "solutions architect") AND ("well-architected" OR "workload migrations" OR "customer workloads") AND (aws OR azure OR "google cloud") NOT ("account manager" OR revit)Delivery and enterprise
4. Delivery solution architect — LinkedIn Recruiter, Keywords filter
("solution architect" OR "solutions architect" OR "technical architect") AND ("solution design" OR "non-functional requirements" OR "architecture decision records") AND (integration OR microservices OR "event-driven") NOT (presales OR "sales engineer" OR revit)
5. Enterprise architect with TOGAF — LinkedIn general search
("enterprise architect" OR "solution architect" OR "domain architect") AND (togaf OR archimate) AND ("capability map" OR "target architecture" OR "architecture review board" OR roadmap)
6. Integration solution architect — Dice resume search
("solution architect" OR "integration architect") AND (api OR "event-driven" OR kafka OR mulesoft) AND ("solution design" OR "integration patterns")
7. Cloud-certified solutions architect — LinkedIn Recruiter, Keywords filter
("solutions architect" OR "solution architect" OR "cloud architect") AND ("solutions architect professional" OR "azure solutions architect expert" OR "professional cloud architect" OR "az-305")Platform architects and X-ray
8. Salesforce solution architect — LinkedIn general search
("salesforce solution architect" OR "salesforce technical architect" OR "salesforce architect") AND ("application architect" OR "system architect" OR "integration architect") AND ("service cloud" OR "sales cloud" OR "experience cloud")
9. ERP solution architect — LinkedIn general search
("solution architect" OR "technical architect") AND ("s/4hana" OR "dynamics 365" OR "oracle cloud erp" OR "workday") AND (implementation OR "global template" OR "fit-gap")
10. Public profiles by kind of work and metro — Google X-ray
site:linkedin.com/in "solutions architect" "proof of concept" "saas" "boston" -jobs -recruiterWhat LinkedIn, Dice and Google actually support
As of November 2026, LinkedIn's Boolean help page requires AND, OR and NOT in capitals, supports quotes and parentheses, evaluates quotes first, then parentheses, NOT, AND and OR, and does not support wildcards, so "solution architect" and "solutions architect," or "presales," "pre-sales" and "pre sales," each need writing out. LinkedIn Recruiter's Boolean page says Job titles, Companies and Skills filters are treated as Boolean, lists stop words such as "and," "of" and "to" that Keywords ignores, and warns that too many facets in one query can cause a search result issue. LinkedIn's premium search filters list Years of Experience and Seniority Level only in Recruiter and Sales Navigator.
Dice's Boolean
guide supports parentheses, quotes, AND, OR and NOT and says its database fills in word endings
automatically. Google's search operators
page documents quotes, site:, the minus sign and filetype:, but not OR, so
string 10 uses none.
Several issuers support verification. The Open Group's Directory of Certified People has a public search, and the page says certified individuals may keep their listing private or limit what it shows. AWS's certification policy page says the 16-digit validation number on the certificate can be checked at aws.amazon.com/verification. Microsoft's transcript page says holders can generate a share link to their transcript for potential employers, and Trailhead runs a credential verification page for Salesforce certifications.
Narrowing by job, technical depth and customer exposure
Settle the job first. Ask whether the role supports a sales team, delivers projects for clients, or sets architecture inside one company. Presales architects write about deals, demos and evaluations; delivery architects about designs, trade-offs and go-lives; enterprise architects about roadmaps, standards and governance. A strong presales architect is not automatically a strong delivery architect, and the reverse is just as true.
Then ask how hands-on the client needs them to be. Some solutions architects build the proof of concept themselves; others draw the design and hand it to engineers. Profiles that say "built the POC," "wrote the reference implementation" or "hands-on" describe the first kind. Customer exposure matters too: presales and partner architects present to executives and travel, while in-house architects spend their time with engineering teams. For seniority, look for "led the architecture," "set standards," "architecture review board" and "multi-year roadmap," against "supported" and "contributed." When the role is mainly one cloud platform's landing zones and governance, the cloud architect strings in Boolean search strings for cloud architects fit better; when it is data platforms, see for data architects.
False positives worth excluding with NOT
- Building architects. Licensed architects and architectural designers write "architect" in every title and list Revit and AutoCAD. Exclude those tools and require software words; Boolean search strings for architects covers the licensed side.
- "Solution" salespeople. "Solutions consultant," "solution sales" and "solution selling" appear on account executive profiles. Exclude "account executive" and "solution sales" unless the client wants a seller; Boolean search strings for sales roles fits that hire.
- Presales when the role is delivery, and the reverse. Exclude "presales" and "sales engineer" for delivery roles; exclude "architecture review board" and "enterprise architecture" when the client wants a deal-focused presales architect.
- Information architects. In UX, information architecture means organizing content and navigation. Exclude "information architect" and "ux" unless the role is a design role.
- Cloud provider account teams. Account managers and partner managers at cloud providers list architecture terms. Exclude "account manager" and "partner manager."
- Trainers and recruiters. Exclude "instructor," "trainer" and "recruiter."
A worked example: three passes on a presales architect search
An invented search, shown as it actually gets narrowed.
Intake: A data security software company needs a presales solutions architect for enterprise accounts: run technical discovery, build proofs of concept in customers' cloud environments, and answer security questionnaires. Not looking for delivery architects or building architects.
Pass 1: "solutions architect" AND security: presales and delivery
architects, cloud provider staff, security architects in-house, and a few licensed architects who design
secure facilities.
Pass 2: ("solutions architect" OR "solutions engineer" OR "sales engineer") AND
("proof of concept" OR "technical discovery") AND saas NOT (revit OR autocad OR "architecture review
board"): presales architects across every software category.
Pass 3: add AND ("security questionnaires" OR "data security" OR dlp) AND (aws
OR azure). Those words tend to come from architects who have sold security products into enterprise
clouds. The list is short enough to call, and the screen asks about a proof of concept that failed and how
they recovered the deal.
The presales words removed the delivery and building architects; the security and cloud words found the architects who have done this exact job. Add the domain block once the job block is right.
What a search cannot verify
A string can find someone whose profile names the right job, platform and credential. It cannot show whether their designs held up in production, whether they built the proof of concept or presented someone else's, or how they handle a customer who disagrees. Check credentials with the issuers above, then test the thinking: the 30-60-90 day plan for solutions architects shows what a hiring manager expects in the first months, and how to interview for technical roles as a non-technical recruiter gives questions that work on the first call. For cloud-platform depth, the cloud engineer strings cover the hands-on engineers these architects work with.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a solutions architect and a solutions engineer in a search?
At software vendors the two titles often describe the same presales job, so search both together with presales words such as proof of concept, demos and technical discovery. On the delivery side, "solution architect" usually means someone designing systems for a company or a consulting client, which calls for design words such as non-functional requirements and architecture decision records instead. Ask the client which job it is before writing the string.
Is there a TOGAF 10 certification?
Not under that name. As of November 2026, The Open Group lists TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Foundation and TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Practitioner as the certifications based on the TOGAF Standard, 10th Edition, says there is no TOGAF 10 Foundation or TOGAF 10 Certified, and still lists TOGAF 9 Foundation and TOGAF 9 Certified, based on version 9.2. Search togaf on its own and confirm the level on the call.
How do I keep building architects out of a solutions architect search?
Exclude the design software and licensing words building architects use, such as Revit, AutoCAD and "licensed architect," and require software or cloud words such as APIs, integration, SaaS or a cloud provider. The word architect alone matches every licensed architect and architectural designer on the platform.
How do I verify a solutions architect's TOGAF or cloud certification?
The Open Group's Directory of Certified People has a public search, though certified individuals may keep their listing private or limit what it shows. AWS certifications carry a 16-digit validation number that anyone it is shared with can check at aws.amazon.com/verification, and Microsoft certification holders can share a transcript link from their Learn profile.