Network Solution Architect - Remote US Only
The Network Solution Architect (SA) serves as a critical link between sales and delivery by translating client needs into actionable, scalable IT service solutions. Operating at the intersection of business and technology, the SA leads discovery, develops solution designs, validates feasibility, and presents solutions that balance technical depth with business value. This role is highly client-facing, requiring strong communication skills to engage both executives and technical teams while also collaborating internally to support opportunity conversion and revenue growth.
Client Engagement and Solution Design:
- Work alongside sales teams to understand customer business goals and challenges.
- Lead client discovery sessions to identify business challenges, technical requirements, and constraints.
- Develop solution designs and cross-practice architectures that are secure, scalable, and aligned to delivery objectives.
- Perform technical qualification of client environments to validate solution fit.
- Present solution architectures in a way that aligns technical depth with business outcomes.
- Collaborate with clients and internal teams to refine the scope, goals, and deliverables for proposed solutions.
Technical Leadership and Advisory:
- Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) for the company’s portfolio of solutions, including cloud services, cybersecurity, data center infrastructure, networking, and endpoints.
Proposal Development:
- Develop cost modeling and LOE estimates, including licensing, partner solutions, and PS/Delivery requirements.
- Estimate the required resources, costs, and timelines for proposed solutions.
- Prepare and deliver technical pitches, proposals, and Statements of Work (SOWs).
- Support RFP responses by designing solutions, answering technical questions, and aligning delivery resources.
- Document solution architectures and ensure consistency across proposals and implementations.
- Support account executives in technical presentations and demonstrations.
Collaboration and Delivery Alignment
- Partner with delivery teams to validate scope, resource requirements, and feasibility.
- Conduct internal handoffs to delivery, clarifying assumptions and ensuring continuity.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to refine offerings and solution strategies.
Continuous Improvement and Knowledge Sharing:
- Contribute reusable assets and solution blueprints to the presales function.
- Stay current with industry trends, technologies, and best practices, sharing insights with colleagues and customers.
- Provide mentorship and training to junior members of the pre-sales and solutions teams.
- Participate in internal review meetings, debriefings, and retrospectives to improve pre-sales processes and solution delivery.
Technical Skills:
- Strong background in enterprise IT architecture, across multiple disciplines such as cloud, networking, storage, virtualization, cybersecurity, unified communications, and data management.
- Proficiency in designing multi-practice solutions across multiple technology domains.
- Familiarity with cost modeling, licensing, and delivery resource planning.
- In-depth understanding of infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and software-as-a-service (SaaS) models.
- In-depth understanding of enterprise networking and security technologies.
- Familiarity with regulatory and compliance frameworks (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, SOC2).
- Experience designing multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments.
- Familiarity with automation and Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible).
- Experience with solution architectures for various verticals such as financial services, healthcare, retail, etc.
Business and Soft Skills:
- Strong client-facing presentation and communication skills.
- Ability to align technical solutions with business challenges and value drivers.
- Proven experience supporting pre-sales engagements and proposal development.
- Excellent problem-solving abilities and creative solution design.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
- Experience with pipeline management and CRM tools.
- Capable of working independently and as part of cross-functional teams.
- Cultivate and nurture strong relationships with key client stakeholders to foster trust.
Education and Certifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience).
- Relevant industry certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect, Cisco CCIE, VMware VCP, TOGAF).
- ITIL or other service management frameworks certifications are a plus.
Experience:
- 5–7+ years in IT solution design, architecture, or technical presales roles.
- Previous experience with managed services providers (MSP) or systems integrators (SI) is highly desirable.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
- Success rate of technical proposals and winning bids.
- Customer satisfaction and feedback from pre-sales engagements.
- Ability to meet proposal deadlines and contribute to sales targets.
- Quality and accuracy of architectural designs and documentation.
- Contribution to revenue growth through solution alignment.