Gauteng: Senior Solutions Architect (CCNP) posted by Recruit-It

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior Solutions Architect with CCNP qualification to join our team as a key member of our sales and pre-sales team. As a Senior Solutions Architect, you will be responsible for designing and implementing advanced architectures in a networking domain, leveraging your expertise in SDN, Cloud, MPLS, and IP. You will work closely with customers to understand their business strategy and articulate how our company can enable and deliver value to their organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Engage with Customer executives to identify pain points and opportunities – Ensure customer satisfaction in managing expectations
• Lead architecture and design engagements to ensure the company products and solutions meet Customer needs and expectations
• Support internal teams to deliver correct product and solutions, ensuring technical validation on sold solution versus solution to be delivered
• Complete technical templates for customers. – Address customer technical queries and complaints (Pre-deployment only) – Accurate – Increase ARPU
• Assist in Sales technical and solution training – Solutions to be stored on Intranet folder per Customer
• Attend client meets, present new product and technology offerings – In-depth understanding of the company and vendor products & solutions
• Support Product team on technical queries based on presentation – Orders placed by Customers
• Facilitate change management where applicable (internal and customer facing)
• Engage all departments relevant to customer lifecycle to influence outcomes in favor of delivering value to the company and its customers – Decreased lead time and increased conversion rate

Requirements

• Excellent understanding of the architectural principles for software defined networks (SDN/ SDWAN) and cloud-based platforms
• Familiarity with Enterprise and Industry Architecture frameworks
• Understanding of contract management and governance models

Qualifications

• TOGAF
• Minimum of a CCNP qualification (CCIE or CCDA would be ideal)
• Business related degree would be an advantage

Key Stakeholder Relationships

### Internal

• Sales
• Projects
• Quality Assurance
• Product
• Procurement
• Commercial Management

### External

• Customers
• Service Providers

Key Performance Areas and Indicators

### Customer Engagement

• Engage with Customer executives to identify pain points and opportunities – Ensure customer satisfaction in managing expectations
• Understand the business strategy of the customer, effectively articulate how the company can enable and deliver value to their organization – Contribute to the Product Roadmap, articulate scalable value in line with customer requirement and technical architecture.

### Pre-Sales

• Lead architecture and design engagements to ensure the company products and solutions meet Customer needs and expectations Support internal teams to deliver correct product and solutions, ensuring technical validation on sold solution versus solution to be delivered – Complex heterogenous solutions – Digital Transformation – Cloud Products/Services – Enterprise Service Management
• Continue to maintain technical executive relationships with customers throughout their journey – Accurate and efficient communication between all stakeholders

### RFI/RFP proposal solution diagrams and proposal design

• Ensure all solutions are documented – Positive feedback from Operations / delivery team on solutions sold
• Assist in Sales technical and solution training – Solutions to be stored on Intranet folder per Customer

### Attend internal and external meetings

• Attend client meets, present new product and technology offerings – In-depth understanding of the company and vendor products & solutions
• Support Product team on technical queries based on presentation – Orders placed by Customers
• Positive feedback from attendees
• Facilitate change management where applicable (internal and customer facing)

### Engage cross-functionally

• Engage all departments relevant to customer lifecycle to influence outcomes in favor of delivering value to the company and its customers – Decreased lead time and increased conversion rate

Other Requirements

• Must have own transport