Our client in Plano, Texas is seeking a highly technical, customer-facing Solutions Architect with deep, hands-on troubleshooting expertise across networking, compute, and cybersecurity technologies to support our Value-Added Reseller (VAR) practice.
This role is ideal for a seasoned infrastructure professional who has real-world operational experience and can confidently design, position, and support multi-vendor solutions in diverse customer environments. The ideal candidate combines architecture-level thinking with practical implementation knowledge and thrives in dynamic, client-facing engagements.
Key Responsibilities
Pre-Sales & Solution Design
- Partner with Account Executives to qualify opportunities and define technical strategy.
- Lead customer discovery sessions to understand business, operational, and security requirements.
- Design multi-vendor infrastructure and cybersecurity solutions tailored to customer needs.
- Develop Bills of Materials (BOMs), solution architectures, and Statements of Work (SOWs).
- Deliver technical presentations, demos, and proof-of-concepts (POCs).
- Serve as a trusted advisor to customers throughout the sales cycle.
Post-Sales & Technical Leadership
- Provide technical oversight during implementations.
- Troubleshoot complex, cross-domain issues in customer environments (network, compute, security).
- Support escalations and assist with root cause analysis.
- Ensure deployed solutions align with best practices and manufacturer guidelines.
- Collaborate with Professional Services and Engineering teams to ensure successful project delivery.
Vendor & Practice Development
- Maintain deep technical knowledge across key vendor partners.
- Support partner certifications and specializations.
- Contribute to practice development initiatives and solution standardization.
- Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends.
Required Qualifications
- 7+ years of hands-on experience in infrastructure engineering or architecture.
- Demonstrated troubleshooting expertise across:
- Networking: Routing & switching, firewalls, SD-WAN, wireless, VPNs, load balancing.
- Compute & Virtualization: VMware/Hyper-V, server platforms, storage solutions, HCI.
- Cybersecurity: NGFW, endpoint protection, IAM, SIEM, zero-trust architectures.
- Experience designing solutions across multiple vendor platforms (e.g., Cisco, Palo Alto, Fortinet, HPE, Dell, VMware, Microsoft, AWS, etc.).
- Strong customer-facing experience in consultative engagements.
- Ability to translate technical concepts into business value.
- Experience supporting POCs, demos, and technical workshops.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Industry certifications (e.g., CCNP/CCIE, CISSP, AWS/Azure Architect, VCP, Palo Alto/Fortinet certifications).
- Experience in hybrid cloud and cloud migration projects.
- Familiarity with automation and Infrastructure as Code.
- Experience working within a VAR, MSP, systems integrator, or consulting firm.
- Experience supporting RFP/RFI responses.
Key Competencies
- Strong troubleshooting mindset rooted in real-world operational experience.
- Ability to quickly assess unfamiliar environments.
- Comfortable presenting to technical and executive audiences.
- Multi-vendor solution fluency.
- Sales-aligned but technically grounded.
- Organized and able to manage multiple customer engagements simultaneously.
What Success Looks Like
- Increased technical win rates in competitive sales opportunities.
- Architectures that are both technically sound and commercially viable.
- High customer satisfaction and repeat business.
- Reduced post-implementation escalations through proper solution design.
- Strong vendor relationships and maintained partner status.