Job title:                    IT Solutions Architect

Based from:             Gloucester

The Role

As the IT Solutions Architect you will be responsible for providing solution ownership and guidance during the sales process through the identification and clarification of a customer's technical and business requirements and applying them to the design of value-based propositions using the GBEC approved solutions. You will also be responsible for the overall quality of the client solution, working with delivery and support, where required, to deliver supportable, scalable solutions for our customers.

You will be the technical owner of all the customer design solutions they have scoped and designed through the sales cycle, as the technical owner it is the Solutions Architects responsibility to provide a clear handover into the GBEC delivery teams to help ensure that we are able to effectively deliver and manage and support the solution throughout the customers lifecycle.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Providing high level and detailed technology solution designs
• Supporting sales and bid teams with opportunities, dealing with ad-hoc requests to tight deadlines
• Agreeing the design solution plans with the lead BDM and designer
• Reviewing the technical solution designs with suppliers to ensure the designs are spec and manufacturer compliant
• Handing over the project brief to the projects team
• Estimating costs and preparing business cases for IT solutions, considering infrastructure, licenses, development and support for client solutions
• Maintaining awareness and researching new technologies that GBE Converge can provide to existing or new customers
• Providing technical expertise on any key client projects or support work
• Providing pre-sales support to GBE Converge
• Providing excellent and effective customer service at all times
• Ensuring all paperwork relating to design is accurately completed and submitted in line with the sales to projects handover process
• Ensuring that system designs satisfy quality standards and procedures
• Adhering to the company technology stack onboarding process
• Developing sales presentation material
• Any other tasks requested by your line manager

Person Specification

Essential

• Implementing and Administering Cisco Solutions (CCNA) credential and Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP)
• Over 2 years' experience working in technical solutions or similar role
• Experience in assessing a broad range of information solutions and products
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Ability to explain technical concepts to different audiences
• Strong critical thinker with problem solving aptitude
• Excellent organisational skills
• Experience in troubleshooting enterprise level environments
• Willingness to learn new skills in a fast-paced environment
• Comfortable working within a team or using own initiative
• Good customer service skills and have experience in providing customer service

Desirable

• Aruba Certified Design Professional (ACDP)
• Cisco CCIE qualified
• Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• HPE ATP - Hybrid IT Solutions V2
• Wireless Surveying – Ekahau Design

Working Conditions

The Solutions Architect role is primarily an office-based role; however, national travel will be expected in order to attend off-site customer meetings and workshops nationally as required There will be long periods of working in front of a VDU's with regular breaks are common. The role requires that you will be available to work evenings, weekends and bank holidays on request.

Group Compliance

As part of the companies compliance to The Health & Safety at Work Etc Act 1974, ISO9001 for Quality, ISO14001 for Environmental and ISO27001 for Information Technology, there are several key objectives that are issued each year upon management review that we expect all staff to work towards in order for the company to meet these objectives and include but are not limited to:

• Compliance to all legislative and British Standard requirements
• Compliance to associated accreditation bodies schemes from NSI, BAFE, LPCB, FIA and others as required
• Maximise customer satisfaction with the services provided by GBE Converge
• Working to reduce, renew and recycle any wate on and off our sites including our offices
• Protect the environment and ensure use of toxic materials is avoided where possible
• Work to best safe practice and ensure actions do not cause harm unto themselves or others
• Employees will not tamper with any issued PPE or plant machinery that it may cause harm unto themselves or others
• Ensure all minimum training requirement are met in compliance with the relevant ISO standards
• Ensure that any Information Technology ‘incidents' are effectively reported and resolved in a timely fashion (internally or externally)
• Maintain clear desk and screen at all times
• Compliance to ensure no deliberate breaches in security information and/ or systems