Practice Principal - Systems Architecture

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

About Lockstep

At Lockstep, we believe great technology isn’t just about infrastructure - it’s about impact. We partner with organizations to deliver innovative, secure, and scalable IT solutions that empower their success. From network security to cloud infrastructure, we take the complexity out of IT so our clients can focus on what they do best. We’re a team that values action and collaboration. We take ownership, put customers first, work as one team, and never stop learning. If you’re looking for a place where your work truly makes a difference, Lockstep is the place to be.

What we offer

• Competitive compensation
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) Plan
• Short-term/long-term disability and life insurance
• Flexible PTO
• 8 company-paid holidays and 1 floating holiday
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Practice Principal to lead and grow our Systems Architecture practice within Enterprise Infrastructure Professional Services. This client-facing leadership role is responsible for the strategy, delivery, and continued evolution of enterprise infrastructure solutions across compute, storage, virtualization, backup, disaster recovery, and hybrid cloud environments.

You will provide technical and functional leadership to a team delivering complex infrastructure projects, while serving as a trusted advisor to clients and internal stakeholders. This role will help drive solution quality, operational excellence, team development, and successful project outcomes.

This is an opportunity to shape the future of our systems architecture practice while leading data center modernization, cloud transformation, and business continuity initiatives for clients across government, education, healthcare, and commercial markets.

What You’ll Own

Practice Leadership & Growth

• Lead the Systems Architecture practice within Enterprise Infrastructure Professional Services, driving service quality, team development, and profitable growth.
• Partner with sales and leadership teams to support pipeline growth, solution strategy, and expansion across core markets.
• Develop and refine repeatable service offerings, including assessments, migrations, modernization, and lifecycle initiatives.

Solution Strategy & Delivery Oversight

• Serve as the senior technical authority for enterprise infrastructure solutions across compute, storage, virtualization, backup, disaster recovery, and hybrid cloud.
• Partner with Presales to refine solution designs and provide final approval for Systems Architecture professional services engagements above defined thresholds.
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with scope, quality, and client expectations.
• Support escalated delivery challenges, technical risks, and critical client situations as needed.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Mentor and develop engineers, senior engineers, and architects across the practice.
• Build growth paths, coaching plans, and succession depth while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continual learning.
• Partner closely with Managed Services, Security, Modern Workplace, PMO, Presales, and Consulting teams to ensure strong solution design and smooth project transitions.
• Collaborate with vendors, subcontractors, and procurement partners to support delivery standards and strategic initiatives.

Standards & Operational Excellence

• Establish and maintain delivery standards, best practices, documentation quality, and governance processes.
• Drive adoption of modern technologies, automation, and emerging infrastructure solutions that create client value.
• Monitor utilization, resource planning, backlog visibility, and overall delivery performance.

What We’re Looking For

Leadership & Practice Ownership

• Proven success leading infrastructure engineering teams, technical practices, or solution delivery organizations.
• Ability to balance technical leadership with business priorities such as client satisfaction, utilization, delivery quality, and profitable growth.
• Strong people leadership skills with experience mentoring engineers, developing future leaders, and building high-performing teams.
• 3+ years of experience in a leadership, management, or senior architectural role preferred.

Technical Expertise

• 7+ years of experience in enterprise infrastructure engineering, architecture, consulting, or related environments.
• Strong hands-on and architectural knowledge across enterprise technologies, including virtualization, servers, storage, backup/recovery, disaster recovery, and hybrid cloud platforms.
• Strong understanding of resiliency, scalability, performance, and security best practices.
• Experience with leading platforms such as VMware, Nutanix, Hyper-V, Dell, HPE, Cisco UCS, NetApp, Pure Storage, Veeam, Cohesity, and Microsoft Azure preferred.

Client Delivery & Collaboration

• Proven ability to lead complex client engagements from discovery through implementation and transition to support teams.
• Experience delivering projects on time, within budget, and with strong client outcomes.
• Comfortable serving as an executive-facing advisor who can translate business goals into practical technical strategies.
• Experience partnering effectively with sales, managed services, security, project management, vendors, and other internal teams.
• Ability to support presales efforts including technical presentations, scope development, statement of work review, and solution validation.

Industry Background & Credentials

• Experience in consulting, professional services, MSP, VAR, or hybrid technology service organizations strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting clients in government, education, healthcare, commercial, or other regulated environments is highly valued.
• Ability to travel as needed for client meetings, strategic initiatives, and team leadership.
• Relevant certifications such as VCP, Azure Solutions Architect, NCP, VMCE, TOGAF, PMP, or similar credentials are a plus. Equivalent practical experience will also be considered.

What to expect

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.

Office environment: prolonged sitting at a desk and using a computer, must be able to lift at least 15 pounds, and be able to work in an office with other employees.

Less than 5% travel required

Equal Opportunity Employer

Lockstep Technology Group is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.