Solutions Architect

7+ years of overall IT experience, including 3+ years in a customer-facing pre-sales Solution Architect, Consulting Architect, or Senior Systems Engineer role at a VAR, MSP, or IT services firm. Demonstrated experience leading technical discovery, architecture design, and pre-sales engagements for complex networking and cybersecurity solutions. Deep technical expertise in cybersecurity — including Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), endpoint detection and response (EDR/XDR), SIEM, and identity-based security. Strong working knowledge of enterprise networking: routing and switching, SD-WAN, LAN/WAN design, wireless (802.11ax/Wi-Fi 6), and network segmentation. Experience architecting hybrid and multi-cloud solutions (AWS, Azure, GCP) including cloud networking, security controls, and governance. Proven ability to build and present outcome-based business cases for managed services, recurring revenue programs, and multi-year technology roadmaps. Experience authoring technical documentation including solution designs, BOMs, SOWs, and RFP responses at a professional quality standard. Polished executive communication skills — you are equally comfortable presenting a Zero Trust architecture to a CISO and a cost justification to a CFO. Preferred Qualifications Experience with SASE platforms: Zscaler (ZIA/ZPA), Palo Alto Prisma Access, Fortinet SASE, Cato Networks, Cisco Umbrella, or Cloudflare One. Hands-on familiarity with Zero Trust frameworks (NIST SP 800-207, Gartner ZTA) and their practical implementation in enterprise environments. Experience positioning and selling managed security services (managed SOC, MDR, managed SASE, managed firewall). Background in or exposure to compliance frameworks: NIST CSF, CIS Controls, SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, or CMMC. Prior quota-bearing or KPI-tied pre-sales experience