Practice Architect II

Role Description

The Practice Architect II (PA II) position is a leadership role responsible for managing multiple consulting and delivery projects and account teams/programs. The PA II provides consulting and delivery assurance of services for clients through various functions, including:

• Consulting
• Account Interaction
• Service Delivery
• Practice Delivery responsibilities

This role is distinguished by the nature of the engagements or programs involved, with deal sizes ranging from transactional solutions of < $1M to multi-year outsourcing solutions of > $10M. The PA II is expected to have the experience and background to perform all duties related to:

• Resource management
• Deliverables development
• Project planning and execution
• Adherence to contract attributes and costing
• Customer interaction

Engagements will typically be delivered at one of our North America Solution Centers, India Solutions Center, or at the customer location, usually North American based.

The different types of projects/engagements may include:

• Existing environment assessments and road maps
• New architecture designs and implementations
• Modernization efforts, including:
  • Large-scale upgrades and/or migrations
  • Remediation of identified deficiencies
  • Re-designs and reconfigurations
• High-availability and disaster recovery systems
• Full systems management lifecycle solutions
• Operational maintenance and optimizations, including:
  • Monitoring and management
  • Automated Deployments
  • Patching and vulnerability remediation
  • Administration and support
  • Process refinement and automation

The primary focus of this architect role will include the following technologies/subject matter areas:

• Primary technology expertise required:
  • Enterprise network infrastructure design, implementation, and optimization (LAN/WAN, routing, switching, and wireless)
  • Software-Defined Networking (SD-WAN, SD-Access) and network automation platforms
  • Network security technologies including next-generation firewalls, segmentation, and zero trust architectures
  • Wireless site survey and RF planning tools (e.g., Ekahau)
  • Cloud-delivered Network-as-a-service (NaaS) architecture and management platforms (e.g., Cisco Meraki, Juniper Mist)
• Secondary expertise:
  • Understanding and managing change control processes, maintenance windows, and operational constraints in live network environments
  • Able to effectively present and explain complex technical concepts to executives and other non-technical persons
  • Unified Communication and VoIP infrastructure, including call control platforms, SIP trunking, and QoS network design

Qualifications

• 12-15 years’ experience in enterprise networking, information technology and/or professional services
• Experience in delivering projects/programs and administering client professional services agreements
• Frequent interactions with external customers at the Director level or above
• 12-15 years of "in-depth hands-on” experience of primary technologies
• 5+ years of experience in three or more of the secondary technologies
• Ability to work remotely with travel to customer sites as needed, up to 50%
• Strong conceptual and analytical skills
• Proven ability to prioritize and plan complex work
• Team player with experience leading and collaborating cross-teams
• Excellent oral and written communication skills (English)
• Superior people and personnel management skills

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology or a related field, or equivalent training/education/experience
• Certification(s) in one or more of the primary technologies (e.g., Cisco CCNA/CCNP/CCIE, Juniper JNCIA/JNCIS/JNCIE)
• Intermediate MS Office Skills
• Deep understanding of network, storage, server, and application architecture
• Knowledge of ITSM concepts – ITIL Certification is an asset
• Understanding of Services Outsourcing, PMI PMBOK, PMP, IAOP (Outsourcing Professional) is a plus

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life and AD&D for employee and dependents)
• Short and Long-Term Disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation Benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)