Principal Consultant

Principal ConsultantSoftchoice prides itself on the development of its employees. Please speak with your manager before submitting your application so they can endorse you and confirm this role aligns with your career development plan.At Softchoice, our purpose is to unleash the potential of people and technology. We were built around the idea that there is no success without team success. We foster a culture of inclusion and fairness, where diverse interests, experiences, and backgrounds are celebrated. We strive to empower everyone, to ensure that every employee has a path to success — and we're in it together to make life better for each other, our customers, our partners, and our communities.The impact you will haveThe convergence of cloud, AI, and modern work is redefining what it means to be a productive, secure, and connected organization. Softchoice is reimagining the role we play in our customers' lives, and we are seeking a senior technical and delivery authority to lead that transformation within our Workplace practice.As the Solution Lead, you are the senior-most technical and delivery authority for Workplace engagements spanning Microsoft 365, Collaboration & Messaging, Identity & Security, and Endpoint Management. You are the person who walks into a C-level conversation, translates complex business challenges into modern workplace transformation strategies, and then leads a team of architects and consultants to deliver them. You bridge pre-sales and delivery seamlessly — your clients trust you to define what good looks like, and your team trusts you to back them up when things get hard.This is not a role for someone who knows one Workplace platform well. It requires genuine fluency across the Microsoft, Cisco, and Apple enterprise ecosystems — the ability to guide customers to the right platform decisions based on their workforce needs, governance requirements, and long-term strategy.In addition to technical depth, you bring the business acumen to drive the financial success of a P&L, the maturity to lead senior practitioners, and the presence to represent Softchoice at the highest levels of a client organization.What you'll doTechnical leadershipServe as the highest-level technical authority for Workplace engagements — the final escalation point for solution design, architecture decisions, and technical risk across Microsoft 365, Cisco Collaboration, and Apple device management platformsLead the design and delivery of complex, multi-workstream Workplace transformations: M365 migrations, modern endpoint deployments, identity consolidations, collaboration platform consolidations, and security posture improvementsGuide customers through platform-selection decisions with objectivity — recommending the right Workplace tools and configurations based on workforce needs, compliance requirements, and long-term strategyReview and approve architecture documents, deployment plans, technical assessments, and statements of work to ensure quality, consistency, and alignment with Softchoice standardsStay at the leading edge of Workplace innovation — translate emerging trends (AI-powered productivity, Copilot for M365, zero-trust security, autonomous endpoint management) into practical service offeringsMaintain active certifications across Microsoft, Cisco, and Apple; represent Softchoice as a thought leader at industry events, partner briefings, and customer advisory boardsClient engagement and pre-salesAct as a trusted advisor to C-level and VP-level client stakeholders — conduct discovery, define business outcomes, and craft tailored transformation roadmaps that create measurable workforce and operational valuePartner with account teams through the full sales cycle: lead solution scoping workshops, develop business cases, author and review statements of work, and respond to RFPs and RFIsIdentify, shape, and support new business opportunities within existing accounts — introduce new Softchoice capabilities and cross-practice offerings to expand client relationshipsQuantify the value of proposed transformations; help clients understand how to measure and track success in productivity, security posture, and total cost of ownershipDelivery and program ownershipLead the delivery of complex, multi-phase engagements from initiation to closure — own scope, quality, timeline, and profitabilityPartner with PMO counterparts to manage risks, issues, resource plans, and client communications; function as the "Two in the Box" technical leadHold team members, contractors, and partners accountable to Softchoice delivery standards and best practicesDrive up- and cross-sell opportunities organically from within active engagementsTeam leadership and developmentMentor, coach, and develop architects, senior consultants, and consultants on their technical growth, utilization performance, and delivery quality throughout engagementsBuild a high-performance project culture: create psychological safety, encourage candid debate, and model Softchoice values of personal growth, customer passion, taking care of others, and owning the end resultContribute to hiring decisions, onboarding, and capability development for the Workplace practice teamRepresent the practice in leadership forums — bring forward insights on market trends, team health, and strategic opportunitiesWhat you'll bring to the tableExperience12+ years of progressive experience in enterprise IT, with clear progression through both technical delivery and leadership roles5+ years leading multi-disciplinary teams of architects and/or consultants on complex, client-facing Workplace or Modern Work engagementsDemonstrated track record spanning both pre-sales solution design and full-lifecycle delivery ownership — not one or the otherProven experience leading financial oversight for engagements, balancing P&L performance with forward-looking forecasting, clear reporting, and risk mitigation strategies.Technical depthGenuine fluency across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem: Teams, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Intune, Entra ID (Azure Active Directory), Defender for Endpoint, Purview, and related security and compliance toolsetsStrong Cisco Collaboration expertise, including Webex, Cisco Unified Communications Manager, and related networking and security fabricWorking knowledge of Apple enterprise device management, including Apple Business Manager and MDM integration with IntuneProficiency with migration toolsets, identity federation, hybrid configurations, and modern authentication frameworks (SAML, OAuth, Conditional Access)Strong command of zero-trust security frameworks, identity and access management, and endpoint compliance controlsComfort operating at multiple altitudes: from whiteboard strategy sessions with CIOs to reviewing architecture and configuration designs with engineersCertifications — active and current (required)Microsoft Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate — requiredMicrosoft Certified: Teams Administrator Associate — requiredMicrosoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate — requiredMicrosoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals — preferredMicrosoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert — preferredCisco CollaborationCisco Certified Specialist — Collaboration Core (CLCORE) — requiredCisco Certified Network Professional Collaboration (CCNP Collaboration) — preferredAdditional differentiatorsApple Certified Support Professional (ACSP) or Apple Device Enrollment certificationMicrosoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305)Certifications in AI productivity tools (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, Viva suite)Skills and attributesExecutive presence: ability to command a room, simplify complexity for non-technical audiences, and build trust with client leadership quicklyStructured problem-solver: asks the right questions, uncovers root cause, and drives to clear, actionable recommendationsEntrepreneurial mindset: manages engagements as if they were their own business — focused on outcomes, profitability, and client satisfaction simultaneouslyExceptional written and verbal communication: able to produce and review client-ready deliverables (strategies, roadmaps, business cases, architecture designs) to a publishable standardAbility to travel up to 15% domesticallyEducationBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field requiredMaster's degree in a technical or business discipline preferred; equivalent demonstrated experience will be consideredSome reasons why our people love working hereSoftchoice has been recognized as a Best Workplace in Canada by the Great Place to Work Institute for 19 consecutive yearsSoftchoice has been certified as a Great Place to Work in the United States for several yearsWe offer meaningful work that drives professional developmentOur team members have 2 paid volunteer days per year to give back to a cause of their choiceWe have raised over $3