Principal Consulting Engineer - VMware Cloud Foundation (, IL, United States)

Job Summary

The Principal Consulting Engineer makes innovative and ingenious contributions to new solution/product design and implementation, based on an understanding of applicable technology and how it can be applied to solution design, considerations of system-wide impact and business issues for clients. Provides technical expertise in analyzing client’s requirements to develop IT services offerings across multiple technology solutions that provide significant value. Supports complex engagements across multiple geographies.

Responsibilities

• Lead a project team, directing coworker and client teams in solution design and development.
• Provide leadership in creating business cases, financial justification and solution benefit content for customer‑ready deliverables and presentations.
• Proactively address or escalates any budget issues that are identified during the project.
• Quality Assurance for SOW requests that meet triggers for size, cross‑brand, and complexity.
• Perform peer review of deliverables from other team members for technical content to ensure accuracy.
• Maintain client relationships as a trusted Technical Advisor providing best practices for virtualization, high availability, storage integration, and DR/business continuity.
• Serve as focal point for communications between multiple departments and clients, when necessary, using experience and judgment to communicate effectively to all parties.
• Recommend solutions supporting client account teams with development of proposals, quotations, and presentations.
• Architect, deploy, and integrate VMware Cloud Foundation solutions, including comprehensive use of VCF Operations and VCF Automation.
• Act as a trusted advisor on VMware SDDC technologies (vSphere, vSAN, NSX, VCF Operations and VCF Automation).
• Develop, document, and enhance service offerings centered on VCF and VCF Automation capabilities, including standardized delivery methodologies and best practices.
• Lead customer engagements, ensuring successful delivery of projects leveraging VCF Automation for tasks like self‑service provisioning, policy‑based governance, performance monitoring, and cost optimization.
• Collaborate with sales and solution architects to design VCF solutions tailored to customer requirements.
• Mentor consulting engineers on deploying and configuring VMware VCF Automation, VCF Operations, and related tools.
• Contribute to reusable assets, including VCF workflows, blueprints, dashboards, and integration guides.
• Analyze engagement trends to identify opportunities for new VMware VCF‑focused services.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of IT Infrastructure experience, including at least 3 years in large enterprise consulting, or 14 years total IT experience with 10 years in IT Infrastructure including at least 3 years in large enterprise consulting.
• Bachelor’s degree in business or computer science or a related field.
• Proven organizational, time‑management, problem‑solving, and follow‑up skills, with ability to multitask and prioritize under tight deadlines in a fast‑paced environment.
• Experience managing and escalating technical issues to appropriate vendor support teams.
• Strong written, presentation, and verbal communication skills, including demonstrating the ability to present technology recommendations from a business perspective to internal and external clients.
• Ability to build constructive relationships with people across levels, functions, cultures, and geographies.
• Experience researching advanced and complex technology solutions, evaluating alternatives, making recommendations, and presenting to clients.
• Ability to remain calm and productive when confronted with change, ambiguity, and risk, and manage problems without clear solutions.
• Experience applying lessons learned to unique problems and a history of reskilling on new technologies.
• Willingness to work beyond regularly scheduled shifts, including weekends and overtime, and to travel to other CDW locations or client sites as needed.
• Valid U.S. driver’s license.
• Extensive hands‑on experience architecting and implementing VMware Cloud Foundation environments at enterprise scale.
• Deep technical proficiency in VMware VCF Automation.
• Strong knowledge of VMware SDDC: vSphere, NSX‑T, vSAN.
• Experience developing professional services methodologies, offerings, SOWs, and delivery frameworks.
• Excellent communication skills, comfortable engaging technical teams and executives alike.
• VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP) or VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX) certifications strongly preferred.

Compensation

Pay range: $164,000.00 - $240,800.00 depending on experience and skill set. Annual bonus target of 10% subject to terms and conditions of plan.

Benefits

Benefits overview:

EEO Statement

CDW is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited by state and local law.