Network Infrastructure Chief Architect

Accountabilities:

• Lead the technical strategy for the largest, most complex, and most strategic network infrastructure pursuits, serving as the executive technical lead from initial customer meetings through contract close.
• Deliver customer presentations, executive briefings, demonstrations, and technical discussions both virtually and on-site.
• Provide architecture-level oversight of complex opportunities, validating design quality, integration requirements, feasibility, and delivery readiness before commitments are made.
• Manage critical, at-risk, and must-win opportunities by resolving technical objections, coordinating stakeholders, and helping drive deals to successful closure.
• Support commercial discussions involving pricing, discounting, margins, and strategic deal escalations.
• Ensure technical continuity from presales through project initiation, enabling smooth handoffs to delivery teams and strong customer outcomes.
• Continuously evolve technology offerings based on market requirements, vendor roadmaps, customer needs, and delivery capabilities.
• Own solution pricing and packaging across different customer segments, geographies, and verticals, while defining the practice's technical vision and roadmap.
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with networking OEMs and technology vendors, including roadmap alignment, partner programs, and escalation channels.
• Identify and manage subcontractors when additional delivery capabilities are required.
• Develop presales enablement materials, solution models, demonstrations, reference architectures, and standards for the broader sales organization.
• Act as a technical escalation point for regional sales teams and provide guidance on complex technical and commercial questions.
• Manage applicable procurement vehicles and help sales teams understand how and when to leverage them.
• Incorporate AI into solution scoping, architecture, estimating, and proposal workflows to improve efficiency and reduce sales-cycle time.
• Track practice performance, delivery capabilities, staffing and skills gaps, tooling needs, and OEM certification requirements.
• Provide regular performance updates covering business wins, sales performance, adoption, and collaboration with customer-success and delivery teams.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent professional experience.
• 10+ years of hands-on experience in networking or a closely related technology discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in presales engineering, solution architecture, or an equivalent customer-facing technical role.
• Expert-level knowledge of routing and switching across campus, WAN, and data center environments, with strong command of OSI, Ethernet, and TCP/IP concepts.
• Strong expertise in Layer 2 switching, Layer 3 routing, VPN technologies, optical transport, and Layer 4–7 services such as next-generation firewalls, load balancers, and intrusion detection/prevention technologies.
• Experience designing large-scale, high-density wireless networks, including controller-based and cloud-managed WLAN environments, as well as SD-WAN solutions.
• Familiarity with major networking technology providers such as HPE/Juniper/Aruba, Cisco, Palo Alto, Fortinet, Arista, and F5; relevant vendor certifications are preferred.
• Ability to develop reference architectures and standardized solution packages for routing and switching, wireless, and SD-WAN modernization initiatives.
• Established relationships with networking OEMs and vendors, with the ability to engage effectively around roadmaps, partnerships, and strategic programs.
• Demonstrated success leading technical strategy for large and complex customer opportunities.
• Proven ability to design and price enterprise-scale solutions, including budgetary and detailed cost estimates and bills of materials.
• Experience defining technology offerings, pricing models, or solution packaging for a practice or portfolio.
• Experience managing OEM/vendor relationships and subcontractor resources.
• Strong ability to translate customer requirements into comprehensive system designs and accurate bills of materials.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills, with the credibility to engage technical and C-level audiences on both business and technical considerations.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritize multiple initiatives, adapt to changing technologies, and work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to continuous learning and professional development.

Benefits:

• Fully remote and flexible work options within the United States.
• Competitive compensation package with incentive and bonus opportunities.
• Flexible paid time off.
• 5% 401(k) matching program.
• Equity opportunities.
• Up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave.
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, with base employee coverage fully funded.
• Life insurance.
• Short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Income protection benefits.
• Opportunities for professional development and career growth.
• The opportunity to contribute to technology projects with meaningful social and community impact.