Network Solutions Architect

Your day at NTT DATA

The Network Solutions Architect is a seasoned subject matter expert and is also a pre-sales persona working with clients and sales/delivery teams in a value co-creation process resulting in the design of Network Services solutions across multiple network technology domains and services lifecycle.

This role is responsible for the development of competitive, innovative, secure, multi-year, viable Network Services solutions and associated costing inputs to commercial models.

The Network Solutions Architect applies both solution design and sales skills to engage and help close opportunities with decision-makers.

This role has the opportunity to design solutions with some of the most innovative global organizations, technologies, accelerating the digital transformation business objectives and outcomes.

In some instances, the Network Solutions Architect will remain engaged during the implementation of services designed and may be required to participate in renewals.What you'll be doing

Key Responsibilities:

• Work closely with sales team to participate in and proactively drive the presales process with clients.
• Designs relatively complex network and managed service solutions to meet client requirements by integrating technology and service design across multiple domains.
• Conducts sales presentations, product demonstrations, develops proposal responses, creates network vendor OEM bill of materials.
• Designs the Network Service offering, interfacing with the platform delivery team.
• Conducts network solution and connectivity design reviews to ensure capacity to provide the solution whilst ensuring client requirements are met.
• Responsible for the service design deliverables of the solution, working with internal teams and partners to ensure supportability.
• Supports the validation processes by obtaining sign-off from technical, service, and costing stakeholders.
• Provides service, technical and operational design of solutions for the client that will be commercially competitive whilst mitigating risk.
• Maps the client's requirements against the proposed set of service elements and architectures and coordinate the end-to-end solution development (Network Services, Technology Architectures, SIAM, SLA, ITSM leading practices).
• Executes a consulting approach that results in a consolidated statement of requirements, scope, transition documents, and costing based need for change, the role of IT, definition of the AS-IS versus desired state (Future Mode of operation defined), gap analysis, and roadmap, highlighted impacts, consequences, and benefits of the intended transformation (people, process, technology).
• Assists the sales teams in presenting an architecture solution to clients with a focus on cost savings or uncovering other client growth opportunities using the ability to discover and analyze the client's current architecture, platforms, and operating models.
• Shares client outcomes and market conditions with other stakeholders so that the global offering leads, and Managed Services community can evolve strategies and develop innovative solutions for the future
• Assists the sales teams to have a commercial model discussion with the client.
• Identifies all service costs and populate cost models accurately to ensure full visibility of costs related to the delivery of the service over the contract term.
• Assist with vendor management depending on the service offers and ensures that the transition to service delivery teams are well coordinated to ensure a smooth transition.
• Performs any other related task as required.

Knowledge and Attributes:

• Seasoned knowledge of Networking and managed services delivery models, including network, cloud, global, and distributed delivery models.
• Ability to work with costing models in partnership with sales and finance stakeholders.
• Seasoned proficiency in Network, Security, Wireless, WAN, SDWAN, SSE, Network Connectivity, Cloud Networking and Infrastructure Managed Services.
• Ability to communicate potential improvements and value of solutions to all levels of stakeholders.
• Ability to facilitate workshops with clients and internal teams to discover requirements, present solutions and obtain client buy-in.
• Ability to develop technology bill of materials from network and security vendors such as Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, HPE Aruba.
• Ability to work within a team, contributing to the success of the team while making a personal contribution, especially in a matrixed organization.
• Up to date knowledge on emerging trends in network technology, automation, artificial intelligence.
• Analytical abilities to discover and analyze all input and data.
• Passion for staying abreast of related industry trends and best practices.
• Passion for learning and growing in related specialization.

Academic Qualifications and Certifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Information technology/systems or a related field.
• Certification and working knowledge of ITIL, Service Management and Integration, Automation Artificial Intelligence and Analytics preferred.
• Advanced vendor certifications in various Network domains (SSE, SDWAN, Wireless, IOT, Cloud Networking and 5G)
• Scaled Agile certification or equivalent is desirable.

Required Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of applicable technical presales experience.
• Demonstrated relevant experience in a pre-sales/solution architecture role across networking, network security, network connectivity and managed services domains.
• Previous experience in customer facing technical roles.
• Seasoned track record of designing network solutions to large enterprise accounts.
• Seasoned demonstrated proof of structuring large, multi-year profitable contracts.
• Solution planning and deal shaping technical specialist, with the ability to create compelling value propositions as part of the solution design.
• Seasoned experience working in an environment with global delivery and in multiple geographies and industries.