Sr. Solution Architect - Pre-Sales

Summary
The Senior Solution Architect is an important member of our Pre-Sales team and works directly with customers, assist account managers in sales calls and business development, recommend business and technical solutions, and create statements of work. This is a customer-facing role with opportunities to shape the way we engage clients, deliver projects, and adopt new technologies. We work collaboratively as a team to deliver exceptional enterprise solutions and believe attention to detail and a consultative experience is integral to our success. The Solutions Architect will be responsible for (but not limited to) creating architectural designs, infrastructure/connectivity analysis and design, leading onsite (or virtual) workshops and discovery & design sessions, writing documentation, and creating project estimates.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical lead in pre-sales engagements for NRI North America's Hybrid Infrastructure practice.
• Collaborate with account executives to understand client requirements and develop tailored infrastructure solutions.
• Design and present end-to-end solutions across hybrid cloud, data center, storage, networking, and security domains.
• Lead client-facing workshops, discovery sessions, and whiteboarding engagements—onsite or virtual—to capture technical requirements and propose scalable architectures.
• Create detailed Statements of Work (SOWs), technical documentation, bill of materials, and high-level designs.
• Advise clients on Cisco enterprise networking solutions, including routing/switching, SD-WAN, wireless, and network security architectures.
• Act as a trusted advisor to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, ensuring alignment between business goals and technology outcomes.
• Support internal solution engineering and delivery teams during project handoff and implementation planning.
• Stay current on emerging technologies, Cisco certifications, and best practices relevant to enterprise networking and hybrid infrastructure.
• Participate in internal knowledge sharing, mentoring, and the development of reusable solution frameworks and templates.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with Cisco, other technology partners, and key client stakeholders.
• Assist in RFP/RFI responses, proposal development, and architectural reviews as part of the sales lifecycle.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Deep experience designing and architecting complex, cross-domain IT solutions across hybrid cloud, data center, storage, networking, data protection, and infrastructure modernization technologies at enterprise clients.
• Strong technical knowledge and hands-on experience with Cisco enterprise networking, including LAN/WAN architecture, SD-WAN, routing and switching, wireless, network security, and network segmentation best practices.
• Ability to develop scalable, secure, and high-performing network designs aligned to client needs and industry best practices.
• CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) certification is highly desired.
• CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert) certification is a strong plus and will be given special consideration.
• Proven ability to support pre-sales efforts by conducting technical discovery sessions, developing solution strategies, preparing SOWs, and presenting to executive and technical stakeholders.
• Experience leading and participating in client-facing engagements, including whiteboard sessions, technical deep-dives, and product demonstrations.
• Comfortable working with internal solution teams, sales leadership, partner ecosystems, and external vendors to shape and deliver client outcomes.
• Experience guiding enterprise customers through complex solution evaluations and network transformation initiatives.
• Excellent communication skills—both written and verbal—with the ability to simplify complex technical topics for business and executive audiences.
• A consultative and strategic mindset with the ability to act as a trusted advisor and long-term partner to clients.
• Minimum of 10 years in a solution architecture, network engineering, or technical pre-sales role with a focus on enterprise infrastructure.

Benefits - You'll love working at NRI not just for the usual benefits, but for our environment and culture!

• You'll work with a great group of people in a highly collaborative team and results oriented atmosphere.
• You'll have the opportunity to work in a dynamic and extremely positive environment where there is always the opportunity to challenge your skills and really move the needle.
• You’ll work with large, sophisticated, and progressive clients throughout North America.
• We provide a comprehensive benefits program including: Health, Visi