Solutions Architect

West Midlands | £60,000-£70,000 + car allowance or company car | MSP

We’re working with an established Managed Service Provider looking to appoint an experienced Solutions Architect to strengthen its Pre-Sales and technical architecture capability.

This isn’t simply a traditional Pre-Sales role.

Alongside working with customers to understand requirements and design appropriate solutions, we’re looking for someone capable of acting as a technical authority – reviewing existing and proposed designs, conducting technical audits and assessments, identifying potential risks or gaps, and ensuring solutions are technically sound before they move into delivery.

You’ll need a strong breadth of technical knowledge and the confidence to challenge a design when something doesn’t look right.

The Role

Working closely with Sales, Service Delivery and Technical/Engineering teams, you’ll translate customer requirements into secure, scalable and commercially viable technical solutions, supporting engagements from initial discovery through to handover into delivery.

A key part of your role will be providing solution assurance and technical governance. This will include reviewing existing environments and proposed architectures, conducting infrastructure and security assessments, and ensuring designs follow appropriate technical and security best practices.

You’ll be involved across technologies including:

• Microsoft 365
• Hybrid infrastructure
• Networking & connectivity
• Cybersecurity
• Backup, Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery
• Cloud infrastructure and migration

You don't necessarily need to be the deepest technical SME across every technology listed above. However, you do need the technical breadth to understand how the different components fit together, identify weaknesses or omissions within a design, and know when something requires further investigation.

What You’ll Be Doing

You’ll lead technical discovery sessions with customers, understanding their current environment, business challenges and future objectives before translating these into appropriate solution architectures.

You’ll produce and review high-level and low-level designs, architecture documentation and technical roadmaps, while ensuring proposed solutions follow principles including Secure by Design and Zero Trust.

You’ll also:

• Review and technically audit existing solution designs
• Conduct infrastructure, cloud readiness and security assessments
• Identify technical risks, gaps and areas for improvement
• Provide technical leadership throughout the sales lifecycle
• Create and review technical proposals, Statements of Work, Bills of Materials and scope documentation
• Ensure proposed solutions are technically achievable and commercially viable
• Present solutions to stakeholders ranging from IT teams through to senior leadership
• Work with delivery teams to ensure a smooth transition from design into implementation
• Provide architectural oversight on key projects where required

The role therefore sits at the intersection of architecture, technical consultancy and pre-sales rather than being purely commercially focused.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone with strong experience within a Solutions Architect, Technical Architect, Pre-Sales Architect, Senior Technical Consultant or similar position.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Strong Microsoft Azure architecture and implementation experience
• Broad Microsoft 365 knowledge
• Strong understanding of Entra ID, Intune and Microsoft security technologies
• Experience across hybrid cloud and cloud-native environments
• Good understanding of identity, authentication, governance and security
• Working knowledge of networking including LAN/WAN, SD-WAN, VPNs, firewalls and Azure networking
• Understanding of backup, disaster recovery and business continuity
• Experience producing architecture diagrams and technical documentation
• Strong understanding of Zero Trust and Secure by Design principles
• The ability to translate complex technical subjects into clear business outcomes
• Strong customer-facing, presentation and stakeholder-management skills

Previous experience within an MSP, IT consultancy or similarly varied technology environment would be particularly relevant.

Microsoft Azure certifications such as AZ-104 and AZ-305 are desirable rather than essential, with additional Microsoft Security, Identity or Modern Workplace certifications advantageous.

Package

Salary: £60,000-£70,000 + car allowance or company car

Location: West Midlands / Hybrid

Travel: You must hold a full UK driving licence and be comfortable travelling to customer sites when required.

If you’re an experienced technical architect who enjoys designing solutions but also challenging, reviewing and improving them, this could be an excellent next step.