Solutions Consultant in Manchester

Location: Hybrid (Home/Head Office)

Salary: £50,000 – £59,000

Are you a proactive presales engineer or technical consultant who enjoys translating complex IT requirements into robust, deliverable solutions? If you want to design infrastructure that genuinely improves teaching and learning, and see your solutions make a tangible impact on the education sector, this could be the role for you.

About the role

As a Solutions Consultant, you will act as the technical bridge between our customers' educational goals and Dataspire’s IT solutions. You will lead technical discovery and design end-to-end solutions covering networks, cloud platforms, security, and devices for small and medium-scale bids. You will work directly with customers and internal teams to ensure your designs are technically sound, commercially viable, and perfectly aligned with education standards. You will be a key voice in customer meetings, working closely with Sales and Implementation to ensure a smooth transition from proposal to live service.

Key responsibilities

• Lead technical discovery, requirements gathering, and scoping, including site assessments and stakeholder workshops in schools and trusts.
• Design end-to-end solutions covering networks, cloud platforms (Microsoft 365/Google Workspace), security, and devices, using Dataspire reference architectures and DfE/NCSC guidance.
• Produce high-quality proposal content, including solution overviews, architectures, scope boundaries, and implementation approaches.
• Work with Sales and Finance to size, price, and package solutions, balancing commercial constraints with future scalability.
• Present solutions to customers in formal meetings, adjusting your language to engage both technical IT Managers and non-technical school leadership.
• Collaborate with the Implementation team to validate deliverability, create transition plans, and agree on clear acceptance criteria.
• Capture lessons learned from delivered projects, updating our design patterns, templates, and standard offerings.

Technologies you'll work with

• Networking & Connectivity: Campus and edge networking, Enterprise Wi-Fi, and perimeter security (HPE Aruba, Cisco, Firewalls).
• Platforms & Virtualisation: Windows Server, Hyper-V, VMware, and Apple platform management.
• Identity & Cloud: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Active Directory, and Azure AD / Entra ID.
• Endpoint Management: SCCM, Intune, and Google Endpoint Management.
• Security & Safeguarding: Web filtering, safeguarding platforms (DfE/KCSIE compliant), and secure remote access (VPN, RDS).
• Storage & Backup: Enterprise storage (SAN/NAS) and backup platforms like Redstor.

What we’re looking for

• Experience in an MSP or similar environment, delivering or designing infrastructure (networks, servers/virtualisation, Microsoft 365/Azure, security).
• Strong ability to translate business and educational outcomes into clear technical designs and requirements.
• Confidence in customer-facing roles, with a proven ability to run workshops, demos, and solution walkthroughs.
• Strong documentation skills: capable of writing clear proposals, assumptions, and scope boundaries.
• A collaborative approach: comfortable working alongside Sales and Implementation as part of a "One Team" ethos.
• Nice to have: An education background (or experience working in or designing IT solutions for schools or MATs). What matters most is your ability to apply IT best practices to educational environments.

About Dataspire Solutions

Dataspire is a Manchester-based education IT managed services company, delivering a broad portfolio of services spanning managed IT, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, connectivity, and large-scale ICT projects for new school builds and major refurbishments. We have completed more than 120 DfE-funded projects, reflecting our expertise and the depth of our experience in the education sector. We are proud to be a Mental Health at Work Committed organisation and a Disability Confident employer. We are committed to creating a working environment where everyone feels supported, valued, and able to perform at their best.

How to Apply

If you have the experience, focus, and capability this role demands, we want to hear from you. Please send your CV and a covering note outlining your suitability to .

Dataspire is a Mental Health at Work Committed organisation and a Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all suitably qualified candidates and are committed to an inclusive recruitment process.