Senior Solution Architect

• Serve as the senior technical lead on strategic pre-sales engagements, orchestrating discovery, solution design, and presentation across all technology domains.
• Lead customer-facing design workshops and architecture sessions with both technical (network/security engineers, architects) and executive (CIO, CISO, VP IT) stakeholders.
• Own the technical win strategy for complex, multi-tower opportunities involving networking, cybersecurity, SASE, Zero Trust, cloud, and managed services.
• Develop and deliver compelling executive briefings, whiteboard sessions, and proof-of-concept demonstrations that translate technology into business outcomes.

• Architect comprehensive solutions across cybersecurity (Next-Gen Firewall, SASE, ZTA, endpoint, SIEM/SOC), enterprise networking, SD-WAN, cloud connectivity, and compute infrastructure.
• Produce high-quality network architecture diagrams, logical and physical designs, and solution overview documents suitable for C-level and technical audiences.
• Build detailed Bills of Materials with full line-item accuracy, licensing structures, professional services hours, and margin integrity.
• Author Statements of Work (SOWs) and project scopes that set clear expectations and protect BlackHawk's delivery team.

• Position and sell BlackHawk's managed services portfolio — including managed SASE, managed firewall, MDR/SOC services, NOC monitoring, and cloud management — as the preferred operational model for clients.
• Build outcome-based business cases for recurring and managed services engagements, demonstrating ROI, risk reduction, and operational efficiency against DIY alternatives.
• Structure multi-year managed services agreements with appropriate SLAs, pricing models, and renewal incentives.
• Partner with the services delivery team to design managed service architectures that are operationally viable and profitable.

• Maintain deep working relationships with BlackHawk's key vendor partners including Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Zscaler, CrowdStrike, Microsoft, AWS, Aruba/HPE, and others.
• Leverage vendor resources — SEs, deal desk, BDMs, MDF — to support and accelerate strategic opportunities.
• Stay current on the SASE and Zero Trust product landscapes including Zscaler, Prisma Access, Fortinet SASE, Cato Networks, and Cisco Umbrella/SD-WAN.
• Represent BlackHawk at vendor partner summits, technology briefings, and customer-facing events.

• Mentor junior and associate SAs, sharing design patterns, BOM best practices, and client engagement techniques.
• Contribute to BlackHawk's solution playbooks, standard architectures, and reference designs.
• Identify gaps and emerging opportunities in BlackHawk's portfolio and recommend new vendor partnerships or service offerings.

• 7+ years of overall IT experience, including 3+ years in a customer-facing pre-sales Solution Architect, Consulting Architect, or Senior Systems Engineer role at a VAR, MSP, or IT services firm.
• Demonstrated experience leading technical discovery, architecture design, and pre-sales engagements for complex networking and cybersecurity solutions.
• Deep technical expertise in cybersecurity — including Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), endpoint detection and response (EDR/XDR), SIEM, and identity-based security.
• Strong working knowledge of enterprise networking: routing and switching, SD-WAN, LAN/WAN design, wireless (802.11ax/Wi-Fi 6), and network segmentation.
• Experience architecting hybrid and multi-cloud solutions (AWS, Azure, GCP) including cloud networking, security controls, and governance.
• Proven ability to build and present outcome-based business cases for managed services, recurring revenue programs, and multi-year technology roadmaps.
• Experience authoring technical documentation including solution designs, BOMs, SOWs, and RFP responses at a professional quality standard.
• Polished executive communication skills — you are equally comfortable presenting a Zero Trust architecture to a CISO and a cost justification to a CFO.

• Experience with SASE platforms: Zscaler (ZIA/ZPA), Palo Alto Prisma Access, Fortinet SASE, Cato Networks, Cisco Umbrella, or Cloudflare One.
• Hands-on familiarity with Zero Trust frameworks (NIST SP 800-207, Gartner ZTA) and their practical implementation in enterprise environments.
• Experience positioning and selling managed security services (managed SOC, MDR, managed SASE, managed firewall).
• Background in or exposure to compliance frameworks: NIST CSF, CIS Controls, SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, or CMMC.
• Prior quota-bearing or KPI-tied pre-sales experience at a firm competing with ePlus, Presidio, WWT, Ahead, NTT, or similar.

• Cisco CCNP Security, CCNP Enterprise, or equivalent professional-level certification
• Palo Alto PCNSE, PCSAE, or Prisma Certified
• Fortinet NSE 6/7 or Zscaler ZCCA-IA / ZCCP-IA

• CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)
• AWS Solutions Architect – Professional or Azure Solutions Expert
• Cisco CCIE Security or Enterprise (or in-progress)
• Zscaler Zero Trust Certified Architect (ZTCA)

• A seat at the table: you will directly influence BlackHawk's go-to-market strategy, portfolio decisions, and practice direction.
• Competitive total compensation benchmarked to senior SA roles at ePlus, Presidio, and WWT — with an uncapped performance bonus tied to pipeline and closed revenue contribution.
• Full certification sponsorship, training budget, and access to vendor partner enablement programs.
• Vendor demo lab access, evaluation hardware, and cloud sandbox environments to support POC and client demonstration activity.
• A fast-moving, founder-accessible culture where decisions get made quickly and great ideas get implemented.
• Medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with employer match, Up to 22 days PTO, and Hybrid-flexible work arrangement.
• The opportunity to build something: a growing practice, a winning team, and a book of business that is yours.