Solutions Architect - Cloud & Network - AWS

• Engages on identified customer pipeline opportunities that have been qualified to benefit from Solutions Architect - Cloud & Network Engagement to accelerate and close the opportunity.
• Collaborates with customers to understand business requirements and translate them into technical architecture solutions, acting as the technical consultant for the lifecycle of the project.
• Has the expert ability to present, position and design solutions from a portfolio of solutions available from Claranet.
• Has the ability to articulate & translate customer needs into how a Claranet Portfolio will meet those needs, including where bespoke elements may need to be costed and built for the customer to achieve them.
• Follows the agreed Claranet Solutions Architect - Cloud & Network process ensuring architecture standards, principles and best practice aimed at meeting the needs of mid-sized organisations.
• Delivers customer engagements using agreed tools, processes and delivers the defined customer deliverables to a high quality within agreed timescales.
• Ensures that time spent on customer engagement is recorded to demonstrate cost, value and ensure the piece of work operates to agreed budgets, project milestones and ensure cost recovery and also profit margins are maintained.
• Ensures that any statement of work/proposed solution customer document output is completed to a sufficient level of quality to ensure the project meets the customer needs, but also can be costed to ensure successful and profitable delivery.
• Ensures that any sales positioning of a proposed customer solution is balanced and accurate to ensure customer and project are aligned to the Claranet portfolio in accordance with the 70/30 rule.
• Ensures that any form of design or bill of materials is aligned to the Claranet portfolio and is constructed to meet both technical requirements but also considers customer budget and commercial value.
• Ensures that if a solution requires portfolio or bespoke elements beyond the published Claranet portfolio, the project goes through relevant bid, commercial or portfolio governance in partnership with the Customer Success & Growth team.
• Ensures that customer insight that enables differentiation, repeatability and commercial advantage are fed back into the Portfolio & Propositions team to help improve market differentiation through the “Ideas Portal”.
• Ensures that solution designs where possible deliver our ambition to be >70% repeatable and bespoke elements are costed specifically outside of that to ensure they are deliverable.
• Operates successful working practices which deliver both an efficient solution architecture function as well as delivering industry leading services with a high level of customer experience.
• Contributes to research on emerging technologies and industry trends, evaluating their potential impact on the technical architecture of products and services.
• Ensures that technical architecture solutions for practice are aligned with the Claranet’s business objectives, priorities, and budgets.
• Monitors and evaluates the effectiveness of the technical solutions they have recommended, observing and documenting improvements and changes for future work.
• Communicates technical architecture strategies and initiatives to stakeholders at all levels of the organization, including executives, business unit leaders, and technical teams.
• Collaborates with members of the Customer Success & Growth team to identify opportunities for technology solutions that align with customers’ needs.
• Develops and presents proposals and presentations to accounts, outlining technical architecture solutions that meet their business requirements.
• Ensures compliance with relevant regulations, standards, and security requirements.

• Portfolio and Propositions - collaborate to design and deliver portfolio and solutions that meet documented customer business outcomes and deliver strategic proposition outcomes. Work together to build Service Descriptions for customers where appropriate.
• Infrastructure & Data – collaborate with the teams to ensure skills and resourcing levels and availability are relevant to meet the delivery requirements.
• PMO – identify timelines to deliver project.
• Customer Success and Growth – support team with technical and solution expertise to help translate customer needs into high level solution designs.
• Customer Experience and Managed Services – collaborate to ensure solutions are designed to enable a smooth service transition.

Behavioural competencies – organisational and behavioural fit.

• Flexible and creative to take considered risks.
• Learn and adapt quickly to changing situations.
• Self-motivated and able to work under pressure.
• Ability to travel to different sites and locations on a weekly basis.
• Manages conflict and challenges in an open and constructive manner.

• Proven experience in managing and delivering architecture projects.
• Proven experience in enterprise grade disaster recovery and data protection technologies.
• Proven track record of managing customers at senior levels.
• Where appropriate should have:
  • Knowledge of networking concepts and tools, such as VPN, DNS, load balancing, and firewalls. 
  • Knowledge of at least 1 of the following environments: Azure, AWS, GCP, VMware cloud, Microsoft 365
• Ability to perform discovery & analysis as part of a migration project aligned to Claranet’s Competitive Edge.
• Experience in the IT Managed Service industry.
• Experience in infrastructure and application discovery and associated tools.
• Experience in working with cross-functional teams, including Customer Success & Growth, Marketing, to develop and implement technology solutions for accounts.
• A strategic thinker with experience in the development, implementation, and management of the entire solution architecture life cycle
• Strong oral, presentation, and written communication skills 
• Strong interpersonal and relationship management skill with the ability to build credibility quickly at all levels as well as negotiate, influence, and persuade where required.
• Faces conflict and challenge in an open and constructive manner.
• Flexible, creative, and innovative, willing to take considered risks and learn and adapt.
• Comfortable dealing with a diverse range of people at all levels of the business both internally and externally 
• Is self-motivated and able to work under pressure.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

About Claranet

Founded at the beginning of the dot.com bubble in 1996, our CEO Charles Nasser had a light bulb moment to develop a truly customer-focused IT business. Since then, Claranet has grown from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the UK to being one of the leading business modernisation experts, who deliver solutions across 11+ countries.

At Claranet, we’re experienced in implementing progressive technology solutions which help our customers solve their epic business challenges. We’re committed to understanding their problems, delivering answers quickly, and making a lasting impact to their business.

We are agile, focused and experienced in business modernisation. Our approach helps customers make genuine, significant shifts in their business strategy, to deliver financial savings, boost innovation, and create a resilient business. We continually invest in our people and the latest technologies, so our customers get peace of mind knowing that they have access to the best talent and services.

In the UK we have over 500 staff working in London, Gloucester, Warrington, Bristol, and Leeds, or as homeworkers.

Working for Claranet

Here at Claranet we pride ourselves on going the extra mile for and with our employees (yes, we really mean with). We offer an extensive benefits package that you can tailor to your needs, inclusive of a matching contribution pension scheme, healthcare, insurance, dental, discounted gyms and app supported benefit access.   

But what we think makes us different is ‘Team Claranet,’ our dedicated internal part of the business that supports you with matters close to your heart. We proudly support local charities in each of our office locations, support employees with paid charity leave, organise key charity fundraising event per year and have a dedicated committee responsible for supporting employee’s fundraising efforts.

Claranet are one of the 10 founding members of TC4RE (Technology Community for Racial Equality.) Being a part of a group of leading UK technology organisations, we are dedicated to building a more diverse and inclusive workforce. We are also very proud members of Tech Talent Charter, a government supported, industry-led membership group created to address the UK’s tech talent shortage and diversity gap through collective action.

Our Vision

Our vision is to become the most trusted technology solutions partner; renowned for being the best and brightest, having lasting impact with our customers and delivering exceptional returns to our stakeholders.

Position Summary

The Solutions Architect - Cloud & Network role is to ensure and enhance a culture of solution and design excellence to create award winning customer solutions across our technical practices. The Solutions Architect – Cloud & Network will serve along with a small team as solution/technical advisor for Claranet’s solutions, providing guidance and support on technology solutions that meet their business objective and ensures superior customer experience.

Role Mission

Claranet’s strategy is to build long-term, trusted relationships with its customers by delivering market-leading, integrated managed services. The Solutions Architect - Cloud & Network will serve as a technical advisor for Claranet’s solutions.

Objectives and Key Results

• To create increased win probability in customer opportunities through the ability to engage with customers to design a solution that meets customers’ needs from the Claranet Portfolio at a commercial level that means they choose Claranet.
• To contribute to the target of 70% of services are scalable and repeatable through the Opportunity Solution Design cycle.
• To ensure design methodologies are using industry best practice and where possible, consistent across the team.
• To ensure that Cloud & Network products and services are designed to the leading market standards, using where possible, repeatable designs.
• To serve as the Solutions Architect - Cloud & Network aligned to agreed customer opportunities where hybrid solutions are required and provide guidance and support on technology solutions that meet the clients' business objectives.
• To develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders of accounts, understanding their business requirements and translating them into technical architecture solutions aligned to the Claranet portfolio.