Presales Solution Architect

The Company:

A global telecommunications provider operating in markets across Africa and the rest of the world is looking for a Presales Solutions Architect. The company has been providing ordinary South Africans with excellent services and values the individual contributions of its team members. Candidates can expect to form part of an elite team operating at the cutting edge of their relevant technologies. 

The Role:

• Drive profitable growth for the organisation.
• Manage staff to build, maintain, and manage continuous technical relationships with corporate customers and partners to ensure high levels of satisfaction.
• Ensure sustainable solution designs that balance business returns and customer requirements.
• Manage staff to give input into account plans for top customers within verticals and all customers in relevant channel named accounts.
• Drive achievement of revenue targets for relevant channels by ensuring the team is delivering on named account activities, tender requirements, meeting deadlines, and support with regards to presenting complex solutions.
• Ensure engagement with relevant Product, TES, and Partner teams to leverage partnerships for complex solutions the organisation is not in the organisation’s Capability or product catalogue.
• Ensure effective training plans are developed so that the Presales Architecture team remains relevant and suitably certified and retain credibility in the internal and external customer’s mind.
• Push the boundaries for solution designs within the relevant channels’ named accounts and ensure that the organisation EBU is innovative but responsible.
• Ensure competitiveness in the industry by managing the team’s application of relevant commercial constructs in deal architecture when designing solutions for customers with the relevant Commercial Pricing approval where applicable.
• Focus on providing exceptional Client Experience.
• Ensure customer satisfaction by ensuring designs and conceptual solutions for customers are deliverable and supportable by the business through the relevant governance processes.
• Approve complex customer designs and pricing before submission to sales environment to deliver on “first time right design”.
• Ensure the Presales Architecture team is the custodian for client technical presales activity engagement across the business.
• Ensure customer escalations are raised within the correct departments and followed up within agreed timelines and company OLAs.
• Ensure a culture of Operational Excellence.
• Ensure any nonstandard partner engagement for type 3 deals follows relevant Procurement and TES governance processes.
• Flexibility – Manage projects or presales activities inside and outside of relevant channels to ensure efficient use of resources.
• Ensure coordination of matrix reports from all other areas within the organisation to complete customer technical design/solutions.
• Manage technical input on tenders and proposals in line with ICT Enterprise Business Unit strategy.
• Give input into process development within Presales Solution Architect department and the areas they interact with.
• Ensure designs are within approved operational limits as per product specifications through applying for approval within the relevant governance boards.
• Provide input to the product team for development of new products.
• Manage relationships between Presales Solution Architect team and the organisation COE, Sales, TES, Procurement, Commercial pricing, and the customer.
• Manage the accurate and timely business and performance reporting process through the use of appropriate systems and tools.
• Ensure processes and procedures are optimised for Presales Solution Architect engagement between GEBU; Product; Solution Implementation, Commercial pricing, procurement, and the organisation Core Network team.
• Ensure specialisation and subject matter expert disciplines are maintained or developed for product verticals through maintaining staff relevant Certifications and develop PDPs with clear timelines for any gaps identified.
• Instilling appropriate Employee Excellence.
• Lead, develop and coach the Presales Solution Architect team to ensure suitable succession planning.
• Drive a culture of innovation and knowledge share within the team and across the the organisation Business organisation.
• Act as an ambassador and role model for the organisation Enterprise Business by living the brand values and vital behaviours.
• Make the organisation business Presales Solution Architecture, relevant vertical, environment the best place to work.
• Improve the employee engagement through the Group Culture Audit.
• Ensure the attraction, development, and retention of talent within relevant verticals.
• Build a professional and differentiated team within relevant verticals.
• Ensure a culture of continuous evaluation and improvement within relevant verticals.
• Drive a culture of high performance, accountability, and consequence management within relevant verticals.

Experience:

• Minimum of a 3-year degree/diploma in an ICT discipline such as IT, Telecoms, Engineering, or Business Administration, or a related field.
• Fluent in English, and proficiency in the language of the country is preferred.
• Relevant certifications in UCC, Cloud, and Networking such as Cisco, Huawei, GCS, Azure, etc.
• Current Cisco Network Certifications
• Current Cisco or other UCC certifications
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in IP, UCC network, and ICT-related areas of specialisation.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience supervising or managing others within a technical environment.
• Experience working in a large organisation.
• Experience in proposal and tender preparation and submission.
• Experience in managing highly technical staff.
• Large revenue project and Bid Response experience in the last 2 years.