It Solutions Architect

Looking for a challenging and rewarding career in the IT industry? We are seeking an IT Solutions Architect to join our team. In this role, you will have the opportunity to showcase your technical skills and expertise while leading the adoption of modern cloud technologies and transformational IT projects. You will collaborate with the diverse customer base in a pre-sales capacity to develop strategic solutions that address current and future business challenges. The ideal candidate is self-driven, has architect-level technical skills, and is passionate about interacting with decision-makers, influencers, and IT staff. If you have a track record of clever solution design, confident communication, engaged listening, and a unique ability to describe complex IT problems and solutions to all levels of the business, this is the perfect job for you! Apply now and join a dynamic team that values teamwork, creativity, and innovation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

All areas of responsibility listed below are essential to the satisfactory performance of this position, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary. Any non-essential functions are assumed to be included in "other related duties as assigned":

• Engage with Loffler Companies' diverse customer base in a pre-sales capacity to collaboratively develop strategic solutions that address current and future business challenges.
• Closely interact with Loffler ITSG Sales to achieve an effective team approach to customer engagement.
• Architect and design virtual, hyper converged, enterprise cloud, public cloud, private cloud, and data management solutions based on customer requirements and industry-accepted best practices.
• Architect and design cloud-focused, resilient wired networks, wireless networks, and firewalls.
• Prepare statements of work, proposals, and quotes that effectively present architected solutions and labor-based projects to our customers.
• Conduct customer environment assessments to gather detailed information and understand current challenges during solutions design.
• Effectively hand-off projects to Project Management and engineering teams in a way that drives success and customer satisfaction.
• Attend team days on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the St. Louis Park office.
• Engage with internal peers and vendors to aid in assessing and choosing technology platforms and products to bring to market as integrated, complementary Loffler solutions.
• Engage in external networks to continuously align Loffler's IT product offerings as customer business requirements and the IT industry evolve.
• Complete training and stay involved in details of solution implementation to keep technology skills fresh.
• Act as the Loffler Subject Matter Expert for at least one IT Infrastructure discipline.
• Engage in continuous evaluation of completed projects for the purpose of iteratively improving Loffler's delivery based on successful and problematic facets of the delivery.
• Collaborate with colleagues to help them achieve increased levels of technical knowledge and customer service.
• Create and publish solution documentation where appropriate.
• Contribute to and maintain system, installation, and configuration standards and procedures.
• Share newly acquired information with peers to improve support team capabilities.
• Comply with internal security controls and procedures for Loffler and customers.
• Provide mentoring and training to other engineers.
• Approach technical issues with root cause discovery and resolution in mind.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• Attend team days on Tuesday's and Wednesdays in the St. Louis Park office.
• Strong attention to detail and follow-through skills.
• Excellent customer service, communication, and troubleshooting skills.
• Demonstrate excellence in time management and organizational skills.
• Aptitude for creative and alternative solutions.
• Strong desire to learn, demonstrating independent initiative in seeking new knowledge.
• Willingness to lead and mentor other teams in areas of expertise.
• Strong team player.
• Good judgment and technical common sense.
• Proficient in server and workstation hardware, operating systems, and software.
• Strong understanding of networking including firewalls and other security/VPN devices.
• Understanding of cabling and cabling termination.
• Advanced technical skills across a wide range of products within our product stack.
• Advanced competency in standing up new servers in complex environments and migrating Windows domains.
• Advanced competency in Exchange administration and O365 migration experience.
• Advanced competency in Microsoft Azure offerings.
• Experience working with industry standard public cloud systems.
• Experience configuring Wi-Fi solutions within our product stack.
• Advanced system and server administration skills.
• Strong proficiency in VMWare.
• Experience administrating routing, switching, and fault-tolerance solutions.
• Experience with storage networking including Hyperconverged, ISCSI, and Fiber Channel
• Proficiency in designing and implementing virtualization stacks.
• Advanced proficiency in firewalls and network security including NAT and traffic rules.
• Proficient in the design and implementation of core networks for SAN and virtualization.
• Proficiency with wireless systems and site surveys.
• Proficiency with Data Circuits and SD-WAN
• Basic understanding of VOIP phone systems.
• Basic understanding of Physical Security and Security Camera systems.

Education/Experience:

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in IT or related technical field (i.e. Computer Science, Engineering) and/or 10-12 years of IT support experience.
• Intermediate or advanced level technical certification(s) required.

Work Conditions:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• High energy position dealing with clients on a daily basis.
• Requires occasional evening and/or weekend work for scheduled activities or to complete projects in order to meet deadlines.
• Ability to lift 40 pounds.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal.

For information on the physical demands of this job, see Human Resources.

Why Work for Us?

• Top Workplace
• Career Advancement
• Employer Paid Life Insurance and Disability
• Paid Time Off, Volunteer Time, Holidays, Bereavement, and Parental Leave
• Benefits Package including FSA, Medical, Dental, and Vision
• 401K with Employer Match
• Tuition Reimbursement