National Security & Defence Vertical Solutions Architect

Why you'll love Cisco

We change the World, you will become passionate about your employer and the brand you represent. Everything is converging on the Internet, making networked connections more meaningful than ever before in our lives. Our employees' ground breaking ideas impact everything, from entertainment, retail, healthcare, and education, to public and private sectors, smart cities, and everyday devices in our homes. Here, that means you will take creative ideas from the drawing board to dynamic solutions that have world impact. You'll collaborate with Cisco leaders, partner with mentors, and develop incredible relationships with colleagues who share your interest in connecting the unconnected. You'll be part a team that cares about its customers, enjoys having fun, and you'll take part in changing the lives of those in our local communities. Come prepared to be encouraged and inspired.

What you will do

The Vertical Solutions Architect in Cisco is the key contact for our customers helping them translate challenges in to future state architectures, we are looking for a bright individual who will own and nurture the technical relationships, building and executing the technical strategy for a very high profile customer in the UK.

Our charter is to enable our customers to achieve and sustain strategic advantage by aligning Cisco's software and hardware platform(s) and develop solutions that align to their business imperatives in National Security and Defence. The Vertical Solutions Architect's primary objective is to drive and co-create technically sound (including customer aligned and partner aligned) architectures and solutions based on a prioritised roadmap developed in partnership with the entire team and the business units across Cisco. In addition to developing industry relevant solutions, the Vertical Solutions Architect will cross train account teams on the nuances of the architectures and how to sell them into their accounts, and joins select account teams on big bet deals to help actively re-position Cisco as a thought leader and close business.

The Vertical Solutions Architect core responsibility is to take the defence industries business strategy and define an overall solution portfolio to enable Cisco & Partner sales teams to accelerate their ability to verbally and technically align to the overall business strategy. In addition, The Vertical Solutions Architect collaborates with the account Engineers, Architects and specialist to develop an architecture roadmap aligned with customer needs. The Architect builds and maintains ongoing relationships with technology stakeholders across customers, partners and account teams to maintain and continue selling developed solutions.

Your success will reflect in architectural achievements, long term customer relationships and roadmap adoption.

In this job you will:

• Focus on an outstanding customer experience, customer challenges.

• Own and develop the Cisco Target State Architecture.

• Orchestrate cross-functional team members to deliver complete tecnical solutions.

• Work closely with the Cisco sales teams, to drive the strategy and delivery of new solutions, products and services.

• Plan and execute the architecture strategy in order to meet the agreed milestones and timescales.

• Identify and develop new business opportunities.

• Deliver clear roadmaps, business cases and a technical vision for the future.

• Anticipate any change in the opportunities, market, customer needs and requirements that could impact the customer.
• Work with defence integrators, suppliers and other vendors to create a technical alliance.
• Identify and orchestrate product development (business unit) initiatives and resources required to establish solutions with industry relevant functionality, growing the capabilities and differentiation of our products and solutions to have a material impact on our customers' business by leveraging Cisco products and ecosystem in a new way
• Present technical, solution, and business architectural messages to C-Level and outwards
• Demonstrate industry leadership through publication, presentations, participation in industry organizations or standards bodies
• Coordinate with the business development managers for successful high touch customer engagements, solution development, and overall Cisco industry strategic direction

At Cisco you will be the first to benefit from what our technology can offer. Our approach is to enable you to be flexible in how you arrange your work, making sure you give and take the best.

Please note the role will require UK Clearance, the successful candidate will need to be capable of obtaining this.

Who You'll Work With

National Security and Defence (NSD) UKI in Cisco is responsible for business with National Security and Defence customers. In NSD, we help the customers enhance their business outcomes by enabling the network with voice, video and data services to transform their networks and shape their vision for the future.

The Vertical Solutions Architect in Cisco is the key technical contact for our customers: we are looking for a bright individual who will own and nurture the relationships, building and executing the technical strategy for a high profile customer in the UK

We are Cisco Sales. We sell solutions and products that make our customers successful.

Our focus is to find and solve their most critical problems and help them harness new market opportunities.

We anticipate our customers' needs, as the world shifts in an unprecedented transformation and technology impacts everything.

You will join a team of highly skilled Sales professionals working with Pre-Sales and Technology specialists.

Who You Are

Ideally you will need to have a broad understanding of technology sales and architecture across IT Infrastructure, or Data Centre, Mobile technology, Software.

• You bring 3+ years of sales experience in the National Security and Defence Industry.

• Minimum Bsc or Engineering degree or equivalent in an engineering field.

• Demonstrate success in creating architectures.
• Outstanding knowledge and capabilities ideally extending across a broad portfolio of technologies that deliver Customer Outcomes: Analytics, Software, Wireless, Big Data, Datacentre, Mobility, Security and Cloud.

• Able to understand, articulate and position the value of a technology-based solution to the customer.
• TOGAF and/or MODAF or equivalent.

• Write and speak English and fluently.

• Highly energized and the ability to motivate with a high level of commitment

Desired Skills

• Experience in engaging with National Security and Defence Customers.
• Engage with other suppliers, vendors and customers.

• Mastery in developing trusted customer relationships up to C level.

• Ability to match customer needs with state of the art technology solutions and partners to deliver them.

• Negotiation skills to craft solutions that are beneficial to our customers, partners and Cisco overall.

• Confidence in applying business and financial expertise to identify and qualify opportunities.

• Excellent written and verbal communication.

• Ability to leverage and engage internal resources such as Marketing, Technology Experts, Services and others.

Join the NSD team in the UK, and make amazing things happen.