Field Solution Architect, ERATE

Connection; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus 25%

PTO 3 weeks

Tuition reimbursement

Mental health resources

Wellness days

Volunteer time off

Job summary

Connection Services is seeking a Field Solution Architect to support our Public Sector E-Rate business. This role focuses on presales engineering, designing networking and wireless solutions for K-12, higher education, and government customers, and collaborating with account teams to understand requirements.

The ideal candidate will have Cisco/HPE Aruba/Juniper experience, BOM creation skills, and the ability to communicate business value to customers while coordinating with internal resources

Qualifications

• Experience with networking and wireless presales engineering and design.
• Experience with Cisco, HPE Aruba, Juniper.
• Experience with E-Rate opportunities and SLED customers.
• Strong design, BOM creation, and solution positioning.
• Familiarity with Form 470 and Form 471 processes.

Responsibilities

• Provide pre-sales engineering and solution architecture support for networking and wireless opportunities in the Public Sector.
• Collaborate with Account Managers and Sales teams to discover, qualify, and develop customer opportunities.
• Lead customer discussions to understand technical requirements, business objectives, timelines, procurement requirements, and funding considerations.
• Design networking and wireless solutions involving Cisco, HPE Aruba, Juniper, and related technologies.
• Develop Cisco-specific BOMs and design documentation.
• Communicate the technical and business value of proposed networking and wireless solutions to customers.
• Participate in customer meetings, workshops, demonstrations, sales calls, opportunity reviews, and account planning sessions.
• Support opportunities involving switching, routing, wireless, security, and related infrastructure solutions.
• Apply knowledge of E-Rate programs and policies to support public sector opportunities and customer requirements.
• Work with services partners and internal resources to coordinate and support the execution of E-Rate opportunities.
• Develop an understanding of E-Rate documentation, including Form 470 and Form 471, and submission process.
• Support customer and sales teams throughout the pre-sales process, from technical discovery through solution development and positioning.
• Participate in vendor training, technical sales certifications, and internal enablement programs.
• Support customer-facing events and industry activities as a technical sales and enablement resource.
• Maintain current technical and professional knowledge through training and vendor programs.

Skills

Networking

Cisco

HPE Aruba

Juniper

E-Rate

Pre-sales

Public sector

BOM

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS or related

Tools

BOM tools

Job description

Introduction

With an eye for detail and a contagiously positive attitude, you’re the teammate everyone counts on to get the project buttoned up and across the finish line.

Overview

Connection Services has a fantastic opportunity for a Field Solution Architect supporting our Public Sector E-Rate business. This is an excellent opportunity to join a leading Value-Added Reseller (VAR) offering outstanding benefits, including a 25% bonus opportunity, 3 weeks of PTO, tuition reimbursement, comprehensive benefits, and excellent opportunities for career growth.

What We Do:

We calm the confusion of IT by guiding the connection between people and technology. If a customer is looking for a better way to manage their warehouse inventory, equip their workforce, or secure their data, we make it happen. All it takes is finding the right combination of tech hardware, software, cloud solutions, and support services. That’s what we do. We’re the IT Department’s IT Department.

Who We Are:

Our team is made stronger by a multitude of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. It’s what makes Connection unique—what drives us to innovate and create technology solutions that stand apart from the crowd. We’d love for you to be a part of that fabric, to share your ideas and experiences with a team that thrives on fresh thinking, creativity, and helping others.

Why You Should Join Us:

You’ll find supportive teammates and a rewarding career at Connection—plus great benefits. We take pride in supporting employees with a total rewards package that provides financial, emotional, and physical resources for you and your family. Our compensation, 401k plans, medical insurance, and other benefits are progressive and competitive. We value the importance of our employees’ emotional well-being. To support employees, we provide free therapy visits, mental health coaching and tools, and meditation resources. You’ll also enjoy a generous paid time off package that includes not only vacation and sick time, but also Wellness and Volunteer Time Off days.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.

Connection is seeking a motivated, customer-focused technical professional to join our team as a Field Solution Architect supporting our Public Sector E-Rate business. This position is ideal for a networking professional with strong Cisco experience who enjoys working directly with customers and sales teams and is looking to expand their expertise into a broader pre-sales solution architecture role.

The Field Solution Architect will support networking and wireless opportunities for K-12, higher education, government, and other public sector customers. This individual will partner closely with Account Managers, Sales teams, vendor partners, services partners, and internal technical resources to understand customer requirements, develop solution recommendations, position technology solutions, and communicate the business value of proposed solutions.

The ideal candidate will have experience with networking and wireless presales engineering and design, particularly with Cisco, HPE Aruba, and/or Juniper, along with experience supporting E-Rate opportunities and SLED customers. Strong Cisco-specific design, solution positioning, and Bill of Materials (BOM) experience are highly valued.

Responsibilities

• Provide pre-sales engineering and solution architecture support for networking and wireless opportunities within the Public Sector market.
• Partner with Account Managers and Sales teams to discover, qualify, and develop customer opportunities.
• Conduct customer-facing discussions to understand technical requirements, business objectives, timelines, procurement requirements, and funding considerations.
• Design and position networking and wireless solutions involving Cisco, HPE Aruba, Juniper, and related technologies.
• Develop and present Cisco-specific solution designs and Bills of Materials (BOMs).
• Communicate the technical and business value of proposed networking and wireless solutions to customers.
• Participate in customer meetings, workshops, demonstrations, sales calls, opportunity reviews, and account planning sessions.
• Support opportunities involving switching, routing, wireless, security, and related infrastructure solutions.
• Apply knowledge of E-Rate programs and policies to support public sector opportunities and customer requirements.
• Work with services partners and internal resources to coordinate and support the execution of E-Rate opportunities.
• Develop an understanding of E-Rate documentation and submission requirements, including familiarity with Form 470 and Form 471, the E-Rate website, and submission process.
• Support customer and sales teams throughout the pre-sales process, from technical discovery through solution development and positioning.
• Participate in vendor training, technical sales certifications, and internal enablement programs to maintain and expand technical expertise.
• Support customer-facing events and industry activities as a technical sales and enablement resource.
• Maintain current technical and professional knowledge through training, certifications, vendor programs, and hands-on learning.

Requirements

Preferred Technical Experience:

Experience with the following technologies and vendors is helpful:

• Cisco Networking and Wireless
• HPE Aruba
• Juniper
• Routing and switching
• Wireless networking

  E-Rate & Public Sector Experience:

  Experience supporting E-Rate-funded technology initiatives is highly important for this position. The successful candidate should understand how E-Rate requirements influence technology recommendations, customer discussions, documentation, and the overall sales process.

  Experience working with K-12, higher education, state and local government, or other SLED organizations in a pre-sales or technical sales capacity is strongly preferred.

  Customer & Sales Skills:

  • Strong technical discovery and consultative selling skills.
  • Ability to lead customer discussions, workshops, and demonstrations.
  • Ability to translate technical capabilities into clear business outcomes and value propositions.
  • Strong presentation and communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Ability to work collaboratively with sales teams to identify and develop opportunities.
  • Ability to build trusted relationships with customers and vendor partners.
  • Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple customer opportunities simultaneously.

  Education & Certifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field preferred.
  • Relevant technical experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
  • Cisco certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, or other relevant Cisco certifications are preferred.
  • Relevant networking, wireless, cloud, or vendor certifications are a plus.