SR Field Solutions Architect

CO1048 Forsythe Technology Canada, Inc.; Illinois; Hybrid; USD 121,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus 25%

Job summary

CDW is seeking a Consulting Managed Services Solution Architect (CMSA), a field‑based pre‑sales leader who designs comprehensive security solutions for customers. You will work with customers, delivery, and sales to shape offerings and articulate value across RFPs, RFIs, and SOWs.

You will mentor colleagues, maintain strategic relationships, and help grow the Managed Services business while staying current with certifications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience with 8 years in technical, pre‑sales, or post‑sale delivery role, or 12 years.
• Self‑motivated, proactive with ownership and accountability.
• Deep industry knowledge in Managed Services and enterprise architecture.
• Expertise in networking, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Develop assessment and service solutions for CDW customers with technical scoping and support for managed services offerings.
• Collaborate with customers, delivery teams, and internal sales to provide quotations and technical responses for RFPs, RFQs, and RFIs.
• Price managed services opportunities to meet business goals and gather customer metrics to scope and price.
• Analyze technical and competitive considerations to meet customer goals and craft scalable solutions.
• Maintain strategic relationships with customers and delivery management to drive business growth.
• Expand influence in assigned territory through engagement with partners, customers, and sales as a trusted advisor.
• Act as a subject matter expert across multiple product families and mentor junior architects.
• Acquire and maintain relevant technology certifications as required.

Skills

Customer engagement

Solution design

Mentoring

Executive communication

Strategic relationships

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Cisco

Aruba

Palo Alto

Fortinet

CrowdStrike

Job description

At CDW, we make it happen, together. Trust, connection, and commitment are at the heart of how we work together to deliver for our customers. It’s why we’re coworkers, not just employees. Coworkers who genuinely believe in supporting our customers and one another. We collectively forge our path forward with a level of commitment that speaks to who we are and where we’re headed. We’re proud to share our story and Make Amazing Happen at CDW.

The Consulting Managed Services Solution Architect (CMSA) is a field‑based technical pre‑sales role that focuses on developing comprehensive security solutions for CDW customers. This role involves providing consultative guidance, supporting partner product sales, scoping service offerings, and fostering strategic relationships to drive business growth. In this role you will be working with customers, delivery, and internal sales teams to develop and maintain strategic relationships and be a trusted advisor to grow our Managed Services business.

What you will do:

• Develop appropriate assessment and service solutions for CDW customers, including analysis, technical scoping and support for appropriate managed services offerings.
• Collaborate with customers, delivery teams, and internal sales to offer consultative guidance, plan sales strategy, to provide quotations and technical response for Request for Proposal (RFP’s) Request for Quote (RFQ’s), Request for Information (RFI’s), standard proposals, and author statements of work (SOWs).
• Costing and pricing of managed services opportunities to meet managed services business goals including gathering customer key metrics to scope and price.
• Analyze technical and competitive considerations, defining actions to meet customer expectations in the sales cycle by uncovering customer long‑term goals and requirements and crafting solutions that build towards the desired end goals.
• Maintain strategic relationships with Customers, Internal Sales & Delivery management, acting as a trusted advisor to drive business growth.
• Grow influence in your assigned territory and or client base by high levels of engagement with partners/customers/Sales as a strategic advisor and being seen by teammates as an expert in the field.
• Able to operate at a Sr. level or better for 80% of managed services offerings.
• Act as a subject matter expert in multiple families of products and solutions, including services for multiple complex managed services offerings.
• Assists and monitors many opportunities of varying complexity.
• Works with resource coordinators/managers of delivery to ensure that appropriate quantity and quality of technical and services resources are deployed for engagements.
• Collaborates with various technical delivery groups to review and compile technical analysis and compile financial data to support new or revised offerings.
• Drive outreach initiatives, technical enablement projects, coaching, and mentoring for other MSAs, Sales Solutions Executive, and Field Sellers.
• Mentoring and coaching of solution architects around best practices to engage with coworkers and customers.
• Acquire and maintain relevant technology and industry certifications as required.

What we expect of you:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience and 8 years in technical, pre‑sales, or post‑sale delivery role. Or 12 years in technical, pre‑sales, or post‑sale delivery role.
• Self‑motivated and proactive professional with the ability to perform high‑quality work independently, demonstrating strong ownership, accountability, and minimal need for direction.
• Deep industry knowledge and domain expertise, with a strong understanding of market trends, regulatory requirements, and best practices relevant to Managed Services.
• Must possess comprehensive knowledge of enterprise architecture, company solutions, and technologies to effectively position and tailor recommendations for clients.
• Areas of expertise for this role include:
  • Networking (Cisco, Aruba, SD‑WAN)
  • Cybersecurity (Palo Alto, Fortinet, Exabeam, Microsoft Security, CrowdStrike)
  • Cloud and Infrastructure (Microsoft Azure, Converged/Hyperconverged Systems, Storage, Endpoint Management)
• Proven success collaborating across cross‑functional teams, including Sales, Product, and Delivery, to drive solution alignment and customer satisfaction.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical discussions, influence architectural decisions, and provide mentorship to junior team members.
• Strong customer engagement and relationship management skills, with the ability to identify and articulate customer needs, present complex technical concepts clearly, and develop trusted advisor relationships.
• Skilled in translating business challenges into strategic technology solutions that deliver measurable value.
• Exceptional solution design and problem‑solving capabilities, with a track record of designing and communicating scalable, secure, and cost‑effective architectures.
• Able to analyze complex business problems, identify innovative solutions, and build consensus among technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to engage at both executive and technical levels and deliver persuasive, customer‑focused solution recommendations.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%, or as business needs dictate, to support client engagements, workshops, and project delivery activities.
• Familiarity with system patching and endpoint management, is a plus.

Pay range: $ 121,450 - $ 170,018 depending on experience and skill set Annual bonus target of 25% subject to terms and conditions of plan Benefits overview: Salary ranges may be subject to geographic differentials.

We make technology work so people can do great things.

CDW is a leading multi‑brand provider of information technology solutions to business, government, education and healthcare customers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. A Fortune 500 company and member of the S&P 500 Index, CDW helps its customers to navigate an increasingly complex IT market and maximize return on their technology investments. Together, we unite. Together, we win. Together, we thrive.

CDW is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited by state and local law.

CDW is committed to fostering an equitable, transparent, and respectful hiring process for all applicants. During our application process, CDW’s goal is to get to know you as an applicant and understand your experience, strengths, skills, and qualifications. While AI can help you present yourself more clearly and effectively, the essence of your application should be authentically yours.

At CDW, we make technology work so people can do great things. We are a leading multi‑brand technology solutions provider to business, government, education and healthcare customers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. Our coworkers across the globe are working together to bring technology to life for our customers by solving complicated IT business challenges, providing outstanding service, and orchestrating the technology landscape to optimize our customers’ performance.