Solutions Architect

Manpower SA (Pty) Ltd; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 500 000 - 600 000; Full time

Job summary

A company in the data centre sector is seeking a Solutions Architect in Johannesburg. This role involves providing technical solutions for client power capacity planning and supporting both operational and sales teams. Candidates should have a degree in Electrical Engineering, along with 5+ years' experience and excellent communication skills. Responsibilities include monitoring power utilization and collaborating on non-standard client solutions, ensuring effective power distribution within data centers.

Qualifications

• 5+ years relevant working experience.
• Knowledge of electrical solutions like AC/DC, Single Phase, 3-Phase.
• Ability to understand electrical and mechanical components in SLDs.

Responsibilities

• Provide solutions for client power capacity planning and monitoring.
• Support Sales and Service Management Teams with technical solutions.
• Develop power monitoring analytical models.

Skills

Good communication skills

Understanding of data centre design

Planning skills

Problem solving

Team player

Professional conduct

Self-development

Education

Matric qualifications

Degree or diploma in Electrical Engineering

Certified Data Centre Professional

Tools

Microsoft Office (Excel)

MS Visio

Job description

Our client based in Isando, Johannesburg is seeking a Solutions Architect to join their team. The primary role of this position provide solutions regarding client power capacity planning, assignment, monitoring & reporting. The secondary role of this position is to support the Operational, Sales Team and Service Management Team to provide accurate solutions, design and support on a technical level for non-standard client solutions.

Main Functions of the Job

• Utilise both formal and on-the-job training to become a subject matter expert in the data centre power and cooling understanding.
• Understand power capacity and distribution of the data centres and energy centres.
• Review non-standard requests including any non-standard power requirements, and allocate footprints based on power availability, cooling and equalisation of power distribution/load balancing principles.
• Monitor power utilisation against power sold, to proactively intervene where power use exceeds capacity.
• Develop & implement power monitoring and planning analytical models with the Data Analytics department, to improve planning and track implementation.
• Attend to tickets logged with threshold exceeded warnings on footprint clients and ensure capacity limits are not exceeded. Collaborate with the Revenue Controller to ensure that additional power licences are sold where clients exceed power balancing thresholds.
• Own power capacity planning to busbar /PDP level ensuring system balancing of distributed redundant systems and collaborate with the Infrastructure Management Electrical Engineer in power capacity planning to the energy centre level.
• Management of the cabinet power and cooling tool sets.
• Own the quality of the client power data in the system and drive continuous improvement with both the software development and operations teams. Perform analytics on data to proactively identify data errors for intervention.
• Support the Head of Solutions, in preparation of the monthly power capacity reporting meetings and within 18 months, take over responsibility for leading these meetings.

Non-standard Client Solutions

• Detailed client designs for non-standard solutions – engage with the professionals in design and obtain signoff from relevant DCM.
• Review and sign-off co-ordinated as built drawings for all non-standard client deployments.
• Obtain and review quotes for non-standard designs – ensure that pricing & quoted elements matches client and the company specifications and agreed pricing arrangements.
• Work with 3rd party vendors and suppliers to ensure acceptable service levels are met and necessary services are performed, and to be informed of latest changes and improvements in the data centre market segment.
• Evaluate quote and most cost-effective pricing and ability to interpret quotes to ensure that they meet the required design.
• Assist Sales, Service Management and Project Managers with a solutions and support approach, on a technical level with particular focus on power and cooling including assisting with solutions and support on routing, network and security.
• Assist Sales with solution designs on RFI’s and Tenders.
• Assist Service Management and Operational and Infrastructure Project Management Team with client Project roll-outs and sign off of installed against design.
• Implement defined standards, policies and procedures in line with ISO methodologies.
• Be familiar on a comprehensive capacity plan for the company. This will include, but is not limited to, power, space, cooling and BMS endpoints.
• Respond to and perform miscellaneous duties as directed by management.
• Act as technical resource for all client project builds, ensuring standards and qualities are applied in accordance with the company standards and client design specifications.
• Assist in ensuring consistent optimization of all systems (hardware & software) to achieve business targets.
• Stay abreast with new technologies, products and designs.

Skills Requirement

• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to read and understand data centre design documents, plans and specifications
• Good planning skills
• Proactive problem solver and quick response to potentially critical situations
• Ability to work independently & a positive team player
• Conducts oneself professionally, exhibits high levels of tolerance and patience
• Responsible for continued learning and self-development
• Review, maintain, comprehend, and follow Work Plans, Sequence of Operations, Standard Operating Procedures, and Process Flow Diagrams

Qualifications and Experience

• Matric qualifications
• Degree or diploma in Electrical Engineering
• Knowledge of electrical solutions i.e AC/DC, Single Phase, 3-Phase.
• Knowledge in routing solutions preferred.
• 5+ years relevant working experience
• Advance Microsoft Office skills (Excel)
• Certified Data Centre Professional (preferred)
• Full understanding of a data centre infrastructure and environment
• Understand electrical components SLD’s
• Understand mechanical components for SLD’s
• Own transport. Note: may include travel to various sites. Local via own transport.
• MS Visio (preferred)

PLEASE NOTE ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED.