Network Solutions Consultant

Job Summary:

The Network Solutions Consultant provides technical sales support to the national sales team across both direct and channel business. This role leads the technical side of the sales process, from discovery and solution design through evaluation, proof of concept, and close. The ideal candidate brings a background in datacenter networking, campus networking, or retail network design and sales, and can translate customer requirements into credible, well-architected solutions.

Duties and Responsibilities:

· Serve as the primary technical resource for customers, prospects, sales teams, and channel partners.

· Conduct technical discovery sessions to understand business objectives and operational requirements.

· Design and present networking solutions for data center, campus, and distributed enterprise

environments.

· Lead proof-of-concept engagements, including planning, deployment, validation, and success measurement.

· Deliver product demonstrations, technical presentations, and solution workshops.

· Act as a trusted technical advisor and product advocate for our products and solutions.

· Position products and technology clearly against customer needs and competing solutions.

· Identify and resolve technical issues on assigned accounts to ensure customer satisfaction through every stage of the sales cycle.

· Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, partners, and internal teams throughout the sales cycle.

· Respond to technical requirements associated with RFIs and RFPs.

· Build trusted relationships with customers, partners, Product Management, Engineering, Support, and Marketing teams.

· Take the technical lead on customer certification and qualification processes.

· Provide customer and market feedback to influence product strategy and roadmap development.

Experience, Skills & Abilities:

**Required**

·  5+ years of Network Solutions Consultant, Systems Engineer, or network architect experience, with hands-on design and/or pre-sales experience in at least one of the following:

      Datacenter networking (e.g., leaf-spine/Clos fabrics, VXLAN/EVPN, high-speed Ethernet, data center interconnect, automation)

      Campus networking (e.g., wired and wireless LAN, access/distribution/core design, NAC, segmentation, network management)

      Retail or distributed-site networking (e.g., multi-site and branch design, SD-WAN, in-store Wi-Fi, POS/IoT connectivity, PCI-aware network design)

· Strong working knowledge of enterprise data networking, including L2/L3 switching and routing (BGP, OSPF), VLANs, QoS, and network management and monitoring.

·  Working knowledge of network security fundamentals and wireless (WLAN) technologies.

·  Ability to perform product and technology demonstrations, including proof-of-concept setup and deployment.

·  Excellent communication & technical presentation skills, with the ability to engage both executive & engineering audiences.

·  Account management, business development, and sales process knowledge.

·  Ability to respond to the functional and technical elements of RFIs/RFPs.

·  Ability to maintain a professional demeanor in stressful situations.

·  Ability to interact positively and productively across functions within the organization.

·  Ability and willingness to make timely decisions; exhibit sound and accurate judgment; support and explain  reasoning for decisions; and include appropriate people in the decision-making process.

·  Ability to manage shifting priorities and consistently meet commitments and deadlines.

**Preferred**

·  Experience selling through channel partners, distributors, and resellers.

·  Experience with SONiC (Software for Open Networking in the Cloud), including deployment, configuration, or customer-facing design and positioning of SONiC-based solutions.

·  Experience with network automation and programmability (e.g., Python, Ansible, APIs).

·  Familiarity with storage networking, physical security, or IoT/edge connectivity.

·  Experience in the Federal market.

 Education / Training:

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, IT, or a related discipline (or equivalent practical experience).
• Networking, wireless, and security certifications preferred (e.g., CCNA/CCNP, JNCIP, ACMP/ACMX, CWNA/CWNP, Security+/CISSP).