Principal Solutions Architect

About GTT:

GTT provides secure global connectivity, improving network performance and agility for your people, places, applications, and clouds. We operate a global Tier 1 internet network and provide a comprehensive suite of cloud networking and managed solutions that utilize advanced software-defined networking and security technologies.

We serve thousands of businesses with a portfolio that includes SD-WAN and other WAN services, internet, security, and voice services. Our customers benefit from a customer-first service experience underpinned by our commitment to operational excellence. For more information on GTT, please visit .

Role Summary:

The Principal Solutions Architect is an integral part of the Sales team, providing senior level technical leadership and support throughout the sales process and customer lifecycle, both customer-facing and internally with GTT’s delivery, operations, engineering, and support organizations. Principal Solutions Architects provide support to Customer Success teams, Account Managers/Directors, and/or Channel Managers, generally in support of GTT’s most strategic accounts and projects. The Principal Solutions Architect is distinguished from other Senior Solutions Architects by exceptional industry and company experience and knowledge, technical leadership, and overall criticality to the business.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Become a trusted authority and Subject Matter Expert (SME) on GTT’s security portfolio and managed services capabilities.
• Significantly enhance the knowledge, experience, and credibility of the Solutions Architecture team in security related sales engagements, particularly with highly knowledgeable technical audiences.
• Provide expert-level consulting, solution designs, and architectural validation of GTT security products and services.
• Assist Solutions Architects when collaborating with customers to discover security requirements and answer detailed security questions.
• Assist Solutions Architects with security specific RFI/RFP technical responses.
• Meets with customers and prospects, face-to-face or remotely as required.
• Expertly describes and demonstrates GTT’s products, services, and capabilities.
• Discovers and identifies customer needs and requirements by leading interactive sessions with customers.
• Collaboratively designs product and/or services solutions satisfying customer needs and requirements.
• Creates technical documentation of solution designs, including detailed diagrams capturing solution elements, topology, and key parameters.
• Works with other sales support roles to ensure solutions are quoted and ordered correctly and accurately.
• Provides technical support throughout customer lifecycle, including change orders, renewals, upgrades/refreshes, periodic business reviews, etc.
• Authors technical responses to RFIs/RFPs.
• Provides training and technical support to Sales associates.
• Conveys key marketplace learnings to Product Management.
• Evangelizes GTT at marketing events and trade shows.
• Maintains industry and product-specific knowledge through self-learning, vendor certifications, and internal collaborations with Product Management and Engineering.
• Provides senior technical leadership in support of strategic accounts and projects.
• Serves as a company-wide resource, sharing the benefits of extensive depth and breadth of experience and knowledge of the company, industry, and key technologies.

Required Experience/Qualifications:

• Strong technical understanding of data networking architectures, standards, protocols, and equipment, including:
• Optical DWDM, Ethernet, and TCP/IP.
• IP LANs, including Ethernet switching, VLANs, subnetting, and Layer 3 switching.
• IP WANs, including point-to-point and point-to-multi-point Ethernet, VPLS, MPLS (private IP-VPN), Internet-based VPN, and SD-WAN.
• Public Internet, autonomous systems, IP transit, and peering.
• Routing protocols, including OSPF, EIGRP, and BGP.
• Network security, including NAT, firewalls, IDS/IPS, application layer proxies, and content filtering.
• Knowledge of voice services, VoIP, phone systems, voice termination (analog, SIP, PRI) and call flow design.
• Experience sizing and configuring commonly used CPE, including Cisco switches and routers, Fortinet firewall/routers, and Adtran voice GWs.
• General understanding of modern hybrid IT architectures, private/public cloud computing and storage, server, and network function virtualization, SDN, IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills.
• Comfortable presenting to small and large groups.
• Exceptional analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently on numerous activities and prioritize them properly while meeting deadlines.
• Must be able to thrive in a constantly changing environment.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite including Visio.
• A minimum of 10 years of professional experience in Telecommunications and/or IT.
• A minimum of 7 years of experience in Sales / Solutions Architecting.

Desirable Experience/Qualifications:

• Typically requires a Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent experience or training.
• CCNA, MCP, MCSE certification is a plus.

Core Competencies:

• Products and Services: Knowledge of major products and services and product and service groups; ability to apply knowledge of product and service appropriately to diverse situations.
• Effective Communications: Understanding of effective communication concepts, tools, and techniques; ability to effectively transmit, receive, and accurately interpret ideas, information, and needs through the application of appropriate communication behaviors.
• Effective Presentations: Knowledge of effective presentation tools and techniques; ability to present information to groups with the appropriate degree of formality.
• Problem Solving: Knowledge of approaches, tools, techniques for recognizing, anticipating, and resolving organizational, operational or process problems; ability to apply knowledge of problem solving appropriately to diverse situations.
• Technical Sales Support: Knowledge of the tasks, tools and procedures associated with providing technical support to the sales team and prospective customers; ability to produce positive results in sales-client interventions.
• Sales Proposals and Presentations: Knowledge of sales processes, tools, and techniques; ability to prepare and present formal recommendations for how the organization can meet the customer's needs.
• Solutions Development: Knowledge of solutions development principles, processes, techniques, and tools; ability to assess customer needs and provide solutions for them.

Universal Competencies:

• Continuous Improvement: Knowledge of transformation initiatives to drive fundamental changes, enhance responsiveness and efficiency to core business practices. Ability to drive cultural changes from best effort to results oriented.
• Customer First (Customer Facing): Knowledge of internal customer interactions, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration, and partnership. Ability to build an environment supporting internal customer value creation at every level.
• Operational Excellence: Understanding the system-driven processes for consistency and scalability. Ability to re-focus processes and systems from integration activity to maximizing a positive customer impact and anticipating future trends.

EEO Statement:

GTT provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, GTT complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

GTT expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of GTT’s employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.