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Solution Architect

Over the past two decades, we have grown from a start-up to a multi-million-pound business. We are one of the UK’s leading cloud and secure managed hosting providers - supplying dedicated servers, private and public cloud hosting solutions, and a full range of technical, cybersecurity, and DevOps consulting services. We’re moving fast, continuously innovating and having a lot of fun in the process.

We transform our customers’ businesses through robust technology, world-class solution engineering, and multi-award-winning customer service.

We design, build and support thousands of technical solutions every year for a full cross-section of the UK economy, from local businesses and charities to fast-growing eCommerce and financial services businesses, global manufacturers and retailers, local and central Government, the?NHS?and the Ministry of Defence - all seeking new and innovative ways of hosting their IT solutions.

Our business is built entirely around our people and our customers. We invest in our people and work hard to ensure our teams are inspired, motivated and supported. We are customer-obsessive and committed to self-development, hard work and having fun. We believe in everyone bringing their whole self to work as part of our fantastic bunch. 

Our in-house training facility is widely accredited. For instance, we are the only managed service provider in the UK to be an accredited AWS training centre. 

We care passionately about doing the right thing - for our customers and each other. It’s important to us that UKFast is a diverse, inclusive and socially-conscious employer that contributes positively to our communities and environment. For instance, we have been Carbon neutral for many years.

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The Opportunity

We have a fantastic opportunity for a talented Solution Architect to join us as we embark on an exciting journey of transformation to enhance our existing proposition, build on our public and hybrid cloud offer, and refocus on targeting the most attractive customer segments.

Working with a portfolio of UKFast products and services, plus public cloud platforms such as AWS and Azure, you will work closely with customers to understand their technical and business expectations. You will translate these expectations into technical reports, designs and proposals, and work closely with our commercial teams to refine the best overall solution options for each customer. You will present your conclusions and designs, demonstrating the incredible value-add that UKFast can bring to their business. 

You will have an in-depth understanding of IT Infrastructure and its design, with a working appreciation for the core concepts of private and public cloud platforms. You will offer first-hand experience of using a variety of applications and services such as operating systems, database engines, web servers, firewalls, load balancers, content delivery networks, and many more. Additionally, you will have an appreciation for licensing models behind these services and the ability to make recommendations to the customer to get the best out of the money they spend. With a broad technical knowledge based on a sound operational background, you will be able to establish the best possible mix of technologies required to offer the ideal solution for the customer.

You will be commercially minded and comfortable conversing on both a technical and non-technical level with customers and colleagues, choosing the right tone and subject matter for the audience. This must include the ability to talk confidently about the products and services available and the commercial thinking behind them. You will be working across a wide range of industries – private, public sector, and charities. Whilst previous experience in regulated industries (such as government and finance) is a benefit, it is certainly not a requirement.

 

What you will bring 

  • 5 years’ experience in a relevant role such as technical design or a technical presales position 
  • Comfort in a client-facing role
  • In-depth knowledge of virtualisation, network devices, Windows and Linux 
  • Experience in designing and building technical solutions such as private cloud platforms
  • Experience in analysing technical solutions and interpreting the results from a variety of different monitoring tools 
  • Relevant industry qualifications such as VCP/Red Hat/RHCA/LPIC/CCNA/MCSE
  • good understanding of Microsoft Licensing requirements
  • experience designing complex database platforms for SQL Server and open source products would be advantageous.
  • a broad knowledge of server side web technologies such as IIS, Apache and NGiNX would also be desirable.

 

What you will do

  • Analyse and design complex systems and services based on technical and non-technical requirements outlined by both new and existing customers. 
  • Understand the technical requirements for businesses and translate these into a UKFast product offering or service.   
  • Analyse technical needs and provide specifications based on findings from monitoring tools and details provided by customers. 
  • Produce Statement of Works for proposed work to be completed by both engineering teams or within the Solution Architect team. 
  • Complete pre-proposed analysis and design work as per Statement of Works for customers.
  • Produce accurate bill of materials, diagrams, reports, and general supporting information for proposed designs. 
  • Attend conference calls and face-to-face meetings, operating as a link between commercial teams and technology teams within UKFast.
  • Understand compliance-based requirements including PCI-DSS, ISO and ensure selected platforms offer the relevant design to cover needs of security and protection.  
  • Appreciate licensing for all levels of infrastructure, OS and applications. 
  • Demonstrate and present designs to customers both technical and non-technical. 
  • Complete detailed design documentation upon purchase of products before launch, liaising with the launch and support teams as and when additional information is required. 
  • Develop both internal and external documentation.
  • Provide support to non-technical teams for queries and input on technical matters. 

Why UKFast?

  • Birthdays off as an extra paid holiday
  • Private health insurance after one years’ service
  • Full paid maternity leave for first 16 weeks and full paid paternity leave for 2 weeks after two years' service.
  • Flexible working and work from home
  • Award-winning training and education centre with four full-time teachers to help you obtain accreditations, develop and learn.
  • Pearson Vue test centre on-site
  • On-site gym
  • Games zone with arcade games and retro consoles.
  • Free onsite parking
  • Table tennis and pool tables      
  • Team building experiences
  • Weekly virtual quiz nights and team parties
  • Volunteer days to help support our community and charity partners
  • Active and engaged diversity groups with events and educational sessions arranged regularly

Your role will be at the heart of the most exciting tech transformation happening in the North West right now. Our emphasis on personal development means that you should expect an extraordinary period of personal growth.

Do you have a CV?