Sr Field Solutions Architect

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.

This role is designed for senior architects whose primary value lies in architectural judgement, technical depth, and long-term design integrity. As a Senior Field Solution Architect, you act as a lead architect for customer environments, shaping designs that are operationally sound, secure, and aligned to Canadian enterprise realities.

You are accountable for architectural decisions, technical quality, and ensuring solutions can be implemented, supported, and evolved over time. You work closely with sales, but your primary focus is architecture—not product pitching.

What you'll do:

• Lead end-to-end architecture across compute, storage, networking, virtualization, cloud, data protection, and security
• Own architectural discovery and technical validation, identifying risks, constraints, and trade-offs early
• Design pragmatic, supportable architectures suitable for Canadian customers and regulatory expectations
• Define technical scope, assumptions, and dependencies for Statements of Work
• Act as an escalation point for complex or non-standard designs
• Partner with sales teams to align architectural direction with customer priorities and business outcomes
• Mentor fellow FSAs through reviews, whiteboarding, and design coaching
• Collaborate with Principal Architects on complex, cross-domain designs and strategic initiatives

How senior FSAs succeed in this role:

• They lead with architecture, not products, focusing first on constraints and operational realities
• They simplify complexity, avoiding over-engineered or risky designs
• They challenge assumptions early and raise risks before delivery is impacted
• They design with implementation and long-term support in mind
• They are trusted escalation points for complex architectural decisions
• They invest in enablement through documentation, patterns, and shared standards
• They communicate clearly with architects, delivery teams, and executives
• They build strong working partnerships with sales team members, ensuring technical guidance and commercial strategy are aligned
• They work alongside Principal Architects to tackle the most complex and strategic design challenges

What this role is not:

• Not a quota-carrying sales or product-specialist role
• Not a junior or mid-level architecture position
• Not focused on slide creation or demo-only work
• Not a "yes-by-default" role, technical judgement and challenge are expected
• Not a hands-off advisory role without accountability for outcomes

What you'll need to succeed:

• Solutions are implemented with minimal redesign or delivery surprises
• Architectural risk is identified and mitigated early
• Other FSAs and delivery teams rely on your judgement
• Architectural patterns improve and scale across engagements
• Senior experience in architecture, consulting, or enterprise IT design roles
• Deep hands-on knowledge of modern data centre and hybrid cloud environments
• Regular experience navigating ambiguity and trade-offs
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

As a Senior Field Solution Architect in our Networking practice, you will have the power, training opportunities, and expertise to delve deeper into the network stack. We rely on your creative thinking and comprehensive technical knowledge in networking to deliver industry-leading solutions.

What you’ll do:

• Lead the creation and management of network architecture designs and strategies in collaboration with key business stakeholders to ensure alignment with customer requirements and business objectives.

• Engage in detailed architectural discussions to understand customer business outcomes and translate them into technical requirements, ensuring successful implementation and customer satisfaction.

• Work closely with the sales team to design and propose solutions that leverage the best mix of vendor-partner products and services, tailored to meet customer needs.

• Develop and deliver compelling sales presentations to both prospective and existing customers, showcasing the value and capabilities of proposed solutions.

• Contribute to the development of new service offerings within the networking practice, ensuring they meet market demands and customer expectations.

• Oversee all technical components of the sales process, from initial engagement to final delivery, ensuring a seamless and successful customer experience.

• Stay abreast of industry technology trends and share insights with current and prospective customers to help them make informed decisions and stay ahead of the curve.

What you need to succeed:

Must-have:

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in IT consulting or senior IT roles, specifically focusing on network architecture and design.

• Extensive technical expertise in Cisco, Fortinet, or Aruba network solutions.

• Experience with Juniper and HPE is a plus.

• Proven experience in direct customer collaboration, with a track record of technical leadership and successful project outcomes.

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to effectively and constructively engage with customers, colleagues, management, and executives.

• A proactive attitude towards new tasks and responsibilities, with a passion for enhancing customer experience, operational excellence, and continuous professional development.

• Recommend new technologies and focus areas to enhance companies' capability

• Commitment to obtaining and maintaining relevant industry certifications.

• Mentor colleague to develop teamwork and inter department collaboration

Nice-to-have:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field or equivalent professional experience.

• Proficiency in additional network technologies and certifications.

• Experience with OT and IoT.

At CDW, we strive to offer market-competitive total rewards packages to attract and retain talent. As such, we are committed to pay transparency and ensuring fair compensation for all our coworkers. Each of our roles is assigned a salary range that is informed by multiple sources of market data. We determine individual pay within a given range based on a candidate's prior experience, knowledge, skills and abilities. This approach allows us to offer competitive and equitable salaries that reflect the value and responsibilities of each role at CDW. Salaries are based on a 40-hour workweek and paid on a bi-weekly payroll schedule.

Pay range: $145,600 - $195,600 total compensation, depending on experience and skill set

Current Opening: This posting reflects a currently available position within our organization for which we are actively recruiting.

CDW is committed to being an AI-fluent organization

We’re looking for people who bring curiosity, a learner’s mindset, and a willingness to engage with ever-evolving technology and tools. We value adopting AI as a partner, openness to experimentation, and a shared interest in learning together on AI. Our goal is to create a culture where AI enhances—not replaces—human creativity and decision-making. You don’t need to be an expert today; what matters is your readiness to explore, adapt, and grow with us as we integrate AI responsibly and effectively into our work.

Additionally, CDW is committed to fostering an equitable, transparent, and respectful hiring process for all applicants. During our application process, our goal is to understand your experience, strengths, skills, and qualifications. As an AI forward company, we see AI not just as a tool, but as a catalyst for new ways of thinking, creating, and communicating. We encourage candidates to embrace an AI mindset, one that’s curious, adaptive, and ready to explore what’s possible. We welcome thoughtful use of AI to expand your perspective and elevate how you share your story, while ensuring your application remains rooted in your own background, judgment, and voice.

About Us

CDW is a Fortune 500 technology solutions provider that helps businesses, government, education, and healthcare organizations achieve what’s possible through technology. What makes CDW different isn’t just what we do—it’s how we do it. At CDW we act as one—building trust, speaking candidly, and working together to achieve more. We play to win—focusing on what matters most and delivering for our customers. And we think forward—staying curious, moving fast, and continuously learning. We believe meaningful work happens when people feel supported, heard, and empowered to contribute. That’s why we think of ourselves as coworkers, not just employees—working together to solve complex challenges and deliver real impact for our customers and communities.

As a full‑stack, full‑lifecycle technology partner, CDW brings deep expertise, strong relationships, and broad industry knowledge to help turn ideas into outcomes. When you join CDW, you become part of a collaborative environment where your work matters, your growth is supported, and your contributions help shape what’s next.

Together, we deliver the full promise of what technology can do. Together, we Make Amazing Happen.

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.