Design Architect II

Department: Professional Services

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Canada - Remote

Reporting To: Ali Abed

Description

The IT Design Architect II ensures infrastructure work is in alignment with the overall Business Architecture framework, IT strategy, strategic drivers, and standards. They work with Client Strategy, PMO, Implementation & Onboarding teams to onboard new client technologies and define the infrastructure of the future, including network, compute, and storage, to deliver highly available, resilient, and responsive infrastructure and optimize business capabilities. Assesses systems requirements and designs against best practices, technology advances, industry standards, and business needs. Provides direction on implementing feasible, cost-effective solutions to the overall system architecture and designs to meet these needs.

What you will be doing:

• Understand and follow "The VC3 Way". This is our set of standards and processes that produce a predictable result for the client. You must be aware of and maintain our standards
• Work with Client Strategic Advisors & Clients to understand client I.T. approach and direction, provide consultation and in-depth expertise to drive VC3 & Industry standards
• Develop and maintain a catalog of technical capabilities and the technologies and platforms providing them within VC3; Assist in identifying overlaps and gaps as needed
• Understand client business & technical requirements and use them to create value-based proposals, addressing business drivers & pain points - guiding the technical sales cycle towards a technical close & a business win
• Manage a response to 'Proposal Requests' initiated internally and ensure that the solution proposed is complete and appropriate and results in the best proposal possible
• Oversee implementation of technical architecture by producing blueprints (high level review and scope) that guides the implementation of business solutions for client projects
• Prepare situation analysis assessments in relation to architecture standards (system reliability, capacity growth, backups, etc.)
• Consider impact of solution to VC3 departments operations
• Analyze technical requirements to determine platform infrastructure designs, potential issues, and related costs
• Participate in Project Implementation Reviews to ensure project scopes are constantly being evaluated for accuracy and current known best practices
• Keep abreast of industry standards, software and data innovation, architectural trends, and major technology vendors and leaders
• Keep on top of product line changes & update standard labour & product templates
• Update standard templates for high level review documents

Additional Responsibilities:

• Maintain accurate and real time timesheets, record complete and accurate notes of troubleshooting and communication with clients
• Receive mentoring and feedback from peers and others
• Where appropriate, escalate complicated issues to a more senior resource or other appropriate teams
• Actively Participate in Team Huddles, L10 Meetings, One on One Meetings, and any other Team Meetings
• Attend monthly training & team meetings as required
• Maintain constant and clear communication with clients and colleagues
• Collaborate with all VC3 departments to maximize client satisfaction

What you bring:

• Good problem solving and decision-making skills; ability to understand and analyze complex issues
• A Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science OR Diploma OR Equivalent experience
• At least 5+ years' direct experience in supporting and maintaining Server, Storage, Network & Backups in SMB environments
• Self-motivated, detail orientated, highly organized and able to handle a variety of tasks and responsibilities in an efficient manner with a high level of quality
• Very strong interpersonal skills, able to build effective working relationships, solicit co-operation and resolve conflicts with a variety of stakeholders both internally and externally
• Team player who can collaborate across disciplines in IT
• Excellent communication skills including documenting, visualizing, presenting to a mixed audience, and balancing talking and listening
• Skills including collaboration, accountability, results driven, big-picture thinking, building strong relations, and negotiating
• Advanced knowledge of Identity, directory, authentication/authorization, single-sign-on, access management, encryption, data privacy, backup, and disaster recovery
• Expert knowledge of compute, storage, network, load-balancing, scalability, and availability
• Intermediate practical knowledge of cloud platform strategy and implementation including PaaS, SaaS, HaaS and IaaS in Microsoft Azure Cloud Environment
• Strong experience determining and addressing non-functional requirements: response times, availability, disaster recovery, scalability, data retention, etc.
• Intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Licensing Models for Azure & On-Premises infrastructure
• Proven record of architecting and building solutions used in business-critical operations, high availability, proper backup, restore, and disaster recovery implementation

What's in it for you:
• Well-being & Support - Caring for our team goes beyond the workday. We offer a range of benefits to support your overall well-being, from mental health and leave support through our Employee and Family Assistance Program, to financial wellness through company-matched 401(k)/RRSP plans. Whether it's today's needs or tomorrow's goals, we've got you covered.
• Grow with Us - Whether you're just getting started or ready to take the next step, we are committed to investing in your growth. We offer structured development through our Leadership Academy, monthly learning sessions, mentorship programs, learning reimbursements, internal career fairs, job shadowing, and personalized career-pathing to support internal mobility.
• People-First Culture - We live our values, support each other, and create a space where everyone belongs. We have a common goal of doing work that matters, with autonomy, recognition, and a mission to serve those who serve.
• Transparent Leadership - From open communication to clear company goals, our leaders are involved, and our managers are here to support your growth every step of the way.