Job Summary
The Network Architect is responsible for designing, implementing, and supporting secure, scalable, and reliable network solutions for clients across a range of industries. This is a client-facing role within an IT Value-Added Reseller (VAR) environment and requires a strong blend of technical expertise, consulting capability, and project execution skills. The ideal candidate has deep experience with medium business and enterprise-grade networking technologies, is comfortable in customer environments, and can align solutions with business goals.
Key Responsibilities
Network Design & Implementation
- Consult with clients to assess technical requirements and understand their business objectives.
- Design and deploy network infrastructure including switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points, SD-WAN, VPN, and ZTNA.
- Implement secure, segmented, and resilient network topologies for performance and reliability.
- Configure routing protocols, VLANs, VPNs, traffic policies, and related security settings.
Consulting & Pre-Sales Support
- Act as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to support the sales team during client discovery, design, and proposal development.
- Present technical solutions to a wide range of audiences including IT professionals, executives, and leadership teams.
- Collaborate with account managers and vendors to align technical proposals with customer needs.
Operations & Support
- Troubleshoot network issues and provide responsive support to clients.
- Identify and proactively mitigate risks, performance bottlenecks, or misconfigurations in client environments.
- Collaborate with internal teams across departments to resolve escalated issues.
- Maintain detailed records of work performed in the ticketing system for billing, tracking, and knowledge sharing.
Standards & Security Best Practices
- Follow industry frameworks and best practices for network security, monitoring, and configuration management.
- Document network architecture, configurations, and changes in accordance with internal standards.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of engineering processes and documentation standards.
Qualifications & Skills
Required Experience & Education
- 5+ years of experience in a Network Engineering, Consulting, or Technical Implementation role, preferably within a VAR, MSP, or IT services firm.
- Proven ability to design, implement, and troubleshoot enterprise network environments.
- Strong understanding of routing protocols (OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, etc.), switching technologies, firewalls, wireless architecture, and security best practices.
Technical & Operational Competencies
- Substantial understanding of the OSI model and networking protocols.
- Familiarity with Cisco, HPE, Extreme, Fortinet and other mainstream vendors platforms and configurations.
- Experience with network documentation standards.
Consulting & Communication Skills
- Ability to communicate effectively with a range of client stakeholders including IT professionals, department heads, and executives.
- Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to distill technical information into business-relevant insights.
- Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
- Strong written, verbal, and face-to-face communication skills.
Engineering Certifications (Preferred)
- Cisco, HPE Aruba, Extreme, Fortinet or other network certifications.
Eligibility & Work Location Requirements
- Candidates must reside in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area or be within reasonable commuting distance to Ardham's offices.
- This position is not eligible for relocation assistance.
- Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.
- Employment is contingent upon successful completion of background and employment verification checks.
