Overview
We are in search of a** Networking Technology Consultant** The Technology Consultant: Participates in the pre-sale process as needed. Helps scope the project by sharing customer or technical knowledge in their specialty domain by leveraging their expertise as a subject matter expert. Maintains tools with up-to-date skills and availability. Participates in and/or may lead meetings with customers/partners to understand their business needs and/or scenario they are trying to solve. Engages others appropriately to understand and define customer requirements. Communicates the business value of planned solutions to customers/ partners with direction/guidance. Implements mitigations on technical and business risks. Manages their schedule and communicates to project leads. Delivers against Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Oversees aspects of implementation. Acts as an ambassador in consumption of intellectual property (IP) and leverages IP in projects. Proactively assists in the creation of intellectual property content and seeks areas that are available for more IP. Communicates areas that need refreshing or gaps in intellectual property. Provides feedback for continuous improvement. Identifies opportunities to expand or accelerate the adoption and consumption of the cloud and Microsoft technologies. Obtains relevant accreditations and certification(s) as advised by the domain leadership team.
Microsoft is on a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. Growth mindset encourages each of us to lean in and learn what matters most to our customers, to create the foundational knowledge that enables us to make customer-first decisions in everything we do. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world. You can help us achieve our mission.
Responsibilities
**Business Development **
- Identifies opportunities to expand or accelerate the adoption and consumption of cloud and Microsoft technologies.
Intellectual Property Management
- Acts as an ambassador in consumption of intellectual property (IP) and leverages IP in projects. Proactively assists in the creation of intellectual property content and seeks areas that are available for more IP. Communicates areas that need refreshing or gaps in intellectual property. Provides feedback for continuous improvement.
Operational Excellence
- Completes operational tasks and readiness and ensures timeliness and accuracy while maintaining adherence to security standards through Delivery Compliance, Privacy, and Security (DCPS). Follows Microsoft policies, compliance, and procedures (e.g., Enterprise Services Authorization Policy, Standards of Business Conduct, labor logging, expenses, travel guidelines).
Pre-Sales Support
- Participates in the pre-sale process as needed. Helps scope the project by sharing customer or technical knowledge in their specialty domain by leveraging their expertise as a subject matter expert.
Readiness
- Learns new technologies or services based on business demands and industry trends and evaluates their impact on security posture, revisiting the Industry Solutions Delivery (ISD) Learning Portfolio for Security to deepen understanding of security considerations. Obtains relevant accreditations and certification(s) as advised by the domain leadership team. Shares experiences, best practices, and product news within the team. Participates in relevant technical communities at Microsoft.
Technical Delivery
- Implements technical solutions by completing assigned project tasks with defined quality standards and following Industry Solutions processes and security initiatives. Oversees aspects of implementation.
- Follows the capacity process outlined by Resource, Insights, Capacity, and Capability (RICC) team. Maintains tools with up-to-date skills and availability.
- Proactively manages relationships with customers/partners/stakeholders to identify and contribute to the drivers of satisfaction and dissatisfaction, determine the root cause, and establish recovery actions to improve the experience.
- Supports project planning and the development of project documents by defining the risks and dependencies. Communicates the business value of planned solutions to customers/ partners with direction/guidance. Implements mitigations on technical, business, and security risks. Manages their schedule and communicates with project leads. Delivers against Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
- Participates in and/or may lead meetings with customers/partners to understand their business needs and/or scenario they are trying to solve. Uses business, technology, security, and industry strategies to define customer/partner requirements and constraints. Engages others (e.g., EAG Security stakeholders) appropriately to understand and define customer requirements, ensuring security is prioritized.
- Proactively identifies issues and risks and engages with customers/partners or internal stakeholders (e.g., Project Managers) as appropriate to address and resolve issues while maintaining a security-first mindset.
Deployment
- The ability to implement and deploy industry solutions and explain solution differentiation in customer terms.
Problem Solving
- The ability to identify problems and review related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Security Principles
- The ability to follow secure-by-design principles to ensure a secure foundation in the design of solutions.
Technical Solution Development
- Knowledge of the process of developing technical solutions and ability to design, customize, or reapply technical solutions based on customer/partner needs or demands.
Troubleshooting
- The ability to identify and correct problems with products, processes, equipment, software, or other components, as well as their monitoring and regulating.
Business Relationship Management
- The ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships with supervisors, staff, managers, customers, and vendors. This includes expressing empathy and compassion when dealing with the needs and problems of others, being approachable, taking time to address the concerns of coworkers, and treating others with respect and dignity.
Conflict Resolution
- The ability to manage conflict, disharmony, and strife among people and situations, while recognizing and addressing sensitivities.
Relationship Management
- The ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships with coworkers, managers, customers, partners, and/or vendors. This includes expressing empathy and compassion when dealing with the needs and problems of others, being approachable, taking time to address the concerns of coworkers, and treating others with respect and dignity.
Technology Industry Knowledge
- Knowledge of trends, direction, new products, and changes in the technology as it applies to a particular area of focus, as well as specific knowledge about hardware, software, and services.
Consumption
- The ability to architect consumption plans that drive optimized consumption and sustainable outcomes for customers.
Microsoft Products
- Knowledge of Microsoft products/services and the ability to participate in technical conversations related to products/services.
Operational Excellence
- The ability to apply principles, systems, tools, and strategic insights to sustainably improve key performance metrics (KPIs) and drive operational efficiencies.
Architecture Design
- The ability to apply reference architecture and patterns for a variety of solutions (e.g., advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, big data, Internet of Things, modern business intelligence and analytics, modern applications, data platform modernization, data warehousing, business intelligence and analytics, etc.).
Creativity
- The ability to apply ingenuity, inventiveness, and imagination to the inclusive design and construction of a product, service, program, or initiative.
Engineering Knowledge
- Knowledge of and the ability to discuss advanced or complex design elements, engineering principles, and product specifications.
Engineering Skills
- The ability to understand and analyze the software and hardware components of programs. This includes the ability to engineer, reverse engineer, test, and analyze inventions and products.
English Language Proficiency
- The ability to speak and understand English when giving instructions and directions, and when talking with colleagues, managers, and others for work matters.
Non-verbal Communications
- The ability to communicate and understand others through non-verbal cues (e.g., gestures).
Oral Communication
- The ability to make a verbal message understood and to receive/understand messages during in-person or remote (e.g., telephone) interactions.
Quality Assurance
- Knowledge of and the ability to follow systematic and continuing processes of checking to see whether a product, service, or process is meeting specified requirements. This includes knowledge of quality measurements and defined standards.
Written Communication
- The ability to prepare clear, accurate, and understandable written text, and follow the basic rules of spelling, grammar, and punctuation. This may include memos, emails, proposals, reports, and professional or general correspondence.
DevOps
- Knowledge of the framework for development operations (e.g., people, processes, technology) and agile, modern development processes.
Additional Responsibilities
- Leads virtual teams around technologies and customer/partner challenges by sharing ideas, insight, and strategic, technical input with technical teams, internal communities across the field, and the larger virtual team across Microsoft using knowledge of Microsoft architectures and their context in the competitive landscape.
- Participates in external architect community events (e.g., conferences, seminars, technical meetups, Webcasts, blogs, hackathons) and shares learnings with internal team.
- Acts a mentor to less experienced colleagues by educating them on technical and non-technical concepts and sharing best practices.
- Demonstrates deep industry knowledge and drives recognition for Microsoft solutions through presentations and engagements with external audiences.
- Collaborates with the Account Team and/or Bid Team to understand the business solution/problem.
- Drives agreement, based on the customer’s priorities, requirements/constraints, approach, principles, concepts, and expectations.
- Builds and documents a realistically costed, advanced/complex Solution Approach with traceability of requirements, constraints, decisions, and tradeoffs that balances risk, technical credibility, and technical innovation to meet customer need, predominantly based on existing solution offerings and/or reference architecture.
- Jointly leads the implementation in close partnership with the Project Manager.
- Leads oversight and governance and establishment of quality practices and standards to realize the business solution.
- Uses a cohesive build methodology with an agreed release schedule and timeline so the solution can be transitioned to live operations, leveraging solution expertise.
- Ensures communication of and adherence to the pre-sales value proposition.
- Works with the Project Manager to highlight where assumptions have proven false.
- Uses change requests to modify the Solution/project approach when needed.
- As needed, collaborates with subject matter experts to receive specialized advice that can help define the Solution and project approach and increase the time to value for the customer.
- Works in close collaboration with the Project Manager and Account Team to identify, categorize, and communicate business and technical risks.
- Defines risk mitigation activities that are foundational to the project plan.
- Defines risk contingency plans for invocation should the risk occur.
- When appropriate, oversees a broad portfolio of accounts. Manages and ensures the all-up delivery of consulting engagements, as necessary.
- Defines and documents the architecture through an architecture description document, an architecture decisions log, and a requirements/constraints traceability matrix to communicate the value proposition of the business solution along with the project approach.
- Leads complex cost-based and technology-based discussions to explain the Architecture in terms of its build, deployment, and ongoing operational use to determine customer appetite for the business solution.
- Uses a business-value approach that values return on investment (ROI) and customer costs-savings over technical ease of execution.
- Leverages a structured approach to Architecture Projects using existing methodologies (e.g., Waterfall, Agile, Iterative) that make use of existing reference architecture and established architectural styles and design patterns.
- Proposes and develops new solutions to scale across multiple customers/partners.
- Builds and maintains an architecture description document, an architecture decisions log, and a requirements/constraints traceability matrix to ensure the rationale for the business solution's Architecture is known and understood.
- Collaborates with the Project Manager to jointly drive project/technical governance of the design, build, and deployment into use of proof of concepts (POCs) and pilots, using enterprise architecture processes and ensuring quality control through peer review. Works with customers to understand and demonstrate business value (e.g., release of revenue, cost savings) that the business solution realize.
- Anticipates and identifies scenarios that could slow or impede pre-sales/delivery.
- Orchestrates the broader Microsoft team to address technical blockers and works with account/project team to resolve non-technical issues. Reports significant problems to Microsoft management and resolves escalations when needed.
- Plans a way forward in complex and ambiguous situations with an innovative approach and durable design.
- Delegates and leverages specialist skills of others to drive technical alignment across internal/external teams.
- Coordinates disparate approaches into a single plan of action for complex scenarios. Works with the business sponsor and customer/partner stakeholders (e.g., Business users, Enterprise Architects, Security Team, Operations Team) to gather and ratify requirements and constraints.
- Manages and resolves complex ambiguity in the requirements and constraints and documents assumptions and implications where it cannot be resolved.
- Maintains the requirements/constraints traceability matrix to prove that solution components have a rationale/justification for inclusion in the architecture of the business solution.
- Drives development and execution of test plans to prove that each requirement/constraint has been implemented as expected by the customer.
- Where there are defects, works in close collaboration with the Project Manager and Customer to redress or accept and document the status of the test results.
- Leads the adoption of Microsoft solutions technologies based on understanding of competitor solutions and how customer business value can be driven through Microsoft's offerings.
- Differentiates Microsoft's solutions in customer/partner conversations to influence the industry-wide direction for specific architecture(s).
- Develops a network of internal/external relationships with senior-level decision makers to build influence in addressing problems/blockers and facilitating additional views on the matter of interest.
- Acts as an advisor to external stakeholders. Provides direction to facilitate relationships between others.
- Stays up to date on Microsoft’s technologies, products, and services in order to communicate Microsoft's mission, strategy, and capabilities.
- When appropriate, develops a strategic relationship with key stakeholders within the customer portfolio, often as part of a steering committee, to ensure service delivery is on track and major issues are being anticipated, identified, and managed.
- Uses evidence-based arguments that articulate complex concepts in a simple manner to respectfully challenge Microsoft and customers/partners when a decision or course of action will not produce optimal results.
- Leverages strategic expertise to encourage alternative approaches where applicable.
- Serves as the "technical conscience" to challenge the status quo and unrealistic expectations.
- Proactively resolves conflicts and seeks resolution to balance the overall outcome.
- Drives consensus where possible and leads decisions to resolve conflict when needed.
Qualifications
Required/minimum qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Finance, Business, or related field OR equivalent experience.
- 1+ year(s) work experience in relevant area of business
**Other Requirements **
Security Clearance Requirements:
Candidates must be able to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:
The successful candidate must have an active **U.S. Government TOP SECRET/SCI Security Clearance. **Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. Failure to maintain or obtain the appropriate clearance and/or customer screening requirements may result in employment action up to and including termination.
Clearance Verification: This position requires successful verification of the stated security clearance to meet federal government customer requirements. You will be asked to provide clearance verification information prior to an offer of employment. **Microsoft Cloud Background Check: **This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter. **Citizenship & Citizenship Verification: **This position requires verification of U.S. citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. Specifically, this position supports United States federal, state, and/or local United States government agency customer and is subject to certain citizenship-based restrictions where required or permitted by applicable law. To meet this legal requirement, citizenship will be verified via a valid passport, or other approved documents, or verified US government Clearance
** ****Additional or Preferred Qualifications **3+ years work experience in relevant area of business. Technical certifications based on domain/service line (e.g., Azure, Security, Dynamics). Delivery Management certification (e.g., Scrum, Agile, Change Management, Project Management). Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Finance, Business, or related field AND 3+ years leadership experience in relevant area of business OR equivalent experience. BS in Computer Science or related STEM discipline, or 4 years equivalent related experience.
Minimum 6 years of experience as a network engineer or technical program manager for networks. Minimum 2 years of experience with architecture, deployment, and/or operations of Government classified networks.
Applied experience with Ansible, Splunk, and/or Solarwinds.
Experience working with L2/L3 switching/routing platforms, application networking and network protocols to include BGP, OSPF, VRRP, LACP. 4+ years of experience with architecture, deployment, and operations of Government classified networks.
- 2+ years of experience with cloud networking implementations with preferred focus on onboarding customer infrastructure to cloud.
- CCNP or higher or equivalent professional certification; CompTIA Security+ certification.
- Excellent communication skills and team player with ability to build solid relationships at all levels, across teams, geographies, and business functions.
- Experience working under continual deadline pressure when the situation is ambiguous.
- Applied experience with firewall, network security, or network monitoring solutions, including vendor platforms to include Palo Alto, Cisco Firepower/ASA, and/or Juniper SRX.
- Applied experience with Azure Networking, Azure Kubernetes, Yaml scripting, and Bicept ARM.
Technology Consulting IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $76,200 - $154,400 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $99,700 - $167,300 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about **requesting accommodations.**