Business Architect (Federal)

NWN Carousel•Exeter, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Business Architect role is responsible for complete technical ownership of the sale during customer and partner pre-sales activities. This is a strategic role focusing on a blended mix of technical and business-related initiatives. The Federal Business Architect is the technical quarterback of NWN’s federal presales engagements. You own the technical sale from discovery through handoff to delivery, partnering with Federal Account Executives to drive mission outcomes for agency clients while managing deliverables from a broader team of subject matter experts. This role demands deep familiarity with federal procurement processes, security and compliance frameworks, and the operational realities of agencies. The ideal candidate combines strong technical presales skills with practical knowledge of how federal agencies buy, authorize, and deploy technology — including contract vehicles, authority to operate (ATO) processes, and governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) requirements. You will scope, design, and position NWN’s full solution portfolio to meet agency mission needs while navigating the procurement and compliance landscape that makes federal IT unique.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Arts/Sciences (BA/BS) in Computer Science, Information Systems or related experience.
4-6 years of experience in a customer-facing presales, solutions engineering, or technical consulting role with progressive responsibility, with at least 3 years supporting federal civilian or defense agency clients
5+ Years of hands-on experience designing complex IT solutions across networking, security, cloud, or unified communications domains.
Knowledge of IP Communications, Networking, Security, End User Computing, Virtualization and Data Center Industry and Solutions.
Working knowledge of federal acquisition processes: RFI/RFP/RFQ response development, IDIQ task order proposals, GSA Schedule and GWAC ordering, and BPA establishment.
Familiarity with federal security and compliance frameworks including FISMA, FedRAMP, NIST SP 800-53, NIST SP 800-171, and CMMC 2.0.
Understanding of ATO/ATC authorization processes, including SSP development support, security control mapping, and POA&M management as they relate to presales solution design.
Involvement in Industry Councils, User Groups, as appropriate.
Experience with structured project management methodologies.
Experience working with solution design, job costing and quality planning.
Experience developing/writing technical sales documents.
Experience working in a project/team environment.
Must possess excellent time management skills.
Must possess good organizational skills.
Must possess excellent client/customer interface skills.
Must possess working knowledge of Visio.
Ability to develop/ deliver management presentations.
Experience developing technical sales documents including SOWs, BOMs, and solution architecture deliverables for federal clients.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and diagramming tools (Visio, Lucidchart, or equivalent).
Able to architect and design detailed configurations for complex Communications Systems.
Able to assess and monitor a complex network to ensure service is provided as designed.
Excellent relationship skills.
Excellent verbal written communication skills are required.
Excellent high-level problem solving skills.

Nice To Haves

Active certifications in at least two of the following areas preferred.
Networking: Cisco CCNP or DevNet Professional; HPE/Aruba Networking certifications (ASE, ACF); Juniper JNCIS or equivalent
Cybersecurity: Palo Alto PCNSE or PCSAE; Fortinet NSE 4+; Cisco CyberOps Professional; CISSP, CISM, or equivalent security certifications
Cloud and AI Infrastructure: AWS Solutions Architect (Associate or Professional); Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert; VMware VCP-DCV or VCP-Cloud; Cisco AI Infrastructure certifications
Customer Experience (CX): Genesys Cloud Certified Professional; Five9 certifications; NICE CXone; Amazon Connect; Cisco CCNP Collaboration
Managed Services and ITSM: ITIL Foundation or higher; HDI certifications; ServiceNow CSA/CIS
GRC and Federal Compliance: CISSP, CISM, CISA, or CAP; CompTIA Security+; FedRAMP or CMMC-related training; NIST RMF certifications or equivalent experience
Active Secret or Top Secret security clearance, or ability to obtain one preferred
Direct experience supporting specific agencies such as DOE, DoD, DHS, HHS, FCC, or VA preferred
Familiarity with federal cloud authorization at various Impact Levels (IL2 through IL6) and FedRAMP High baselines preferred
Experience positioning and selling managed services or as-a-service offerings within federal contract structures (FFP, T&M, labor-hour) preferred
Understanding of socioeconomic contracting programs (8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB) and their role in federal procurement strategy preferred

Responsibilities

Own the technical sale end-to-end during presales, from initial discovery through proposal development and customer commitment.
Partner with Account Executives to plan and execute account strategies, applying MEDDPICC qualification rigor to every opportunity — identifying Metrics, Economic Buyers, Decision Criteria, Decision Process, Identified Pain, Champions, the Paper Process, and Competition.
Successfully plans and executes sales activities within the sales process.
Leads sales and partners in scoping NWN Offerings to meet customer requirements.
Analyzes client business needs and recommend appropriate business solution/strategy.
Participates in the planning and design process by assessing current state and desired outcome.
Identifies, provides leadership to, and coordinates technical solution development activities in pursuit of formal proposal development.
Identifies and engages Subject Matter Experts for discreet service offerings identified in the technical solution.
Monitors the engagement process and obtains additional resources as needed.
Sets up and executes evaluation activities that prove NWN Offerings.
Identifies and develops technical champions; neutralizes challengers within the account.
Ensures complete handshake to customer success organization.
Ability to create/modify Bill of Materials, Scope of Work documents
Demonstrates significant expertise in NWN's Core Offerings.
Technical expertise in (2) primary offerings
High-level expertise in (3) additional offers (progressive training and learning required)
Masters Command of the Message and Sale principles.
Conduct sales presentations to convey the value of NWN solutions.
Builds impactful pilot/POCs that prove impact on customer business/requirements.
Comprehensive product, competitive, industry and functionality knowledge.
Continues education of self and others; facilitates knowledge transfer across the organization.
Provides technical expertise through sales presentation product demonstration of NWN offerings.
Engage with NWN’s partner ecosystem (OEMs, ISVs, channel partners, and federal system integrators) to strengthen joint solutions and go-to-market motions.
Maximizes results by anticipating and neutralizing obstacles/objections within an account.
Adds value to customer by staying up-to-date on market trends and articulating tangible benefits across customer audiences.
Excites and commits prospects with persuasive demos, meetings, and presentations (formal/informal).
Actively engages and influences partner community.
Provides long term strategy sustaining technical account management.
Navigate federal acquisition processes including RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, and sole-source justifications, working closely with contracting officers and program managers.
Understand and leverage federal contract vehicles such as GSA MAS/Schedule, GWACs (Alliant 2/3, 8(a) STARS III, SEWP, Polaris, VETS 2), BPAs, and agency-specific IDIQs to position NWN solutions.
Advise account teams on federal governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) requirements, including FISMA, FedRAMP, NIST 800-53/800-171, CMMC 2.0, and agency-specific security frameworks.
Support solution designs that align with ATO/ATC authorization processes, ensuring proposed architectures account for security control inheritance, boundary definitions, and continuous monitoring requirements.
Understand the nuances of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), Federal Contract Information (FCI), and Impact Level (IL) classifications as they apply to cloud and infrastructure deployments in federal environments.
Stay current on federal technology policy including cloud-first/cloud-smart directives, zero trust architecture mandates (OMB M-22-09), and agency-specific modernization initiatives.
Works effectively as a team member, leads the organization and effectively orchestrates internal and external resources.
Actively collaborates with and provides feedback to the Offerings Management team and Subject Matter Experts resources within the presales team.
Effectively communicates with all critical resources throughout the sales process.
Drives accountability of self and all team members to ensure execution of action items.
Humility to learn, master and follow NWN processes.
Creativity in framing a deal and positioning NWN Offerings to meet the client's business objectives.
Passionate business problem solver for customers.
Possess solid business acumen skills: Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving, Communication Effectiveness & Influence, Financial Literacy, Analytical Skills, Risk/Exposure Evaluation, Critical Thinking, etc.
Position requires on-going self-study to continuously improve skills relative to strategic technology direction and service offerings.
Recurring report requirements may include but are not limited to: time sheets, expense reports, billable time sheets, task completion documentation