Senior Solutions Architect Networking

BizFirst • McLean, VA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

BizFirst is assisting its client in recruiting a Senior Solutions Architect for networking to join its Center of Excellence (COE) in Northern Virginia. As a technical leader in the IT Modernization practice, this role positions, designs, validates, and supports large-scale, complex enterprise networking solutions.

The client seeks an experienced, customer-focused network or systems architect who combines deep technical expertise with strategic thinking. The architect works with federal customers, internal teams, OEM partners, and sales professionals to shape solution strategies, support presales engagements, and enable deployment of modern IT architectures from initial concept through implementation.

The client is a customer-centric, specialized integrator with an engineering-first culture focused on IT modernization, performance engineering, and cybersecurity. Teams act as trusted advisors in a collaborative, fast-paced environment that supports innovation, continuous improvement, professional growth, and work-life balance. This position is onsite in McLean, Virginia, and requires eligibility for a U.S. security clearance.

Requirements

• Eligibility for U.S. security clearance.
• Expert-level routing and switching skills, including enterprise LAN/WAN, BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, multicast, QoS, and related architectures.
• Experience with SDN, SD-WAN, and IaC, including Ansible with Cisco DNA Center and/or Juniper Mist.
• Cisco CCIE certification.
• At least 15 years of experience designing, selling, deploying, and integrating Cisco networking solutions.
• Strong understanding of network security principles, modernization trends, and multi-vendor integration.
• Ability to communicate complex solutions to technical and business stakeholders, including creation of a BOM using the Cisco partner portal.
• Proven experience working in federal or large enterprise environments.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, CIS/MIS, or equivalent professional experience.
• U.S. citizenship is required for positions requiring a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.

Nice To Haves

• Juniper JNCIE certification.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design, and support end-to-end network solutions, emphasizing routing, switching, WiFi, SDN, SD-WAN, infrastructure as code (IaC), network observability, and network-centric AIOps.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for Cisco, HPE/Aruba/Juniper, and F5 networking technologies.
• Support sales and presales through solution design, whiteboarding, bill of materials (BOM) creation, and technical presentations.
• Lead or contribute to deployment, integration, and validation of networking solutions across federal and enterprise environments.
• Participate in developing COE best practices, reference architectures, and reusable frameworks.
• Partner with OEMs and internal teams to stay current on product capabilities, industry trends, and modernization approaches.
• Provide escalation support and technical leadership across complex customer engagements.
• Assist with RFP/RFI responses, technical writing, and solution strategy development.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Employer matching contributions to a 401(k) retirement plan.
• Competitive compensation and bonus opportunities.
• Support for continuing education and professional growth, including tuition reimbursement.
• Paid leave and holidays.
• Support for work-life balance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior