Solutions Architect, Physical Security Systems

Kastle Systems • Falls Church, VA

57d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Solutions Architect (SSA) is a senior, customer-facing technical expert within Kastle's Product organization. The SSA leads technical discovery and solution validation on complex projects — including engagements involving new engineering, third-party products or integrations outside the Kastle product portfolio, or non-standard infrastructure — ensuring that scope is fully defined and technically sound before installation begins. The SSA is available to any project requiring deeper product or engineering expertise in customer-facing settings.
The SSA also develops the discovery standards, tools, and reference designs used across the sales and delivery organization; coaches Sales Engineers in advanced discovery; and partners with Product Management on requirements intake, alpha and beta programs, and roadmap input. The position works closely with sales, the Presales Business Manager, sales engineering, project management, and the Integrations team, and is a key contributor to reducing change orders, rework, and schedule risk on complex installations.
Our success is driven by the combination of advanced technology and talented people. We are proud to be a Certified Great Place to Work®, recognized for a culture that prioritizes both professional excellence and employee well-being.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, technical design, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of experience designing or engineering physical security systems, including complex, multi-system projects.
• Expert-level knowledge of: Access control, video surveillance, VMS, and intrusion detection systems.
• Expert-level knowledge of IP networking fundamentals — TCP/IP, VLANs and subnetting, firewalls and NAT, DHCP/DNS, and PoE.
• Expert-level knowledge of enterprise and customer-managed network environments.
• Proven ability to lead technical discovery with customers and to identify scope risk during live solutioning discussions.
• Experience developing technical standards, tools, or reference designs for use by others.
• Experience coaching or mentoring technical staff.
• Ability to read and interpret security and infrastructure drawings, including floor plans, riser diagrams, network topologies, and device schedules.
• Proficiency with network diagnostic and diagramming tools (e.g., AutoCAD, Visio, Wireshark, IP scanners), and comfort with command-line interfaces for network diagnostics and device configuration.
• Excellent customer-facing communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel up to 50% within assigned customer regions.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting the product development lifecycle — such as structuring customer requirements, running field evaluations, or participating in alpha/beta programs — preferred.
• Networking certification (e.g., CompTIA Network+ or Cisco CCNA) a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical discovery on complex projects, with emphasis on engagements involving new product engineering, third-party products or integrations outside the Kastle product portfolio, or non-standard network environments.
• Participate directly in customer discovery and solutioning conversations on qualifying projects, identifying technical risks, gaps, and constraints as solutions are developed.
• Validate proposed scope for technical accuracy and completeness before contract award, including network architecture, integration requirements, infrastructure conditions, and site constraints.
• Serve as the technical escalation point for projects that meet Kastle's complex-project criteria — and for any project where deeper product or engineering representation is requested — determining what additional discovery or validation is required.
• Partner with the Integrations team on projects involving third-party API integrations and SDK partner deployments — leading pre-award feasibility and scoping when a solution requires products or integrations outside the Kastle product portfolio, transferring validated scope at contract award, and codifying proven integration patterns into reference designs for reuse.
• Verify that customer network and infrastructure requirements — including firewalls, VLAN segmentation, and customer-managed environments — are documented and resolved prior to installation.
• Support project delivery teams on complex projects through installation and commissioning, ensuring solutions are implemented as designed.
• Design integrated electronic security solutions spanning access control, video surveillance, VMS, and intrusion detection for complex projects.
• Produce solution documentation including layouts, device maps, schematics, and integration diagrams.
• Evaluate customer legacy systems and define how existing equipment integrates with Kastle offerings.
• Ensure all designs comply with applicable codes, standards, and customer specifications.
• Develop and maintain the standardized discovery toolkit used on complex projects, including discovery checklists, network requirement questionnaires, reference designs, and scoping templates.
• Continuously improve discovery standards based on field outcomes, recurring issues, and product changes.
• Define the criteria and process for engaging the SSA on qualifying projects.
• Coach Sales Engineers in advanced discovery techniques, including recognizing technical risk during live customer conversations.
• Lead post-project technical debriefs and maintain a shared knowledge base of common scoping pitfalls and lessons learned.
• Develop and deliver technical training on discovery practices, product capabilities, and solution design.
• Partner closely with Product Managers as the field-facing extension of the Product organization, maintaining a working knowledge of the product roadmap and using it to inform solution design and customer conversations.
• Curate product enhancement requests arising from the field: consolidate needs raised by Sales Engineers, the Integrations team, delivery teams, and customers; identify recurring patterns across sources; and frame them as well-formed requirements — problem, context, impact, and affected customers — ready for Product Management evaluation.
• Lead alpha and beta programs in the field: identify suitable customer sites, define success criteria with Product Management, oversee field trials of new products and features, and deliver structured findings that inform release readiness.
• Represent field and customer realities in roadmap discussions, providing input on prioritization, product gaps, and integration needs.
• Monitor competitive offerings and industry technology trends relevant to complex deployments.
• Maintain current knowledge of industry standards, emerging technologies, and technology partner solutions.
• Obtain and maintain certifications from key technology partners as required. Certifications are often highly technical in nature.

Benefits

• medical, dental, and vision coverage
• a 401(k) plan
• generous paid time off
• tuition and training assistance
• BrightHorizons lifestyle assistance
• life and disability insurance
• wellness programs

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree