Presales Solutions Architect (Security)

Secure your tomorrow with Unisys: A great place to learn and grow your career! At Unisys, every associate makes a difference. Here, you have the opportunity to learn new skills, apply your expertise, explore local and global challenges, and solve complex technology issues with creative solutions and diverse teams. You are part of a team that drives change and delivers results on a daily basis. Our success is a direct result of our people.

Role Purpose

• Awareness and active alignment to the sale of Security Services to a client
• Assumes of the overall responsibility of providing the technical solution to the stakeholders:
  • Business Attractive
  • Technically deliverable
  • Financially viable
• Cross tower knowledge & experience – demonstrated an understanding of security services, and understanding of the key issues of clients. 
• Produces a quality proposal or RFP responses in a time-sensitive and cost-effective manner, assumes responsibility for quality and delivery of the security solution. Remains productive through fire drills.
• Good communicator and salesperson –interfaces with client, executives, operational SMEs, and reviewers of the solution.

Key Responsibilities/Outcomes

Managed Security Services Technical Skills

• Industry Expert: Competition, basic MSS SOC processes, IT Security  Trends, CIO / CISO concerns, Emerging solutions, Best practices, toolsets, Service Providers, Cloud impact, Aging workforce, Financial constraints.  Statement of work, Risks, Assumptions.  Speak the language.
• Client RFP Expert: As a Presales Architect, you must evaluate every part of the client's Security Services requirements. Form questions and evaluate client answers. Scoring, response forms, SOWs.
• Portfolio Expert: As a Security Solutions Presales Architect you must have a complete understanding of the Unisys Security Portfolio both current offerings and future direction. Competitors: strengths and weaknesses. The implications for Unisys Costs and Success.
• Technology Expert: Has technical experience primarily in Security Professional Services, but also an understanding of Managed Security Services (MSS), to develop strategy, give direction, and intelligently make decisions (or escalate issues).
• Well connected to Unisys Delivery: Know the leadership and KPI’s security services, recognize solution flaws and help resolve them quickly.  Recognize the best practices and processes and when they are not being performed. Includes: tools, integrations, costs, methods,

Security Services and Solutions Skills

• The Presales Architect must be able to define and articulate the end to end solution.
• The Presales Architect has responsibility for limitations, exclusions, deviations or inclusions in the proposal, and will be able to successfully defend them, identify the risks, and costs, but be able to modify the position when circumstances dictate.
• A Presales Architect must have insights into global benchmarks on performance and pricing of services and solutions, internal KPIs, and SLAs.
• If not from the portfolio, the Presales Architect must know the market landscape for sourcing solution components, internal and externally available.
• A Presales Architect must help create the sales pitch for the customer in the proposal.  Writing and graphics skills for communicating technical concepts are important.
• Priority management and resource constraints within the solution development is key.

Project Management Skills

• Resources: A Security Presales Architect will be able to estimate the proposal efforts accurately as it impacts the pre-sales budget and response timeline.  Resource constraints are common issues you must resolve.
• Requirements: The Security Presales Architect will analyze and acknowledge the RFP requirements that fall into the Security Services tower and help move those which may be placed in the wrong sections. 
• Technology: A Security Presales Architect will guide the relevant SA’s, SME’s and Engineers in building the expected solution, which complies with the guiding principles as approved.  Often negotiation and problem handling are needed.
• Compliance: A Security Presales Architect must remain compliant in the technical approach and consistent in the solution descriptions (both technical and commercial).  For Proposals or RFP responses … First draft, second draft, final, BAFO.
• Problem Solving: A Security Presales Architect must be able to quickly recognize issues within the solution early in the cycle to minimize gaps at the end.   

Account Strategy

• Act as an SME for Security Services best practices to clients other Unisys collaborative teams (SPO, ITO Strategy, and Planning, etc) and sales teams
• Provide presales and bid support to sales teams by assisting in pricing and opportunity qualification
• Prepare and deliver client presentations focused on Unisys Managed Security Services capabilities and value
• Evangelize capabilities to internal account teams by occasionally holding strategy sessions, attending relevant internal meetings and discussions
• Participates in the development of the account(s) technology strategy
• Consults at the conceptual stage to influence upcoming account(s) business requirements and technology directions as they relate to Service Desk.

Key Qualifications

• Undergraduate or Post-graduate degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity or equivalent.
• 10 years direct experience gained from 3 or more services assignments involving account, project and /or program management responsibilities
• Strong Security Services skills with at least 5 years supporting security services activities
• Key skills include SIEM, Security Device Management, Intrusion Detection, Intrusion Prevention, Firewalls, Advanced Persistent Threats, Incident Response, & Threat Intelligence

Communication Skills

• Communications: Security Presales will have excellent written/oral communication skills.
• Solution Validation Review (SVR) requires ability to understand the entire solution, communicate with stakeholders, and negotiate technical details with the approvers, who are experts in their area.
• Proposal writing requires the ability to communicate in graphs and in writing.  The complex solution must be presented in a way that is simple to understand.  The readers will be less technical. 
• Orals requires ability to speak persuasively to various types of clients, clarity, brevity, and handling challenging questions, within time constraints, while gracefully handling issues.
• Key Themes maintained: Must be aware of the key messages for the proposal and be able to edit the work to ensure technical context is presented correctly.
• Problem Resolution: Quickly resolving issues discovered after the reviews and approvals are complete