Solutions Architect (1907)

Job DetailsJob Location: Houston, TX 77092Position Type: Full TimeWho We Are    Aldridge is a leading Managed Service Provider (MSP) offering scalable IT and cybersecurity solutions to fast-growing, small to mid-market businesses in the US. Founded in 1984, this private equity-backed company is a technology management consulting, and outsourcing firm that provides best-fit solutions through a tailored approach and local relationships. With offices in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Seattle, the company’s unwavering dedication, superior technical expertise, and keen understanding of business processes have transformed it into a trusted partner for its clients. With a strong reputation for delivering high-quality services, Aldridge is committed to helping its clients optimize their technology infrastructure and achieve their business goals.      We help organizations move from their current IT state to a more secure, standardized, and scalable future. Our work spans assessments, architecture, and hands-on delivery  cloud transformations, Microsoft 365 modernization, security hardening, network and infrastructure upgrades, and complex migrations. We operate in a disciplined professional services environment: projects are scoped around outcomes, planned before work starts, and executed with clear ownership and governance. We are seeking a Solutions Architect to own the critical boundary between opportunity and delivery  ensuring that every solution we commit to is technically sound, scalable, and ready for Professional Services to execute.    Position Overview:   The Solutions Architect is the senior technical authority within the Professional Services organization  the person who ensures that every solution Aldridge commits to is designed correctly before the delivery team touches it. Operating at Expert fluency, this role owns the design and validation of complex technical solutions from the moment an opportunity takes shape through the point of delivery handoff, ensuring that what is scoped is buildable, that it aligns with the client's environment and goals, and that every solution lands cleanly within Aldridge's managed services catalog.  This is an upstream role. The Solutions Architect engages during and immediately after scoping  with Sales, with Client Success on upsell opportunities, and directly with clients during discovery  to produce validated technical designs that the Professional Services team can execute with confidence. When active delivery encounters problems that require design-level judgment, this role is the escalation point: engage, stabilize, define a path forward, and hand ownership back to the team.  Beyond design and escalation, this role is the technical backbone of the PS organization. It provides mentorship and guidance to L1–L3 engineers, builds the reusable standards and templates that make the entire team faster and more consistent, and serves as the connective tissue between Sales, Client Success, and Delivery  translating technical realities into terms each team can act on.  This role requires breadth across all of Aldridge's core delivery domains, the commercial instinct to understand how design decisions affect margin and managed services fit, and the communication clarity to operate credibly at every level of a client engagement.  Key Responsibilities:  Own the technical scoping process for all qualifying projects — producing solution designs, confirming design accuracy, identifying risks, and resolving ambiguity before the delivery team commits to execution.  Lead technical discovery for new projects and upsell opportunities alongside Sales and Client Success — asking the right questions, surfacing unstated requirements, and producing the solution design that makes a proposal something Aldridge can actually deliver.  Evaluate every proposed solution against Aldridge’s managed services catalog to ensure the post-project state is supportable, standardized, and does not create one-off managed services debt.  Serve as the technical escalation point when active projects encounter complex design-level problems; engage to stabilize and redirect, then hand ownership back to the delivery team with a defined path forward.  Develop and maintain reusable solution design templates, scoping frameworks, and architecture standards.  Provide technical guidance and mentorship to L1–L3 engineers on design intent, architectural reasoning, and how to approach non-standard delivery scenarios.  Own and execute billable IT Assessment and Architecture & Planning engagements, producing structured outputs that define client environments, identify gaps, and frame future project investment.  Operate as a trusted technical partner to Sales, Client Success, and Delivery leadership — translating technical realities into terms each team can use to scope, sell, and deliver confidently.  QualificationsQualifications:  Required Qualifications  Bachelor's degree in a technical field, or equivalent professional experience in IT engineering or architecture.  6–10 years of IT engineering or architecture experience; MSP or professional services environment strongly preferred.  Demonstrated breadth across Microsoft 365 & Identity, networking & infrastructure, security & compliance, and backup/disaster recovery with depth in at least two domains.  Experience designing for Microsoft 365, hybrid identity, networking, backup/BDR, and endpoint environments.  Proven ability to perform technical discovery and produce solution designs that translate business requirements into deliverable architectures.  Experience engaging in pre-sales or pre-delivery technical conversations with clients, including the ability to surface unstated requirements.  Strong understanding of managed services delivery models and how post-project environments must be designed to support ongoing operations.    Preferred Qualifications  Relevant certifications across one or more delivery domains: Microsoft 365 or Azure (MS-102, AZ-305), networking (CCNP or equivalent), or security (CISSP, Security+, or equivalent).  Experience providing technical escalation support and guiding engineers in a project or consulting delivery environment.  Hands-on experience with PSA/RMM platforms (ConnectWise, Datto, NinjaOne) and direct familiarity with how managed services delivery is operationalized day to day.  Experience navigating the boundary between project implementation work and ongoing managed services — knowing what belongs in a SOW, what belongs in the catalog, and what is already covered by a client's subscription.  Experience designing for Microsoft 365, hybrid identity, networking, backup/BDR, and endpoint environments.  Soft Skills  Translates complex technical concepts into clear terms for clients, sales teams, and engineers at the appropriate level of detail.  Comfortable operating in ambiguous, fast-moving scoping conversations and driving toward a defined technical recommendation.  Takes ownership of ambiguous or complex situations and drives them to a clear resolution — without needing someone else to define the path forward first.  Collaborative partner to Sales and Client Success without being co-opted by either — able to maintain delivery-side objectivity.    Hybrid work schedule     Optional work from home days are Mondays and Fridays     Required in-office days are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays    Travel: Occasional client site visits required for assessment and architecture engagements.  Additional Requirements    Physical ability to stand, walk or sit for extended periods    Must be comfortable with periodically lifting 25 pounds    Aldridge Core Values:     Build Trust – We continuously earn the trust of our partners through genuine, transparent communication, and unflinching accountability.     Take Swift, Meaningful Action – When every second matters, we drill to the core question and act decisively.    Create Best-Fit Solutions – More ≠ better – We create the most value for the least added overhead and complexity.     Evolve & Improve – We know the power of a growth mindset. We do not let fear of failure stop us from finding new, and better ways to do things.    Benefits:   Competitive Salary and Incentive Plan   Generous Employer Contribution to Health Benefits Package   401(k) Matching   4 Weeks Paid Time Off per year, plus additional days for community service   Ongoing Training and Professional Development Opportunities   Free Snacks and Beverages!       Aldridge is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, age, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our employees. All employment is based on qualifications, merit, and business needs