Sr Subject Matter Expert; Support&Ops

Position: Sr Subject Matter Expert (Support&Ops)
Job Summary We are seeking a Network Solution Architect who can operate independently between business stakeholders and engineering teams, owning business-funded and non-standard network initiatives from intake through design handoff. The role is design-focused rather than implementation- or operations-focused. The architect will engage directly with business teams to understand their needs, translate them into robust Cisco-based network designs, produce professional design documentation and Bills of Material (BOMs), and hand approved solutions to engineering teams for implementation — with minimal supervision after onboarding.

Key Responsibilities Business Intake & Requirements
• Act as the primary point of contact for business-funded and non-standard network requests.
• Lead discovery conversations and requirement workshops with business stakeholders.
• Translate business language and outcomes into clear technical requirements.
• Manage stakeholder expectations on scope, feasibility, options and trade-offs. Network Solution Design
• Design Cisco WAN, SD-WAN, LAN and enterprise Wi-Fi solutions for new and existing sites.
• Design data center and cloud connectivity solutions.
• Perform capacity planning and determine bandwidth and sizing requirements.
• Apply established architecture patterns and design standards; ensure designs are robust, feasible and low-risk for business-critical environments.
• Present and defend designs in design reviews. Documentation & Design Artifacts
• Produce Solution Design Documents (SDD), High-Level Designs (HLD) and Low-Level Designs (LLD).
• Create network and architecture diagrams in Microsoft Visio.
• Assemble complete, professional design packages using Word, Excel and Visio. Cisco Product Selection, BOM & Costing
• Select appropriate Cisco routers, switches, wireless and associated components.
• Build accurate Bills of Material and support solution costing exercises.
• Maintain working knowledge of the Cisco hardware portfolio and how network solutions are commercially costed. Handoff & Stakeholder Coordination
• Hand approved designs to engineering teams for implementation with clear, complete documentation.
• Coordinate with business teams, platform owners, network architects, engineering and project teams.
• Drive conversations to closure and influence decisions without direct authority.

Skill Requirements Technical
• Minimum ~5 years of hands-on enterprise network design experience.
• Proven design experience across Cisco WAN, Cisco SD-WAN, Cisco LAN and enterprise Wi-Fi.
• Experience designing data center and cloud connectivity.
• Multi-site networking and WAN capacity planning experience.
• Ability to build hardware BOMs and size solutions independently.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Visio, Word and Excel for design work. Consulting & Communication
• Confident, customer-facing communicator who can simplify technical concepts for business audiences.
• Strong listener with a consultative, discovery-led approach.
• Demonstrated stakeholder management across business and technical groups. Certifications
• Mandatory: CCNA or equivalent knowledge
• Preferred: CCNP; exposure to enterprise architecture practices

Other Requirements Ownership:
Self-starter who becomes self-sufficient quickly after onboarding, templates and shadowing
• Independence:
Works independently with limited supervision and does not require continuous hand holding
• Solutioning mindset:
Thinks beyond technology to business outcomes, feasibility and standards
• Design quality:
Strong architecture judgement and attention to detail; understands that poor designs can lead to major incidents
• Working style:
Organized, practical problem solver; comfortable with ambiguity; curious and quick to learn
• Team fit:
Collaborative and customer-focused