19298 – Director, Network Solution Architect

POSITION SUMMARY:  Develop enterprise network and infrastructure strategy globally; drive adherence to operationalization of strategies across the organization; drive adoption of new infrastructure technologies through, e.g., POCs, deployment pilots, and RFPs.

The Director & Solution Architect Network will be responsible globally for leading company’s network architecture specifically focused on the development of visionary technical architecture, design and implementation standards of solutions that will enable our digital transformation.

In this role, the candidate sets the technology strategic vision for company’s approach to network architectures. The candidate will create the vision and be the evangelist of the strategy to assure it is socialized, understood and instituted within company.

This is a pivotal role that must partner with other technology areas within company, specifically the Global Network Services team, information security, key business leaders, and regional support teams at company. The candidate defines and evolves the supporting technology infrastructure architecture globally, while sourcing, leading, and presenting forward-thinking, network capabilities for company.

We seek a result driven leader who is passionate about applying program leadership, organizational discipline, and technology to transform the retail apparel industry. The Director & Solution Architect for Network must be a leader within company who will own the strategic infrastructure, oversee its governance, and sponsor technical development. The candidate must be the trusted partner and advisor to the head of the Global Network Services team while acting as the subject matter expert for key business, infrastructure, and information security partners while driving adoption through cross-functional teams in multiple geographies. The candidate must have a strong understanding of the latest trends and how to incorporate relevant emerging technologies while maintaining daily operations.

We are seeking an individual who will make team members around them better, increasing their knowledge, leading by example, and help to create a highly collaborative environment that drives successful business outcomes.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES/ACCOUNTABILITIES OF THE JOB:

• Serve as a "trusted advisor" on network & infrastructure security architecture/technology strategy questions to the Infrastructure & Operations team as well as the rest of the TPG organization.
• Develop and drive enterprise network infrastructure strategy, architecture & roadmaps in partnership with Enterprise Infrastructure Architect.
• Thought leader for network focused technology. Technology focus areas include Edge Networking, Zero/Least Trust Networking Principles, Gen2 Firewalls, SD Cloud, SD Wan, 5G, Multicloud Networking, Network Function Virtualization, Data Center Core Networking, Cloud Access Security Brokers, Authentication, MFA, and Hybrid WAN.
• Drive the global network infrastructure architecture practice, adhering to corporate policy, and assist in the implementation of network capacity and service lifecycle planning.
• Develop key performance indicators for global network health.
• Set improvement targets for network service efficiency and quality.
• Measure and report on service improvement initiatives to the organization
• Provide consultation on cross tower Enterprise Architecture issues.

Experience:

• 10 years or more experience in enterprise level network architecture, engineering, and implementation
• Experience leading global network and security teams to deliver, deploy and maintain network and security tools and technologies
• Regularly demonstrate strong analytic, problem solving, and communication skills across different audiences and levels of seniority
• Broad understanding of various network and security technologies including security protocols, cryptography, authentication, authorization, and security.  Proven track record driving a network architecture program yielding positive outcomes.
• Strong track record of delivery – on time and on budget
• Possesses comprehensive business & technical knowledge, and the organizational skills to oversee complex projects with high visibility and impact on the business.
• Proven experience in developing, presenting, executing plans, meeting deadlines, and operating under tight time constraints within a global scope.
• Demonstrate a sense of urgency, thoroughness, and quality towards assigned tasks/goals
• Experience in providing guidance on all aspects of network design, network hardware, network protocols, networking standards, conceptual skills, decision making, information security policies, SDLC, project management and change management across methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall)
• Demonstrate excellence in analytical and communication skills, as well as leading/influencing technical discussions and decisions.

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, or other related fields required. SABSA (Sherwood Applied Business Security Architecture) or CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) certifications are preferred.

Skills:

• Strong presentation, negotiation, and facilitation skills within all levels of the organization.
• Excellent time and project management skills, with the ability to participate in concurrent activities
• Pragmatic and thoughtful in approach and influential in presenting solution options
• Good written and verbal communication skills with internal and external partners
• Excellent problem-solving skills, particularly regarding anticipating and solving issues or concerns before they occur or become critical
• Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, shifting priorities and handle multiple projects simultaneously towards agreed upon goals and target dates
• Anticipates, identifies & escalates issues that may prevent deliverables or introduce risk; enforces root-cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Team player with strong collaboration skills
• Must be detail oriented and highly organized
• Strong knowledge of project management methodologies and practices
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office products – Excel, Word, PowerPoint

INTERNAL & EXTERNAL CONTACTS:

Internal:

• Act as the key thought partner within the job role providing guidance and input into the Enterprise Architect of Infrastructure.
• Partner with the head of the Global Network Team to forward the company global network and security strategies.
• Partner with TPG regional support organizations to gather regional requirements and local business challenges.
• Will engage and partner with TPG and Information Security Group when discussing strategy, roadmaps, product selection, and architecture.
• Act as a consultative resource on projects requiring input or direction on network and security related topics.

External:

• Work with key external strategic vendor partners including, but not limited to, Cisco, McAfee, Microsoft, CyberArk, Rapid7, Splunk, Metasploit, Forcepoint, Varonis, AlgoSec, Checkpoint and IBM.

BUDGETARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Will have project level budget responsibilities.
• May be required to manage incremental resource budgets related to project activity.
• Be able to identify and communicate the impact of technology selections to the company operating budget.

DECISION MAKING:

• Responsible to identify developing technology solutions and identify which will align with the strategic objectives.
• Have the ability to decide between multiple vendor solutions, being able to weigh the merit of each potential solution and determine the value based on company’s key objectives.
• Must be able to manage the network and security portfolio and determine which areas require attention and to what extent.