Solutions Architect

**JOB TITLE**: Solutions Architect

**DEPARTMENT**:Commercial & Industrial

**REPORTING TO**: Regional Sales Manager Mining

**ADDITIONAL INFO**:Frequent travel to customer sites will be required within SA, mostly within the Gauteng Province or adjacent provinces, to support clients and to drive top line growth of Gilbarco Veeder Root mining portfolio.

**PURPOSE OF POSITION**

The Solutions Architect is a pre-sales role and is responsible for providing technical solutions to new & existing mining and commercial customers. These technical solutions will span the entire value-chain from in-field architecture to DDS final product suite, which includes advanced analytics product offerings. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced industry professional with strong core technical skills and architecture understanding to join and add value to a highly driven team. Responsible for actively driving and managing the pre-sales process with customers, the Solutions Architect must be able to articulate the company’s technology and product portfolio, positioning to both business and technical users. Primarily engaged in a Pre-sales role, the solutions architect will provide any technical assistance and guidance during the pre-sales process by identifying customers technical and business requirements, prior to designing a solution, consulting with technical teams about capabilities, and supporting business sales teams, account managers and partners on proposal activities.
- **KEY RESPONSIBILITIES**:

- Draft and review project definition report (own the technical portion of PDR in particular)
- Ensure scope of work ties in with customer requirements and can articulate technical and/or business information to relevant internal and external clients. This includes change of scope updates.
- Internal product training of business unit and assist relevant sales teams with technical knowledge, and ensure the technical close in engagements.
- Obtain and approve quotes from sub-contractor.
- Product and solution costing
- Conduct final audits on completed installations.
- Responsible for change of scope
- Support sales on customer engagements
- Preparing CVP’s (fit for purpose solution)
- Troubleshooting and support of existing installations / sites / vehicles
- Represent Mining and C&I interests in PPG sessions.
- Develop and deploy a communications strategy that will enable efficient and effective communication protocols from and to internal and external clients to, amongst other outcomes, provide timeous and effective feedback on requests or proposals.
- Collaborate with clients to ensure comprehensive and accurate understanding of their requirement and devise effective resolutions through innovative solutions architecture.
- High Calibre presentation skills, to convey architected solutions/proposals to all client levels including C-Suite clientele.
- Ability to influence at a C-Suite level.
- Adhere to good governance, risk and compliance within the within the broader Gilbarco AFS governance standards.
- Contribute to Pre-sales strategies to improve on Gilbarco AFS’ solutions capabilities.
- Interact with the relevant Gilbarco AFS functional unit to expedite work output.
- Partake in Bi-annual performance appraisals. Discuss development plans with manager and structure work in such a way that it enables for business continuity within the team by removing key person dependencies and fosters a culture of cross-skilling and knowledge sharing.
- Responsible for training sales and technical staff on products on a quarterly basis

**DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY**

As per the Delegating of Authority (DOA), installation audit, stop/start projects based on quality

**POSITION RELATIONSHIPS**

**Internal**
- Sales
- KAM
- Installations
- Finance
- Ops
- DDS
- Engineering

**External**
- Sub-contractors
- Clients

**MEASURES OF PERFORMANCE (INDICATORS)**

**Leading Indicators**
- Maximise margins variance actual vs final costing.

**Lagging Indicators**
- Less than 3% of scope variation (i.e. minimise having to rework scope due to errors)
- HSSE NM/PI targets met

**PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE**

**Education/achievements**
- Chemical engineering with project management skills
- Knowledge of CAD and/other
- Business Degree

**Experience/Knowledge**
- Comes predominantly from the fuel industry and experience in an area with delivery, storage, dispensing where there's a tank farm.
- A minimum of 5 years of progressive responsible experience in a directly related area, during which technical analysis rapport has been established as a professional.
- Demonstrated Experience in Influencing and directing conversations with others through storyboard telling
- Experience in Navigating known-unknowns as well as unknown-unknowns in a data trend/relationship
- Understanding end to end requirements including product maintenance, reporting requirements etc.
- Understanding the link between their role and the sales role and deep apprecia