About Ekco

🚀 Founded in 2016 Ekco is now one of the fastest growing cloud solution providers in Europe!

We specialise in enabling companies to progress along the path of cloud maturity, managing transformation and driving better outcomes from our clients’ existing technology investments.

☁️ In a few words, we take businesses to the cloud and back!

🌍 We have over 1000 highly talented and supportive colleagues (and counting) across a number of regional offices in the UK, Benelux & Ireland.

The role 

As Head of Architecture at Ekco you will have ultimate responsibility for delivering an exceptional service and technical solutions to enterprise and commercial clients. You will manage a team of pre-sales consultants who will play a critical role in the sales process by providing technical expertise and strategic guidance to potential clients; as well as post sales solution engineers to promote excellence and continued innovation. 
This role will also provide leadership across a team of technical service delivery managers who have ultimate responsibility for delivering an exceptional service to our enterprise and commercial clients.

Key Responsibilities 

As Head of Architecture at Ekco you will play a key role to:

• Build trusted relationships with key technical and business stakeholders by gaining a deep understanding of the client's business, IT drivers, and challenges across their landscape, through stakeholder engagement and functional/non-functional requirement analysis
• Lead and manage a team of Presales and Postsales consultants and collaborate with wider Ekco business
  
• Offer deep technical expertise and advisory across multi vendor cloud packages with a big focus on VMware and Microsoft Azure
• Lead the technical service delivery team and collaborate with other teams to evaluate projects for technical practicality (Sales, Bid Management, PMO)
• Develop comprehensive multi-vendor packaged service offerings, ensuring end to-end success from developing and winning business through to delivery in our 3 core business areas (Professional Services, Managed Services & Security Services).
• Responsible for creating repository of reusable assets for Presales.
• Defines and distributes team goals. Ensures team operates within a defined set of standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Lead the response to RFPs by creating high-quality solutions and response documents, while reviewing team documentation to identify trends and risks.
• Works with internal departments and external vendors to ensure right solution is provided to Sales teams and delivery.
• Assume full responsibility for the preparation and delivery of weekly reports, with a focus on highlighting KPI’s and data metrics. These reports will be presented to senior leadership to provide actionable insights and support informed decision-making
• Ensures effective communication between direct reports and other functional units.
• Inspires team members to continuously drive process improvements.
• Collaborates with other members of senior leadership team to create staff development plans.

Key Requirements 

About You

You will have:

• 5 years of experience in Presales, PostSales and Solution Engineering
• Excellent understanding of Public & Private Cloud services across multiple vendors (VMware, Microsoft and AWS)
• Experience managing large Presales/Solution Engineering Teams with a Consulting or Services organization
• Experience as a lead architect in medium and enterprise size organizations
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts in a simple and clear way to non-technical audiences.
• Strong technical knowledge in both professional and managed services
• Knowledge and experience of Cyber & Information Security Services
• Exceptional people skills: the ability develop, mentor, engage and motivate staff to excellence.
• Uses professional concepts; applies company policies and procedures to resolve a variety of most complex issues.
• Exceptional attention to detail and creative problem-solving capabilities
• Excellent time management, decision-making, and organization skills.
• Ability to develop and communicate individual goals and executable tasks based on functional and strategic goals and objectives.

Qualifications/Certs

• VMware or Azure Certifications
• TOGAF or any other Enterprise Architect Certifications
• Prince 2
• CISSP or CISM qualification

Benefits/Perks

• ☀️ Time off - 25 days leave + public holidays
• 🎂 x1 day Birthday leave per year
• 💰 Company Pension Scheme (employer contribution 5%) + flexible salary sacrifice
• 📞 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) - access to dedicated mental health, emotional wellbeing and general advice
• 🏃‍♀️ EkcOlympics - a global activity for fun!
• 📚 Learning & development - Unlimited access to Pluralsight learning platform

• 🌱 A lot of responsibilities & opportunities to grow (also internationally)

Why Ekco

• ⭐️ Microsoft’s 2023 Rising Star Security Partner of the year
• 🚀 VMware & Veeam top partner status
• 🏅 Ranked as 4th fastest growing technology company in the Deloitte Fast50 Awards
• 🌈Ekco are committed to cultivating an environment that promotes diversity, equality, inclusion and belonging
• 🎉 We recognise the value of internal mobility and encourage opportunities for internal development & progression
• ✨ Flexible working with a family friendly focus are at the core of our company values