Senior Solution Architect - IBM Mainframe, Z Systems Hardware Support Specialist

At CDW, we make it happen, together. Trust, connection, and commitment are at the heart of how we work together to deliver for our customers. It’s why we’re coworkers, not just employees. Coworkers who genuinely believe in supporting our customers and one another. We collectively forge our path forward with a level of commitment that speaks to who we are and where we’re headed. We’re proud to share our story and Make Amazing Happen at CDW.

Job Summary

The Senior Solution Architect (SSA) is a field-based technical pre-sales role that focuses on developing comprehensive security solutions for CDW customers. This role involves providing consultative guidance, supporting partner product sales, scoping service offerings, and fostering strategic relationships to drive business growth.  In this role you will be working with customers, delivery, and internal sales teams to develop and maintain strategic relationships and be a trusted advisor to grow our Hybrid Infrastructure services business.

What you will do:

• Develop appropriate assessment and service solutions for CDW customers, including architecture, optimizations, technology health checks, deployment services, and advisory services.

• Collaborate with customers, delivery teams, and internal sales to offer consultative guidance, plan sales strategy, and author statements of work (SOWs).

• Analyze technical and competitive considerations, defining actions to meet customer requirements in the sales cycle and through a consultative approach provides enhanced business outcomes beyond initial customer expectations.

• Maintain strategic relationships with Customers, Internal Sales & Delivery management, acting as a trusted advisor to drive business growth.

• Maintain relationships with Key strategic partners and maintain at least 3 partner technical certifications.

• Practice ownership of your assigned territory by establishing a regular cadence with vendors/partners/customers and assisting Sales with territory strategy planning.

• Act as a subject matter expert in multiple families of products and solutions.

• Drive outreach initiatives, technical enablement projects, coaching, and mentoring for other SAs.

• Develops content to effectively train coworkers in formal trainings as well as team huddles.

• Provide ongoing technical, non-defect support for IBM zSystems hardware and related software components. 
• Deliver education and technical guidance to system programmers and customer technical staff on new IBM zSystems features and capabilities. 
• Support solution development activities, including architecture design, migration planning, implementation, and post-deployment support. 
• Assist with problem analysis and escalation, coordinating with IBM and internal teams as needed to ensure timely resolution. 

• Collaborate closely with CDW Sales Specialists and technical teams to support pre-sales activities related to IBM zSystems servers. 
• Contribute to solution design discussions, helping craft technically sound and customer-aligned IBM zSystems solutions. 
• Develop and deliver presentations, technical documentation, and project plans to support customer engagements and solution proposals.

What we expect of you:

•  Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience.

• Minimum of five years in technical, pre-sales, or post-sale delivery role.

• Motivated, self-starting, and able to independently perform high quality work with minimal guidance.

• Industry knowledge and domain expertise: An SSA should possess domain expertise. They should understand industry-specific challenges, regulations, and best practices. They should have a deep understanding of the architecture, products, technologies, and solutions offered by the company. This knowledge enables them to provide tailored recommendations and position the company's solutions effectively within the industry landscape. 

• Team collaboration and leadership: Collaboration with cross-functional teams, including sales and delivery, is crucial in this role. A SSA should be able to work effectively in a team, lead technical discussions, and influence decision-making. They may also provide guidance and mentorship to junior team members.

• Customer-focused approach: An SSA must have a customer-centric mindset and be able to understand and articulate customer needs effectively. They should possess excellent communication and presentation skills to engage with customers, gather requirements, and explain technical concepts in a clear and concise manner. Building relationships, understanding customer pain points, and providing tailored solutions are key aspects of this role.

• Solution design and problem-solving skills: The candidate should have the ability to design and communicate comprehensive solutions that address customer requirements, business challenges, and build consensus around the final solution. They should be skilled in analyzing complex problems, identifying appropriate solutions, and translating technical concepts into understandable terms for customers. Strong problem-solving skills are crucial for identifying and resolving technical issues or gaps in proposed solutions. 

• Willingness to travel up to 25% or as needed.

• Demonstrated experience in planning, installing, configuring, and upgrading IBM zSystems Server technologies, including hardware lifecycle management. 
• Strong hands-on experience monitoring, managing, and troubleshooting IBM zSystems server hardware, with the ability to perform effective problem determination and resolution. 
• Proficiency using Hardware Management Console (HMC) and Support Element (SE) consoles on IBM zSystems servers for system configuration, diagnostics, and maintenance activities. 
• Working knowledge of IBM zSystems storage solutions and peripheral devices, including integration considerations and operational support. 
• Solid understanding of enterprise IT environments and the role of IBM zSystems within complex infrastructures. 
• Working knowledge of the IBM z/OS operating system, including use of IBM TSO and the Hardware Configuration Manager (HCM) to configure IBM zSystems servers under z/OS, a plus. 

CDW is committed to being an AI-fluent organization

Additionally, CDW is committed to fostering an equitable, transparent, and respectful hiring process for all applicants. During our application process, our goal is to understand your experience, strengths, skills, and qualifications. As an AI forward company, we see AI not just as a tool, but as a catalyst for new ways of thinking, creating, and communicating. We encourage candidates to embrace an AI mindset, one that’s curious, adaptive, and ready to explore what’s possible. We welcome thoughtful use of AI to expand your perspective and elevate how you share your story, while ensuring your application remains rooted in your own background, judgment, and voice.

We make technology work so people can do great things.     

CDW is a leading multi-brand provider of information technology solutions to business, government, education and healthcare customers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. A Fortune 500 company and member of the S&P 500 Index, CDW helps its customers to navigate an increasingly complex IT market and maximize return on their technology investments. Together, we unite. Together, we win. Together, we thrive.

CDW is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited by state and local law.