Who is Trace3?
Trace3 is a leading Transformative IT Authority, providing unique technology solutions and consulting services to our clients. Equipped with elite engineering and dynamic innovation, we empower IT executives and their organizations to achieve competitive advantage through a process of Integrate, Automate, Innovate.
Our culture at Trace3 embodies the spirit of a startup with the advantage of a scalable business. Employees can grow their career and have fun while doing it!
Trace3 is headquartered in Irvine, California. We employ more than 1,200 people all over the United States. Our major field office locations include Denver, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, Lexington, Los Angeles, Louisville, Texas, San Francisco.
Ready to discover the possibilities that live in technology?
Come Join Us!
Street-Smart - Thriving in Dynamic Times
We are flexible and resilient in a fast-changing environment. We continuously innovate and drive constructive change while keeping a focus on the “big picture.” We exercise sound business judgment in making high-quality decisions in a timely and cost-effective manner. We are highly creative and can dig deep within ourselves to find positive solutions to different problems.
Juice - The “Stuff” it takes to be a Needle Mover
We get things done and drive results. We lead without a title, empowering others through a can-do attitude. We look forward to the goal, mentally mapping out every checkpoint on the pathway to success, and visualizing what the final destination looks and feels like.
Teamwork - Humble, Hungry and Smart
We are humble individuals who understand how our job impacts the company's mission. We treat others with respect, admit mistakes, give credit where it’s due and demonstrate transparency. We “bring the weather” by exhibiting positive leadership and solution-focused thinking. We hug people in their trials, struggles, and failures – not just their success. We appreciate the individuality of the people around us.
JOB SUMMARY:
We are looking for a Senior Solution Architect with deep expertise in network architecture to join our presales team supporting strategic enterprise accounts across the Mountain States region. This isn't a traditional technical support role. We're looking for someone who has made the shift from technical executor to trusted advisor, someone who leads with the client's business problem and brings their domain expertise to bear in a way that creates real outcomes.
This person will own the technical relationship in their engagements, not just support it. They'll be expected to insert themselves proactively into account strategy, lead discovery conversations that connect technology to business outcomes, and help clients build the internal justification they need to move forward on complex network investments.
This is a high visibility role in a region where networking represents one of our largest and fastest growing spend categories. The right person will thrive in that environment because they care about outcomes, not just deliverables.
SUMMARY OF ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
- Showing up as a consultative advisor who leads with business challenges and helps clients rationalize technology decisions against their goals
- Being a proactive partner to sellers, not waiting to be called in but actively shaping opportunities upstream
- Staying ahead of the domain and bringing forward-looking perspective to clients, helping them see around the corner on where enterprise networking is heading
- Owning the technical outcome of every engagement they're part of, including when things get hard
- Contributing to the cultural and technical voice of the region through mentoring, enablement, and visible engagement with the broader engineering community
- Being intentional about pipeline attribution, engaged on the right opportunities where they're driving the technical outcome and accountable for what they touch
REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
Core Networking Architecture
- Data center networking including fabric design, leaf-spine architectures, and interconnect
- Enterprise campus and branch networking design and deployment
- WAN architecture including SD-WAN platforms such as Cisco, Meraki, VMware, or equivalent
- Network automation and programmability including Python, Ansible, and intent-based networking platforms
Perimeter and Network Security
- Firewall architecture and policy design across platforms such as Palo Alto, Fortinet, or Cisco
- Network segmentation, micro-segmentation, and zero trust network access principles
- Secure access and edge security including SASE and SSE familiarity
Modern and Emerging Platforms
- Familiarity with AI-enabling network infrastructure including high performance fabrics, low latency design, and the connectivity considerations that underpin GPU cluster deployments
- Experience with cloud networking and hybrid connectivity across AWS, Azure, or GCP
- Exposure to network observability, AIOps, and intent-based management platforms
Presales and Client Engagement
- Experience in a presales, consulting, or customer-facing architecture role
- Comfortable leading discovery and positioning conversations with both technical and business stakeholders
- Ability to develop and present architecture proposals, business cases, and options analyses
- Track record of working alongside sales teams and contributing to pipeline development
Vendor and Partner Ecosystem
- Hands-on experience with one or more of the following: Cisco, , Arista, Juniper, Aruba, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, VMware by Broadcom
- Relevant certifications valued but not required: CCIE, CCNP, PCNSE, NSE, JNCIE or equivalent
- A minimum of 8 years’ experience with providing consultative engineering services for organizations.
- Highest level certifications within Architecture area, preferred.
- An understanding of the environment and challenges of IT operations in the typical corporation.
- Strong experience designing technology solutions for Fortune 500 companies.
- Excellent presentation skills; able to comfortably communicate and present in front of C-Level Executives, VPs and Directors.
- Strong understanding of how clients use technology to meet business objectives.
- Familiarity with the local district markets.
- Strong interpersonal skills; able to work well with people from many different disciplines.
- Ability to lead and mentor other engineers.
- Ability to mix deep technical expertise with simple, everyday language to deliver a story that is memorable, educational and useful.
- Must have a firm grasp on the industry and anticipate trends and movements while balancing maturity and timing.
- Motivated self-starter who loves to solve challenging problems and feels comfortable working directly with customers.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, excellent time management skills and able to effectively prioritize tasks in a fast-paced, high-volume, and evolving work environment.
- Comfortable managing multiple and changing priorities, and meeting deadlines in an entrepreneurial environment.
The Perks
- Comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans for you and your dependents
- 401(k) Retirement Plan with Employer Match, 529 College Savings Plan, Health Savings Account, Life Insurance, and Long-Term Disability
- Competitive Compensation
- Training and development programs
- Major offices stocked with snacks and beverages
- Collaborative and cool culture
- Work-life balance and generous paid time off
Our Commitment
At the core of Trace3's DNA is our people. We are a diverse group of talented individuals who understand the importance of teamwork and demonstrating leadership, character, and passion in all that we do.
We’re committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and empowered to grow. We recognize that embracing diversity drives innovation, improves outcomes, fosters collaboration, boosts teammate satisfaction, and builds a more inclusive culture.
As an equal opportunity employer, Trace3 bases all employment decisions based on individual qualifications, merit, and business requirements. We do not engage in discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.
Any demographic information provided is strictly voluntary, kept confidential in accordance with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations, and will not be used in employment decisions, including hiring, promotions, or mentorship programs. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all.
If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process or participate in an interview, please email [email protected].
***To all recruitment agencies: Trace3 does not accept unsolicited agency resumes/CVs. Please do not forward resumes/CVs to our careers email addresses, Trace3 employees or any other company location. Trace3 is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/CVs.
Skills Required
- Data center networking including fabric design and leaf-spine architectures
- Enterprise campus and branch networking design and deployment
- WAN architecture including SD-WAN platforms (Cisco, Meraki, VMware or equivalent)
- Network automation and programmability including Python and Ansible
- Intent-based networking platforms and network automation experience
- Firewall architecture and policy design across Palo Alto, Fortinet, or Cisco
- Network segmentation, micro-segmentation, and zero trust network access principles
- Familiarity with SASE and SSE secure access/edge security concepts
- Familiarity with AI-enabling network infrastructure, low-latency design, and GPU cluster connectivity considerations
- Experience with cloud networking and hybrid connectivity across AWS, Azure, or GCP
- Exposure to network observability, AIOps, and intent-based management platforms
- Experience in presales, consulting, or customer-facing architecture roles and presenting to executive stakeholders
- Hands-on experience with one or more vendors: Cisco, Arista, Juniper, Aruba, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, VMware by Broadcom
- Minimum of 8 years providing consultative engineering services
- Strong experience designing technology solutions for Fortune 500 companies
- Excellent presentation skills and ability to communicate with C-level, VPs and Directors
- Ability to lead, mentor other engineers, and contribute to regional enablement
- Relevant certifications (CCIE, CCNP, PCNSE, NSE, JNCIE or equivalent)
- Highest level architecture certifications, preferred
Trace3 Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Trace3 and has not been reviewed or approved by Trace3.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO is offered as flexible or unlimited for many salaried roles, with company language emphasizing generous time off and work-life balance. Remote-work programs and flexible schedules reinforce practical access to time away.
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Healthcare Strength — Core coverage includes medical, dental, vision, HSA, life insurance, and long‑term disability, with multiple plan options in some locations. Mental‑health benefits and first‑of‑month eligibility contribute to a comprehensive offering.
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Strong & Reliable Incentives — Revenue and presales roles feature competitive base pay with meaningful on‑target earnings potential, and performance bonuses are part of the total rewards mix. This structure can deliver strong outcomes for high performers.
Trace3 Insights
What We Do
Trace3, a pioneer in business transformation solutions, empowers organizations to lead their market space by keeping pace with the rapid changes in IT innovations ensuring relevance to specific business initiatives required to maximize revenue generation by leveraging the latest Silicon Valley, cloud, big data and datacenter technologies maximizing organizational health. We have a unique ability to deliver optimal solutions combined with our talented team and over 10 years of documented best practices that unify people, process and technology. Over 2,000 globally recognized companies trust in Trace3 to stay relevant and innovative in today’s highly competitive market.
