Security Systems Solution Architect

Responsibilities

• Lead technical discovery on complex projects, with emphasis on engagements involving new product engineering, third-party products or integrations outside the Kastle product portfolio, or non-standard network environments.
• Participate directly in customer discovery and solutioning conversations on qualifying projects, identifying technical risks, gaps, and constraints as solutions are developed.
• Validate proposed scope for technical accuracy and completeness before contract award, including network architecture, integration requirements, infrastructure conditions, and site constraints.
• Serve as the technical escalation point for projects that meet Kastle's complex-project criteria — and for any project where deeper product or engineering representation is requested — determining what additional discovery or validation is required.
• Partner with the Integrations team on projects involving third-party API integrations and SDK partner deployments — leading pre-award feasibility and scoping when a solution requires products or integrations outside the Kastle product portfolio, transferring validated scope at contract award, and codifying proven integration patterns into reference designs for reuse.
• Verify that customer network and infrastructure requirements — including firewalls, VLAN segmentation, and customer-managed environments — are documented and resolved prior to installation.
• Support project delivery teams on complex projects through installation and commissioning, ensuring solutions are implemented as designed.
• Design integrated electronic security solutions spanning access control, video surveillance, VMS, and intrusion detection for complex projects.
• Produce solution documentation including layouts, device maps, schematics, and integration diagrams.
• Evaluate customer legacy systems and define how existing equipment integrates with Kastle offerings.
• Ensure all designs comply with applicable codes, standards, and customer specifications.
• Develop and maintain the standardized discovery toolkit used on complex projects, including discovery checklists, network requirement questionnaires, reference designs, and scoping templates.
• Continuously improve discovery standards based on field outcomes, recurring issues, and product changes.
• Define the criteria and process for engaging the SSA on qualifying projects.
• Coach Sales Engineers in advanced discovery techniques, including recognizing technical risk during live customer conversations.
• Lead post-project technical debriefs and maintain a shared knowledge base of common scoping pitfalls and lessons learned.
• Develop and deliver technical training on discovery practices, product capabilities, and solution design.
• Partner closely with Product Managers as the field-facing extension of the Product organization, maintaining a working knowledge of the product roadmap and using it to inform solution design and customer conversations.
• Curate product enhancement requests arising from the field: consolidate needs raised by Sales Engineers, the Integrations team, delivery teams, and customers; identify recurring patterns across sources; and frame them as well-formed requirements — problem, context, impact, and affected customers — ready for Product Management evaluation.
• Lead alpha and beta programs in the field: identify suitable customer sites, define success criteria with Product Management, oversee field trials of new products and features, and deliver structured findings that inform release readiness.
• Represent field and customer realities in roadmap discussions, providing input on prioritization, product gaps, and integration needs.
• Monitor competitive offerings and industry technology trends relevant to complex deployments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, technical design, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years of experience designing or engineering physical security systems, including complex, multi-system projects.
• Expert-level knowledge of: Access control, video surveillance, VMS, and intrusion detection systems; IP networking fundamentals — TCP/IP, VLANs and subnetting, firewalls and NAT, DHCP/DNS, and PoE; Enterprise and customer-managed network environments.
• Proven ability to lead technical discovery with customers and to identify scope risk during live solutioning discussions.
• Experience developing technical standards, tools, or reference designs for use by others.
• Experience coaching or mentoring technical staff.
• Experience supporting the product development lifecycle — such as structuring customer requirements, running field evaluations, or participating in alpha/beta programs — preferred.
• Ability to read and interpret security and infrastructure drawings, including floor plans, riser diagrams, network topologies, and device schedules.
• Proficiency with network diagnostic and diagramming tools (e.g., AutoCAD, Visio, Wireshark, IP scanners), and comfort with command-line interfaces for network diagnostics and device configuration.
• Networking certification (e.g., CompTIA Network+ or Cisco CCNA) a plus.
• Excellent customer-facing communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel up to 50% within assigned customer regions.