Senior Architect

Senior Cisco Architect | Squadra Solutions

Washington, D.C. Metro

About Squadra Solutions

Squadra Solutions is an engineering-led cybersecurity and network infrastructure firm serving higher education institutions, SLED clients, and large enterprise organizations. We are a certified minority-owned small business generating $57M in annual revenue with a lean, practitioner-led team. On every engagement, we deploy senior architects and engineers — not account managers with technical support behind them.

Our clients include major research universities and large institutions operating complex, high-expectation IT environments. We are growing, and the pipeline ahead demands senior technical talent that can own work end-to-end.

The Role

We are hiring a Senior Architect to lead network and wireless architecture on flagship client engagements. This is the highest-level technical practitioner seat on Squadra's engineering team — a senior individual contributor role, not a management track.

You will own solution design from initial discovery through HLD/LLD delivery, validation, cutover, and knowledge transfer. Bill of materials design and validation is a core expectation. You will work directly in Cisco Commerce Workspace and the Cisco Partner Portal. You will be hands-on keyboard throughout delivery.

The primary initial engagement is a large-scale higher education network refresh program (Phase 2) at a flagship university in Washington, D.C. Pipeline demand is expanding across higher education and SLED accounts. If you hold CCIE-level credentials, carry an active CMSS, have deployed large-scale wireless across complex campuses, and can own the room in a briefing with a university CIO or IT director, this role is built for you.

This is not a role for paper architects. We do not hire candidates whose experience is limited to design-only, theoretical, or certification-track work. Every architect at Squadra is hands-on keyboard in production environments, directly accountable to clients, and expected to deploy, validate, troubleshoot, and hand off real infrastructure.

What You Will Do

• Architect and deliver end-to-end network and wireless solutions across campus and multi-building environments in direct client-facing engagements
• Lead HLD and LLD production independently, owning documentation from first draft through client sign-off
• Design and deploy Cisco Catalyst 9300X/9500 switching environments including StackWise, VSS, and 25G uplinks
• Build and manage cloud-managed wireless deployments (Meraki dashboard, Catalyst CW9176I/CW9163E, Wi-Fi 6E/Wi-Fi 7) at scale
• Operate Cisco Catalyst Center and ThousandEyes for assurance, visibility, and end-to-end path monitoring
• Design and validate BoMs using Cisco Commerce Workspace (CCW) and the Cisco Partner Portal
• Serve as primary technical point of contact in client architecture reviews, design workshops, and executive briefings
• Interface directly with CIOs, IT directors, and facilities stakeholders from discovery through closeout
• Mentor junior engineers on delivery teams
• Support pre-sales architecture engagements including scoping, BoM development, and solution validation

Required Qualifications

• 10 years of enterprise network and wireless architecture experience in complex, multi-site environments
• Hands-on professional services, consulting, or implementation delivery experience is required. Candidates with design-only, theoretical, or certification-track backgrounds without real deployment history will not be considered
• Customer-facing delivery experience is required. You must have worked directly with enterprise clients in project delivery or professional services engagements — not purely in internal IT roles
• Demonstrated track record of deploying, implementing, and troubleshooting network and wireless infrastructure in live enterprise environments
• Certifications alone do not qualify — CCIE and CCNP credentials must be backed by verifiable hands-on production deployment history
• CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure — active certification required at time of hire
• Cisco Meraki Solutions Specialist (CMSS) — active certification required at time of hire
• CCNP Enterprise and CCNP Security — active, at advanced practitioner level
• CWDP (Certified Wireless Design Professional) with demonstrated Ekahau proficiency
• Hands-on experience with Cisco Catalyst Center and Meraki across production deployments
• Deep fluency in BGP, OSPF, MPLS, SD-WAN, VSS, and advanced L2/L3 redundancy design
• Experience delivering network architecture to higher education institutions or large enterprise campus environments
• Ability to produce client-ready HLD/LLD independently, with full ownership of validation, configuration management, and knowledge transfer

Preferred Qualifications

• CWNE (Certified Wireless Network Expert)
• CWNA and CWSP certifications
• Prior experience delivering through Cisco Professional Services or Cisco Advanced Services; VAR and systems integrator professional services backgrounds are also welcomed
• Experience supporting Cisco partner engagements and working within partner delivery frameworks

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation is structured at the senior end of Squadra's engineering band and reflects the CCIE-level credential and client-facing accountability the role requires. Specific ranges are discussed during the interview process.

FTE candidates receive base salary, performance-based incentive tied to delivery and client satisfaction, medical/dental/vision, 401(k) with company match, and a professional development budget covering certification maintenance and training.

Why Squadra

You will work on technically complex, high-visibility engagements — not commodity rollouts. This is a founder-led company where senior engineers have direct input on how the practice evolves. Your CCIE, CMSS, and wireless expertise are not window dressing here — they drive how we win and deliver work.

To apply, contact Squadra Solutions Talent Acquisition directly.

Squadra Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are a minority-owned business and actively support diverse, inclusive hiring.