The Technical Architect is a seasoned technologist with a sales and marketing orientation. This individual will work with Sales Managers and prospective clients to provide pre-sales presentation and lead technical direction for implementation alternatives, system architectures, and integration with other systems.  

Typical Responsibilities:  

Supports sales to new and potential customers by:  
· Identifying opportunities and relative benefits of alternative technical approaches.  
· Understanding how all the products interact.  
Deliverables include:  
· Installation diagrams showing how a particular prospect might integrate with a solution.  

Articulates architecture regarding:  
· How the internals work on different platforms (DEC, IBM, UNIX, NT)  
· Network and connectivity options in the host and PC environments  
Deliverables include:  
· Training course at User Group Meeting  
· System integration diagrams for marketing brochures  

Presents development concepts to prospects through pre-sales presentations:  
· Translating installation and development work into manageable tasks  
· Tracking progress on project and assisting with problems  
Deliverables include:  
· Project plan with the technical tasks identified  
· Participating in on-site visits to prospective clients and phone conferences with Sales personnel  

Explains interfaces by:  
· Understanding and current and potential interfaces  
· Describing available options to customer, Client Services, and Sales staff  
Deliverables include:  
· Documentation on interfaces  
· List of data sources for proposals  

Acts as the "technical contact" for potential customer accounts by:  
· Providing guidance and direction to new projects  
· Providing an empowered, identifiable contact for customers with issues  
Deliverables include:  
· Technical presentation and public assumption of responsibility at pre-sales meetings  
· "Advisory Group" and "User Group" presentations.  

Encourages good technical practices and product evaluation by:  
· Acting as a training and consulting resource to the Sales and Service Group  
· Designing and documenting enhancements that would improve interfaces  
Deliverables include:  
· Functional specifications of interfaces.  

Primary Skills & Experience Criteria  

Judgment and Organization--Demonstrates ability to coordinate and juggle multiple client interactions. Prioritizes need and interactions to balance reactivity to short term demands with support of longer term development initiatives.  

Technical Depth--Interacts credibly with technical experts in Unix (Solaris, HP-UX), MVS/CICS, VAX, NT, files systems, Windows, inter-system communications, and Novell Networks.  

Application Expertise--Describes and demonstrates basic features of all of the products. Structures the data elements in interfaces and assists Client Consultants in designing approaches to access of data.  

Responsiveness--Provides correct answers to customer issues ad scenarios with little preparation or delay. Able to travel.  

Orientation--Demonstrates service and team orientation along with a positive, goal focused approach. Able to respond to many different constituencies.  

Leadership--Stimulates passion and provides direction without having formal authority.  

Analysis and Presentation--Devises innovative solutions to technical problems. Demonstrates the ability to identify and analyze problems along with the ability to coherently organize, express and articulate (or document) proposed solutions in a structured, comprehensive manner that reassures customers and fosters teamwork.