This role is a customer facing role, focused on shaping and guiding customer responses, providing technology design and associated estimation and costing to meet and exceed customer expectations. The solution designer is responsible for evaluating and understanding the requirements of the customer either through written documentation or verbal meetings and translating them into ‘best of breed’ solutions.

Job title:

Presales Solution Designer – Secure Infrastructure

Job Description:

Capita Technology Solutions is one of the key growth pillars for Capita, providing IT & Connectivity services across Capita companies and to Capita customers.  Secure Infrastructure (Electranet) is focused on delivery of physical infrastructure, including cabling, security, A/V and Smart Buildings solutions, into a range of security sensitive clients.

Presales has a key role in building the future CTS, supporting our sales teams in leading the development of compelling, innovative, cost competitive and repeatable proposals that leverage focus around our applications, datacentre and modern workplace infrastructure capability, providing input and support to broader opportunities.

This role is a customer facing role, focused on shaping and guiding customer responses, providing technology design and associated estimation and costing to meet and exceed customer expectations.  The solution designer is responsible for evaluating and understanding the requirements of the customer either through written documentation or verbal meetings and translating them into ‘best of breed’ solutions.

Leadership:

• Be a thought leader for the secure infrastructure area, ensuring we understand market trends – including:
  • Physical security (CCTV, Access Control etc.)
  • Audio Visual (A/V) infrastructure
  • Smart buildings.
  • Structured cabling
• Support’ the Capita growth target across multiple geographies, ensuring we are doing the right thing for our clients and customers and working in partnership with our delivery teams.
• Lead by example, ‘set the tone’ and define the future direction for the function and its services, drive quality in every customer response.
• Be a ‘go to person’ for presales advice and guidance.

Relationship Management:

• Build strong and collaborative relationships across Capita Technology Presales and broader Capita, to ensure the function is aligned and integrated with the wider business and its processes.
• Develop productive relationships with customers inside and outside Capita, working in partnership to reduce silos across Capita and drive joint success with our customers.
• Maintain strong vendor alliances and awareness of new technologies coming to market.

Person Profile

• Proven presales capability, leading development of innovative and efficient responses which achieve demonstrable success.
• Demonstrable knowledge of the secure infrastructure technology – including a background in one of more of the following:
  • Physical security (CCTV, Access Control etc.)
  • Audio Visual (A/V) infrastructure
  • Smart buildings
  • Structured cabling

• Personal integrity that builds trust and confidence in clients and colleagues.
• Confident and personable with strong inter-personal skills, able to communicate effectively and compellingly at all levels of an organisation, through a variety of different methods (including verbal, written and presentation).
• Listen, engage and discuss appropriately (consultative, not afraid to challenge, positive and persuasive without the need to preach).
• Proactive and collaborative approach to working with clients, colleagues, partners & vendors.

Key Relationships

• Growth Leadership Team:
  • Sales & Marketing teams, including Sector and Specialist Sales teams
  • Bid Director and Bid teams
  • Products and Propositions CVP owners
  • Peer relationships, across the presales function
• Partners within Growth:
  • Finance
  • Marketing
  • Commercial
• Broader Capita including delivery organisation teams
• Customers
• Technology Vendors

Key Responsibilities

• Take responsibility for the performance and quality of output to support growth; ensuring timescales are met, pricing and technical designs are completed in line with business strategy and targets.
• Working directly on customer opportunities, attending customer meetings and developing high quality responses to their needs.
• Working directly on customer market advertisements, responding to tenders and pre qualifications, understanding requirements and defining solutions to provide compelling submissions.
• Primary focus in delivering net new external business, also major internal Capita opportunities as sell through opportunities.
• Provide subject matter expertise to bids, assuring quality of input and overall proposals for bids.
• Innovation – drive innovation in our approach to customer needs.
• Knowledgebase - work closely with Sales & Marketing and Presales Improvement lead to generate a comprehensive knowledgebase/library to support the end-to-end pre-sales and sales lifecycle.
• Provide pre-sales support to the broader growth team, to help stimulate demand for services and inform/influence sales opportunities.
• To assist the Account Manager and/or Bid Manager with the technical qualification of a new business opportunity or prospect, or with a complex requirement within an existing Customer account, to ensure that it aligns with Capita target markets, portfolio, delivery and lifecycle services capability.
• Support the CVP and product teams, by aligning proposals against CVPs wherever possible.  Provide feedback on gaps or development opportunities, act as the voice of the customer as we continue to develop and evolve.
• Drive the simplification and standardisation of processes, tools and associated documents supporting the bid cycle.
• Ongoing vendor alignment to capture, latest releases, updates, pricing and technology roadmaps.
• Maintaining skills by way of attending seminars, courses and self-study, relevant to current business strategy
• Attainment and retention of appropriate recognised industry and vendor qualifications
• Identifying areas for improvement in the presales process to drive customer benefits.

Key Skills

• Strong understanding of secure infrastructure, along with a view of the broader technology market.  Good understanding of technology trends and how they affect Capita and our customers
• Evidence of experience of defining and delivering secure infrastructure based solutions
• Secure Infrastructure Vendor certification
• Demonstrable skills in understanding the needs of organisations and designing and delivering compelling solutions to address them.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the bigger picture of how our team fits into the Capita organisation and articulate how the function should align and integrate to positively contribute.
• Able to work autonomously aligned with broad direction.
• Outcome driven against targets, strong focus on execution, “getting things done”.
• Proactive and collaborative approach to working with colleagues and clients.
• Able to manage competing priorities for own activities, to deliver against agreed priorities and deadlines, escalating if required.
• Comfortable working in a fast paced and dynamic environment.
• Proactive approach to managing actions.
• Clear and concise communication skills (verbal, written & presentational).
• Working closely and maintaining relationships with key vendors.
• Worked on CPNI projects

Essential

• Enhanced Security Clearance (minimum SC/NPPV3) is needed for the role, existing clearance, or suitability for clearance to be achieved required 
• Secure Infrastructure key sector or product knowledge
• Extensive experience of delivering solutions and proposals to address complex opportunities.
• Flexible, able to travel, and stay away from home when required.
• Able to build effective relationships, internal and external and at all levels.
• Attention to detail.
• Current full UK driving licence.

What we hope you’ll do next:

Choose ‘Apply now’ to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive base salary plus bonus
• 23 days’ holiday (rising to 27) with the opportunity to buy extra leave
• The opportunity to take a paid day out of the office, volunteering for our charity partners or a cause of your choice
• Company matched pension, life assurance, a cycle2work scheme, 15 weeks’ fully paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, paternity pay of two weeks…and plenty more
• Voluntary benefits designed to suit your lifestyle – from discounts on retail and socialising, to health & wellbeing, travel and technology
• Access to our Employee Network Groups, which represent every strand of diversity and allow colleagues to connect and learn from each other on an open, inclusive platform

You’ll get the chance to follow your chosen career path anywhere in Capita. You’ll be joining a network of 63,000 experienced, innovative and dedicated individuals across multiple disciplines and sectors. There are countless opportunities to learn new skills and develop in your career, and we’ll provide the support you need to do just that. Our purpose is to create a better outcome for you.

What we hope you’ll do next:

Choose ‘Apply now’ to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you.

We’re an equal opportunity employer, which means we’ll consider all suitably qualified applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or beliefs, age, sexual orientation, disability status or any other protected characteristic. We recruit and develop our people based on merit and their passion for creating better outcomes, and we’re committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

All interviews, assessments and background checks will continue to take place online, to completely remove the need for face-to-face contact. All Capita colleagues who can work from home should do so; and where it is not possible for colleagues to work remotely, we have taken important steps to protect those working from Capita’s offices. Social distancing, enhanced hygiene and safety measures are already in place at all Capita locations that are open to protect our colleagues and manage the risk of COVID-19. The welfare of our people is of paramount importance to us, and we’re doing everything we can to keep our colleagues and customers safe during this time.

To view our Covid-19 and process adjustments information, please visit the Capita Careers site.