Solutions Architect

Why Babble?

Babble is a Customer Experience-led growth business. As the ultimate Trusted Advisor for cloud-based technologies, we specialize in empowering businesses with the best solutions from the world's leading providers.

We are specialists in:

• Microsoft Modern Work
• Cybersecurity
• Contact Centre Technology
• Mobile Solutions
• Communications & Connectivity

With thousands of customers, we're just scratching the surface of our potential. Many of our clients currently benefit from one or two of our technologies, presenting an incredible opportunity to introduce them to our full suite of market-leading solutions.

Join us on this exciting journey and let's achieve greatness together!

About Us | Leading UK Cloud Solutions Provider | Babble  

Join Our Dynamic Team as a Solutions Architect! 🌟 

Do you enjoy building complex Microsoft Azure solutions, not just designing them? Do you thrive in a fast-paced, innovative environment? At Babble, we’re on a mission to be our customers’ most trusted advisor for cloud-based technologies. We’re looking for passionate and talented individuals to join our dynamic team. If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you!  

Purpose of the Role

The Solutions Architect is a senior, hands-on technical delivery resource and technical authority within the Babble Professional Services team. The primary focus of the role is the personal implementation, configuration and deployment of complex customer solutions, centred on Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure and extending across Modern Workplace, Cyber Security, Networking and Backup/DR. Operating as a Level 3 Engineer, the role personally builds and deploys solutions on complex, high-risk and multi-domain projects and sets the technical standard for how solutions are built and configured across the team.

The role also owns the design phase of customer engagements, producing High-Level Designs, Low-Level Designs and Statements of Work that translate requirements into buildable, production-ready solutions. Design and deployment are treated as a single continuum: the Solutions Architect is accountable for the technical quality of the solution from design through to a working, tested and handed-over deployment, and stays hands-on throughout.

Key Responsibilities

Hands-on Technical Delivery

• Lead hands-on implementation on complex, high-risk or multi-domain projects including Azure Virtual Desktop deployments, complex network architectures, multi-tenant security configurations, hybrid identity environments, and large-scale migration programmes.
• Personally build, configure and deploy Microsoft Azure environments, including landing zones aligned to the Cloud Adoption Framework, management group and subscription structures, Azure Policy, RBAC and cost governance.
• Implement Azure networking, including hub-and-spoke topologies, VNet peering, Azure Firewall, NSGs, VPN Gateway, Private Endpoints, Azure DNS and hybrid connectivity to on-premises and branch sites.
• Deploy and configure identity and access solutions, including Microsoft Entra ID, hybrid identity (Entra Connect and Cloud Sync), Conditional Access and Privileged Identity Management.
• Deliver Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365 deployments end to end, including host pools, image management, FSLogix profile storage, scaling and security baselines.
• Plan and execute server, workload and data migrations to Azure using Azure Migrate and related tooling, including cutover, rollback planning and post-migration optimisation.
• Implement Azure backup and disaster recovery using Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery, including recovery testing against agreed RTO and RPO.
• Configure security and monitoring across Azure and Microsoft 365, including Defender for Cloud, Defender XDR, Microsoft Sentinel, Azure Monitor and Log Analytics.
• Automate deployment and configuration using PowerShell, Azure CLI and Infrastructure as Code (Bicep, ARM and/or Terraform), and build reusable deployment templates for the team.
• Deploy and configure the wider Babble portfolio hands-on, including Microsoft 365 and Intune, Sophos Firewall and Sophos Central, Mimecast, and Acronis Cyber Protect.
• Act as the final technical escalation point during delivery, diagnosing and resolving complex configuration, integration and environment issues directly.

Design, Assurance and Team Leadership

• Produce High-Level Designs and Low-Level Designs for customer solutions across Modern Workplace, Cyber Security, Network and Backup/DR domains, defining the technical architecture, configuration specifications, integration requirements, and dependencies that form the basis of all Professional Services delivery.
• Author Statements of Work that clearly define project scope, deliverables, assumptions, exclusions, acceptance criteria, and delivery milestones, ensuring commercial and technical alignment between what has been sold and what will be delivered.
• Provide technical guidance and design assurance throughout the delivery lifecycle, reviewing implementation progress against HLD/LLD specifications, validating configuration decisions made by fellow engineers and advising on deviations from the approved design where necessary.
• Act as a senior technical resource for the wider Professional Services team, providing guidance on design ambiguities, environment conflicts, vendor-specific technical issues, and scope boundary questions to support effective project delivery across all levels.
• Support pre-sales technical activities including customer scoping calls, solution qualification, technical feasibility assessments, and design input for proposals, ensuring opportunities are technically sound and deliverable before commitment to Statement of Work.
• Conduct technical design reviews with customers to validate requirements, confirm design assumptions, identify risks, and secure sign-off on the proposed solution architecture before delivery commences.
• Define and maintain technical standards, deployment checklists, configuration baselines, and design templates used across the Professional Services team, ensuring consistency and quality across all project deliveries.
• Validate UAT results and technical acceptance for projects where the Solutions Architect has produced the design, confirming that the delivered solution meets the specifications defined in the HLD/LLD and Statement of Work.
• Mentor and develop Level 1 and Level 2 engineers through technical guidance, design reviews, knowledge sharing and structured feedback, actively supporting career progression and capability uplift within the Professional Services team.
• Collaborate with the Support Desk, NOC, Product Managers, and Solution Leads to ensure solutions are designed for operational supportability, including monitoring requirements, escalation paths, documentation standards, and ongoing managed service compatibility.
• Identify and communicate project risks, design constraints and technical dependencies to Project Managers, the Solutions Delivery Manager and customers, providing clear recommendations and mitigation options to support informed decision-making.
• Lead post-implementation design reviews on complex projects, evaluating design effectiveness against delivery outcomes, capturing lessons learned and feeding improvements back into design standards and templates.
• Maintain expert-level technical skills and advanced vendor certifications across the Babble solution portfolio, attending vendor technical briefings, evaluating new product capabilities, advising on the evolution of the portfolio and staying current with platform roadmaps, architectural best practices and emerging technologies across Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Mimecast, Sophos, Acronis and networking.

• Extensive experience of solution design and delivery across all four domains (Modern Workplace, Cyber Security, Backup/DR and Networking) and Azure. 
• Demonstrable design authorship (High-Level Designs, Low-Level Designs and Statements of Work) and pre-sales technical experience. 
• Track record of mentoring and raising the technical capability of a delivery team. 

Desired Certifications

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305), or its current Microsoft successor certification. 
• Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert (SC-100), or its current Microsoft successor certification. 
• Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert (MS-102), or its current Microsoft successor certification. 
• Sophos Certified Architect for Sophos Firewall and Sophos Central Endpoint/Server (each requires the corresponding Sophos Certified Engineer certification as a prerequisite). 
• Acronis Certified Engineer (Cyber Protect). 
• Mimecast Certified Product Professional, Advanced level (Email Security, Cloud Gateway). 

Advantageous Certifications

• PRINCE2 7th Edition Practitioner, or equivalent project management certification (for example PMP or APM PMQ). 
• ITIL 4 Foundation (or ITIL Version 5 Foundation) in IT service management. 
• CISSP (ISC2), or equivalent senior security certification; CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) is an acceptable foundational alternative. 
• CrowdStrike Falcon certifications such as CrowdStrike Certified Falcon Administrator (CCFA) or Falcon Responder (CCFR), and familiarity with the Falcon Complete managed detection and response service.

Why work for Babble?

• Risk cover; covering Life Cover, Critical Illness Cover, funeral benefits and some Disability benefits
• 22 days holiday Balance PLUS UK Bank Holidays - with increased annual leave based on length of service
• 5% allowance based on basic salary that can be towards Medical Aid.
• UPS provided to assist with load shedding (2-4hrs power for a laptop)
• Babble issued laptop
• Annual Company Celebrations

Home-Working Policy

• Your location will be home based, and you will require stable internet connection.
• It will be your responsibility to have a solution in place to mitigate loadshedding to ensure you are able to work your normal shifts effectively, working from a public space is not deemed a acceptable solution.
• As a home worker we expect you to have a suitable work set up, desk and a chair in a quiet space.

The recruitment journey

We want to fill this role quickly, but we want to get the right person. The recruitment process will consist of a screening call. If you proceed past this then you will have an interview over Teams and possibly a follow up interview and competency testing depending on the role requirements. 

Direct Candidates Only

Babble | Leading UK Cloud Solutions Provider

Extensive experience in solution design and delivery across Modern Workplace, Cyber Security, Backup/DR, Networking, and Azure; design authorship (HLD/LLD/SOW); pre-sales experience; mentoring track record; desired certifications include Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Cybersecurity Architect Expert, Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert, Sophos Certified Architect, Acronis Certified Engineer, Mimecast Certified Product Professional.

Key Responsibilities

• implementing Azure solutions
• designing architectures
• mentoring engineers

Skills & Tools

Microsoft Azure, Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Microsoft Entra ID, Entra Connect, Cloud Sync, Conditional Access, Privileged Identity Management, FSLogix, Azure Migrate, Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery, Defender for Cloud, Defender XDR, Microsoft Sentinel, Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, PowerShell, Azure CLI, Bicep, ARM, Terraform, Microsoft 365, Intune, Sophos Firewall, Sophos Central, Mimecast, Acronis Cyber Protect

Job Details

• Category: Information Technology
• Seniority: Senior Level
• Commitment: Full Time
• Workplace: Remote — Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
• Languages: English

Benefits

• Generous paid time off

About Babble Cloud

A customer experience-led growth business and trusted advisor for cloud-based technologies, specializing in Microsoft Modern Work, cybersecurity, contact centre technology, mobile solutions, and communications. — Industry: Information Technology