Pre-Sales Solution Architect - Cyber Security

POSITION DETAILS:

Position Title:

 Pre-Sales Solution Architect – Cyber Security

Reports to (POSITION):

Lead Pre-Sales Architect – Cyber Security

Team:

Technical Pre-Sales

Department:

Services & Solutions

PURPOSE OF JOB:

(OVERALL DESCRIPTION OF THE POST WITHIN THE TEAM AND ORGANISATION)

The Pre-Sales Solution Architect – Cyber Security is responsible for leading the scoping, shaping and preparation of Statements of Work for security services, particularly focused on Assurance Testing and Penetration Testing services, alongside broader Security pre‑sales engagements.

The role works closely with Account Managers, Sales Specialists, Vendor Managers and our internal and external delivery resources to ensure Security opportunities are correctly qualified, accurately scoped and commercially sound. This is a customer‑facing role with ownership of scope quality, technical direction and governance for Security pre‑sales activity. This includes acting as a Subject Matter Expert within Assurance and Advisory Services.

Security technical focus

Apply practical and theoretical experience across the Security stacks, while maintaining awareness of complementary security technologies that may augment or enhance existing solutions.

This role requires the ability to position suitable aligned Security solutions as the core proposition, whilst understanding when additional vendor capabilities or practice areas may be appropriate to meet specific customer requirements.

An understanding of the processes and function behind penetration testing and associated services is key within this role.

This role will focus primarily around the two areas below in bold, but will have crossover into other areas:

• Threat & Exposure Management (eg. Red Teaming, Penetration Testing, CTEM, VM, OT)
• Security Operations and Governance (eg. SIEM, GRC, TPRM, Workshops and Assessments)
• Identity and Access Management (eg. PAM, PIM, NHI, ITDR, MFA, SSO)
• DataCentre and Cloud Security (eg. CNAPP, Micro-Segmentation, CSPM, CWP)
• Application Security/DevSecOps (eg. Email, SAST/DAST, SCS, WAF)
• AI Security (eg. LLM Protection, Prompt Injection Defense, Model Security, AI Governance)
• Data Security (eg. DSPM, DLP, Encryption, Insider Risk, HSM)
• Network Security (eg. NGFW, NAC, NDR, SASE, SSE, Secure SD-WAN)

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Service scoping and SOW preparation

• Work closely with internal stakeholders to scope service requirements and opportunities.
• Prepare accurate, high quality Statements of Work for Service Delivery.
• Ensure scope, assumptions, prerequisites and deliverables are clearly defined and accurate.
• Support any relevant eligibility checks and pre-engagement validation in line with processes.
• Lead customer discovery sessions to understand security requirements, risks, objectives and desired outcomes.
• Ownership of service opportunities, with timely and appropriate communications with internal and external stakeholders.

Cyber Security technical focus

• Apply learned experience within CyberSecurity to identify suitable opportunities.
• Knowledge around an area of; Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Management, CVE scoring, Exposure and Risk Management are key to this role.
• Understand the context of customer engagements as it pertains to good CyberSecurity practice.
• Act as a Subject Matter Expert, providing informed guidance and opinions.
• Competitive landscape, market awareness and suitability for customer requirements.
• Maintain awareness of relevant security solutions outside of the aligned areas, ensuring recommendations remain outcome‑led and appropriate to the customer environment.

Customer and internal collaboration

• Act as the technical bridge between Account Teams, Sales Support teams, the Lead Pre Sales Architect – Cyber Security, and delivery teams.
• Participate in customer pre scoping calls to clarify requirements, objectives, and success criteria.
• Support handover from pre sales into service delivery, by remaining accountable for opportunity quality through to customer approval and transition into delivery
• Maintain ownership of aligned opportunities, ensuring clear and continual communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Translate business and technical requirements into solution outcomes.

Documentation and quality control

• Maintain consistency and quality across all SOWs.
• Ensure documentation is audit‑ready and aligned to any vendor funding expectations, as well as Bytes internal expectations.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of templates and scoping guidance.
• Proactively identify and support improvements in efficiency and working practices within the Bytes pre-sales function.

Capability development

• Maintain awareness of any aligned vendor roadmaps and funding changes.
• Ensure good knowledge of the CyberSecurity market, both within the UK and more widely.
• Support Sales enablement efforts, whether internally or during vendor enablement sessions.
• Undertake industry training and learning opportunities for further growth and development, as agreed with the Lead Security Pre-Sales Architect.

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, & SKILLS:

(DELETE AS REQUIRED IF ESSENTIAL OR DESIRABLE, REMOVE UNNECESSARY REQUIRENENTs)

Educational Qualifications:

• Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Cyber Security or related field

DESIRABLE

• Equivalent industry experience in lieu of formal education

ESSENTIAL

Professional Qualifications

• Relevant industry certifications, such as;
• Recognised CyberSecurity vendor certifications (Microsoft, CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, etc.)
• Industry recognised CyberSecurity certifications (Sec+, CEH, etc.)

DESIRABLE

Years of Experience

• 2-5 years in a Technical CyberSecurity, solution architecture, or security consulting role

ESSENTIAL

Other Requirements

• Awareness of non‑focus security solutions that commonly integrate with or complement a typical organisation’s Security portfolio

DESIRABLE

• Experience leading customer discovery and scoping sessions

DESIRABLE

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

ESSENTIAL

• Awareness of industry frameworks and regulations applicable to the UK and EU market

ESSENTIAL

• Understanding of security operating models, SIEM or SOC concepts

DESIRABLE

CORE COMPETENCIES & SKILLS – BASED ON POSITION AND GRADE

Competency

Description

Technical Judgement

Ability to make sound scoping and design decisions across aligned Security portfolio

DESIRABLE

Customer Engagement

Confident leading security‑focused customer conversations.

ESSENTIAL

Commercial Awareness

Strong understanding of scope control and services follow‑on, fixed-fee vs time and materials, assumptions, caveats, estimation of effort and margin protection.

DESIRABLE

Documentation Quality

Produces clear, accurate, audit‑ready SOWs.

ESSENTIAL

Communication

Clear communicator with technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

ESSENTIAL

Strategic Thinking

Aligns security engagements to customer outcomes.

DESIRABLE

Solution Objectivity

Ability to assess when a solution is a suitable fit for a customer outcome, or not, and articulate this.

DESIRABLE