We are seeking a highly accomplished Senior Technology Architect to lead the development, maintenance, and evolution of modern network and security reference architectures across Ontario's K-12 education and Broader Public Sector (BPS) environments. In this role, you will act as a vital strategic bridge, translating complex technical network rea
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lities into clear, executive-ready visuals and narratives for senior decision-makers and school board stakeholders. Operating at the intersection of modern network engineering and robust cyber protection, you will evaluate trust boundaries, design secure edge ecosystems, and deliver hands-on configuration, validation, and optimization to ensure enterprise networks remain resilient, scalable, and fully compliant.
Location: Toronto, ON (Hybrid - 2 days per week onsite, 3 days remote)
Duration: 12-month contract (with extension options through October 2027 and beyond)
Advantages
Strategic Provincial Impact: Own the overarching blueprint driving digital connectivity and infrastructure protection for Ontario's public education sector.
Advanced Multi-Vendor Stack: Master a premier enterprise sandbox combining market-leading network hardware (Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto) with predictive AI/ML routing analytics.
High-Level Collaborative Footprint: Operate as an authoritative consultant, building consensus across telecommunications providers, public stakeholders, and technology vendors.
Long-Term Flexible Runway: Capitalize on a stable 12-month technical engagement with a balanced hybrid cadence and multi-year extension pathways.
Responsibilities
Network Reference Architecture Evolution: Lead the end-to-end design, maintenance, and modernization of network blueprints—clearly defining current/target-state topographies, trust boundaries, system dependencies, and failure domains.
SDN & SD-WAN Engineering: Architect, evaluate, and provide low-level design specifications for advanced Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and SD-WAN architectures, focusing on enterprise implementations (specifically Fortinet, Meraki, and Palo Alto).
Secure Access Edge (SASE/SSE) Design: Provide subject matter expertise to integrate network routing with cloud-delivered security primitives, covering Secure Web Gateways (SWG), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB), Zero-Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA), and Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS).
Network Telemetry & Performance Optimization: Utilize network performance management and traffic analysis tools (Wireshark, PRTG, NetFlow, Syslog, IPFix) to diagnose complex latency or payload anomalies and validate architectures through rigorous network load testing.
Perimeter & Endpoint Defense Governance: Formulate baseline security controls for advanced threat containment, managing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection, Advanced Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS/IDS), and Network Access Control (NAC platforms like ClearPass or FortiNAC).
Identity Security & Authentication Architecture: Oversee the architectural design of modern authentication frameworks, including passwordless, multi-factor (MFA), certificate-based, biometric, and federated profiles (FIDO2, SAML).
SecOps, NOC & SOC Technology Integration: Provide architectural alignment across monitoring grids, including Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR), and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) components.
Executive Advisory & Visual Storytelling: Translate highly abstract technical schematics into clear, concise, plain-language visual reports and briefings tailored for C-suite executives, school boards, and ministry branches.
Vendor Validation & Governance: Review and audit architectural proposals submitted by third-party integrators, managed security service providers (MSSPs), and hardware vendors to ensure structural alignment with policy directives.
Training & Onsite Optimization: Conduct technical walkthroughs, build specialized training courses, and deliver hands-on troubleshooting and device provisioning directly at client school board sites.
Qualifications
Core Technical Architectural Seniority: 5+ years of dedicated professional experience engineering and architecting network security infrastructures within advanced SDN environments, with a strong background managing core routing fabrics (LAN/WAN, VPN, VLAN loops).
Software-Defined Networking Specialization: 5+ years of experience configuring, analyzing, and troubleshooting SDN / SD-WAN systems (specifically Fortinet, Meraki, or Palo Alto networks), preferably within the K-12 education space.
Enterprise Security & SASE Fluency: Practical solution design experience integrating next-generation firewalls, SASE/SSE cloud models, network access control hubs (Aruba ClearPass, FortiNAC), and endpoint protection suites.
Modern Identity Architecture Acumen: Demonstrated experience implementing multi-factor authentication, certificate mapping, and secure biometric protocols (FIDO2, SAML, Google Authenticator).
Telemetry Diagnostics & Traffic Analysis: Strong hands-on proficiency analyzing network telemetry, packet captures, and data logs using enterprise management utilities (SolarWinds, FortiManager, Panorama, Wireshark, PRTG).
Executive Communication & Synthesis: 5+ years of experience presenting complex technical options, writing strategic roadmaps, and delivering executive-ready summaries to non-technical leaders and cross-functional IT groups.
Public Sector Regulatory Awareness: Familiarity with the Government of Ontario's infrastructure standards (GO-ITS guidelines) and modern security frameworks, including the Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act, 2024 (EDSTA).
Education: University degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a matching technical discipline (postgraduate degrees like an M.Sc. or Ph.D. are highly valued).
Nice to Have:
Professional security and architecture credentials, such as CISSP, CISM, or CEH designations.
Practical experience developing network dashboards or data visualizations using tools like Microsoft Power BI or Tableau.
Operational familiarity with emerging Operational Technology (OT) security boundaries or machine learning tools for network data prediction.
Summary
If you're interested in the "Senior Technology Architect" role based in Toronto, we encourage you to apply online at www.randstad.ca. Only qualified candidates will be contacted for the next steps. We look forward to hearing from you!
Randstad Canada is committed to fostering a workforce reflective of all peoples of Canada. As a result, we are committed to developing and implementing strategies to increase the equity, diversity and inclusion within the workplace by examining our internal policies, practices, and systems throughout the entire lifecycle of our workforce, including its recruitment, retention and advancement for all employees. In addition to our deep commitment to respecting human rights, we are dedicated to positive actions to affect change to ensure everyone has full participation in the workforce free from any barriers, systemic or otherwise, especially equity-seeking groups who are usually underrepresented in Canada's workforce, including those who identify as women or non-binary/gender non-conforming; Indigenous or Aboriginal Peoples; persons with disabilities (visible or invisible) and; members of visible minorities, racialized groups and the LGBTQ2+ community.
Randstad Canada is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible workplace for all its candidates and employees by supporting their accessibility and accommodation needs throughout the employment lifecycle. We ask that all job applications please identify any accommodation requirements by sending an email to accessibility@randstad.ca to ensure their ability to fully participate in the interview process.
This posting is for existing and upcoming vacancies.
show more
We are seeking a highly accomplished Senior Technology Architect to lead the development, maintenance, and evolution of modern network and security reference architectures across Ontario's K-12 education and Broader Public Sector (BPS) environments. In this role, you will act as a vital strategic bridge, translating complex technical network realities into clear, executive-ready visuals and narratives for senior decision-makers and school board stakeholders. Operating at the intersection of modern network engineering and robust cyber protection, you will evaluate trust boundaries, design secure edge ecosystems, and deliver hands-on configuration, validation, and optimization to ensure enterprise networks remain resilient, scalable, and fully compliant.
Location: Toronto, ON (Hybrid - 2 days per week onsite, 3 days remote)
Duration: 12-month contract (with extension options through October 2027 and beyond)
Advantages
Strategic Provincial Impact: Own the overarching blueprint driving digital connectivity and infrastructure protection for Ontario's public education sector.
...
Advanced Multi-Vendor Stack: Master a premier enterprise sandbox combining market-leading network hardware (Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto) with predictive AI/ML routing analytics.
High-Level Collaborative Footprint: Operate as an authoritative consultant, building consensus across telecommunications providers, public stakeholders, and technology vendors.
Long-Term Flexible Runway: Capitalize on a stable 12-month technical engagement with a balanced hybrid cadence and multi-year extension pathways.
Responsibilities
Network Reference Architecture Evolution: Lead the end-to-end design, maintenance, and modernization of network blueprints—clearly defining current/target-state topographies, trust boundaries, system dependencies, and failure domains.
SDN & SD-WAN Engineering: Architect, evaluate, and provide low-level design specifications for advanced Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and SD-WAN architectures, focusing on enterprise implementations (specifically Fortinet, Meraki, and Palo Alto).
Secure Access Edge (SASE/SSE) Design: Provide subject matter expertise to integrate network routing with cloud-delivered security primitives, covering Secure Web Gateways (SWG), Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB), Zero-Trust Network Architecture (ZTNA), and Firewall-as-a-Service (FWaaS).
Network Telemetry & Performance Optimization: Utilize network performance management and traffic analysis tools (Wireshark, PRTG, NetFlow, Syslog, IPFix) to diagnose complex latency or payload anomalies and validate architectures through rigorous network load testing.
Perimeter & Endpoint Defense Governance: Formulate baseline security controls for advanced threat containment, managing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection, Advanced Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS/IDS), and Network Access Control (NAC platforms like ClearPass or FortiNAC).
Identity Security & Authentication Architecture: Oversee the architectural design of modern authentication frameworks, including passwordless, multi-factor (MFA), certificate-based, biometric, and federated profiles (FIDO2, SAML).
SecOps, NOC & SOC Technology Integration: Provide architectural alignment across monitoring grids, including Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR), and Extended Detection and Response (XDR) components.
Executive Advisory & Visual Storytelling: Translate highly abstract technical schematics into clear, concise, plain-language visual reports and briefings tailored for C-suite executives, school boards, and ministry branches.
Vendor Validation & Governance: Review and audit architectural proposals submitted by third-party integrators, managed security service providers (MSSPs), and hardware vendors to ensure structural alignment with policy directives.
Training & Onsite Optimization: Conduct technical walkthroughs, build specialized training courses, and deliver hands-on troubleshooting and device provisioning directly at client school board sites.
Qualifications
Core Technical Architectural Seniority: 5+ years of dedicated professional experience engineering and architecting network security infrastructures within advanced SDN environments, with a strong background managing core routing fabrics (LAN/WAN, VPN, VLAN loops).
Software-Defined Networking Specialization: 5+ years of experience configuring, analyzing, and troubleshooting SDN / SD-WAN systems (specifically Fortinet, Meraki, or Palo Alto networks), preferably within the K-12 education space.
Enterprise Security & SASE Fluency: Practical solution design experience integrating next-generation firewalls, SASE/SSE cloud models, network access control hubs (Aruba ClearPass, FortiNAC), and endpoint protection suites.
Modern Identity Architecture Acumen: Demonstrated experience implementing multi-factor authentication, certificate mapping, and secure biometric protocols (FIDO2, SAML, Google Authenticator).
Telemetry Diagnostics & Traffic Analysis: Strong hands-on proficiency analyzing network telemetry, packet captures, and data logs using enterprise management utilities (SolarWinds, FortiManager, Panorama, Wireshark, PRTG).
Executive Communication & Synthesis: 5+ years of experience presenting complex technical options, writing strategic roadmaps, and delivering executive-ready summaries to non-technical leaders and cross-functional IT groups.
Public Sector Regulatory Awareness: Familiarity with the Government of Ontario's infrastructure standards (GO-ITS guidelines) and modern security frameworks, including the Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act, 2024 (EDSTA).
Education: University degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a matching technical discipline (postgraduate degrees like an M.Sc. or Ph.D. are highly valued).
Nice to Have:
Professional security and architecture credentials, such as CISSP, CISM, or CEH designations.
Practical experience developing network dashboards or data visualizations using tools like Microsoft Power BI or Tableau.
Operational familiarity with emerging Operational Technology (OT) security boundaries or machine learning tools for network data prediction.
Summary
If you're interested in the "Senior Technology Architect" role based in Toronto, we encourage you to apply online at www.randstad.ca. Only qualified candidates will be contacted for the next steps. We look forward to hearing from you!
Randstad Canada is committed to fostering a workforce reflective of all peoples of Canada. As a result, we are committed to developing and implementing strategies to increase the equity, diversity and inclusion within the workplace by examining our internal policies, practices, and systems throughout the entire lifecycle of our workforce, including its recruitment, retention and advancement for all employees. In addition to our deep commitment to respecting human rights, we are dedicated to positive actions to affect change to ensure everyone has full participation in the workforce free from any barriers, systemic or otherwise, especially equity-seeking groups who are usually underrepresented in Canada's workforce, including those who identify as women or non-binary/gender non-conforming; Indigenous or Aboriginal Peoples; persons with disabilities (visible or invisible) and; members of visible minorities, racialized groups and the LGBTQ2+ community.
Randstad Canada is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible workplace for all its candidates and employees by supporting their accessibility and accommodation needs throughout the employment lifecycle. We ask that all job applications please identify any accommodation requirements by sending an email to accessibility@randstad.ca to ensure their ability to fully participate in the interview process.
This posting is for existing and upcoming vacancies.
show more
