Senior IT Infrastructure Solution Architect - Freelance

Context

The Belgian and European energy landscape is in full swing. A leading European transmission system operator ensures the reliability and sustainability of the electricity supply in Belgium.

Side-by-side with other contingent workers and staff, you will play a part in building a sustainable, green, and reliable energy infrastructure that stimulates economic growth and reduces the ecological footprint.

The organization believes in the power of diversity and is convinced that an inclusive and diverse work environment leads to more innovation, creativity, and better results.

Missions

• Act as the senior analyst for complex IT Infrastructure resource and service requests that span several server-related infrastructure domains and cannot be fully assessed within a single team or through a rapid first analysis.

• Complement, not replace, the domain teams: requests that clearly belong to Ops Windows, Ops Linux, IAM, Application Management and Deployment, or DBAs remain with those teams, while requests involving several of these teams are taken up by this role for deeper requirement analysis and fact finding.

• Identify the real underlying need behind incoming requests and translate incomplete or unclear input into structured, understandable, and assessable infrastructure requirements.

• Challenge assumptions, ask the right questions, identify missing information, and document constraints, dependencies, risks, and possible impacts.

• Discuss technical possibilities with relevant IT Infrastructure subject matter experts across the in-scope domains, including Ops Windows, Ops Linux, IAM, Application Management and Deployment, and DBAs.

• Assess whether requests fit existing IT standards and identify where standards are unclear, incomplete, or not yet documented.

• Prepare clear and well-founded request files for review and approval by the relevant decision board, including needs, possible options, constraints, risks, cost, and operational impact.

• Assist IT Infrastructure and Operations with architectural input and decision preparation where required.

• Approximately 20% of the role may involve infrastructure and server architecture activities, but the main focus remains requirement analysis, solution shaping, and preparation of decisions.

Requirements

• Computer science degree, training as a specialist for system integration, or comparable experience.

• Proven senior experience in IT Infrastructure, preferably in complex enterprise environments with at least 500 employees.

• Broad understanding of server-related IT Infrastructure domains such as Windows Server, Linux Red Hat, Active Directory, ADFS, modern authentication methods, databases, storage, virtualization, application management and deployment, data exchange platforms, RDP solutions, containerized solutions, security principles, and on-premise/cloud integration where relevant.

• Able to understand technical input from subject matter experts without needing to be the hands-on expert in each domain.

• Strong experience in requirement gathering, request clarification, fact finding, solution analysis, and preparation of decision material.

• Able to identify possible solution directions, compare them with standards and constraints, and explain the trade-offs in a clear and structured way.

• This is not primarily a hands-on implementation role. The ideal candidate has evolved from technical infrastructure work into analysis, solution shaping, and decision preparation, and is comfortable operating at a conceptual and architectural level.

Other Important Skills

• Planning and organizational skills (working with strict deadlines and coping with stress).

• Good analytical skills.

• Security-focused mindset and highly developed practical common sense.

• Good presentation skills.

• Fluent oral communication in Dutch and French (one of both has to be native) and English to people/stakeholders with different technical knowledge and background.

• Speaking and understanding German is a plus.

• Ability to work independently.

• Customer-minded and team player.

• Able and willing to learn new products and environments quickly.

• Accountable and not a 9 to 5 worker.

Working Conditions

• Location: Brussels

• Onsite presence: 2 days of physical presence on site per week by default is required

• For non-EU candidates, must possess a work permit allowing work in Belgium and hold a valid residence permit confirming the right of residence in Belgium.

• Contract start date: 19-10-2026

• Contract end date: 31-12-2027

• Extension possible

• Number of positions: 1