Architect, Software Engineering (Adobe Experience, Engineering & Platforms)

WHY DEPT®?

We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA.

We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter.

At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build.

THE ROLE

We are seeking a visionary and market-experienced Senior Architect, Experience Engineering & Platforms to join DEPT®'s growing Adobe practice in North America. In this executive-level role, you will serve as the most senior client-facing voice on large-scale digital platform transformations — defining the architectural direction for headless CMS implementations, composable experience ecosystems, and Adobe-native delivery infrastructure. You will own the intellectual agenda of the Experience Engineering & Platforms pillar: shaping methodology, building go-to-market positioning, and establishing DEPT® as the authoritative partner for enterprise organizations navigating the shift from monolithic CMS architectures to modern, performance-first stacks built on Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Sites, Edge Delivery Services (EDS), Adobe Commerce, and Adobe CDN. At Level 4, you are not executing within a defined scope — you are defining the scope for engagements worth millions of dollars and shaping the conditions under which client teams will succeed over a three-to-five year horizon.

Your clients are Global 2000 enterprises — retailers, financial services companies, media organizations, and B2B technology firms — who are hitting the ceiling of what their legacy platforms can deliver. They come to DEPT® because their existing AEM monolith cannot support the experimentation velocity their marketing team demands, because page performance is dragging down conversion rates in measurable ways, or because they need to scale content operations across dozens of markets without proportionally scaling headcount. In this role, you will produce the artifacts that define how they get from where they are to where they need to be: platform architecture assessments that expose technical debt and surface migration paths, multi-year transformation roadmaps that sequence investment against business outcomes, composable architecture blueprints that map AEM Sites and EDS to real editorial workflows, and Commerce integration strategies that connect Adobe Commerce to a headless front end without sacrificing personalization or analytics fidelity through Adobe Target and Adobe Analytics. You will present these deliverables to CMOs, CTOs, and CDOs — and you will be expected to defend every recommendation with the rigor of someone who has built and broken these systems firsthand.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Architect Platform Transformation Programs: Lead executive advisory engagements for enterprise clients migrating off monolithic CMS platforms, producing platform architecture assessments and composable architecture blueprints that define the target state across AEM Sites, Edge Delivery Services, Adobe CDN, and integrated commerce and analytics layers. Translate technical architecture decisions into business cases that resonate with C-suite sponsors.
• Define Multi-Year Roadmaps: Develop phased transformation roadmaps that sequence AEM modernization, EDS adoption, and Commerce integration initiatives against measurable business outcomes — balancing technical feasibility, organizational change capacity, and investment horizons of three to five years. Ensure each phase delivers standalone value while building toward the full composable vision.
• Shape Pillar Methodology and Thought Leadership: Author the frameworks, assessment tools, and repeatable playbooks that define how DEPT®'s Experience Engineering & Platforms practice goes to market — including headless CMS strategy templates, EDS implementation plans, performance optimization playbooks, and composable architecture decision guides. Publish and speak on these topics to establish DEPT® and yourself as category authorities.
• Lead Pre-Sales and Strategic Account Development: Partner with DEPT® sales leadership to qualify, shape, and close strategic Adobe platform engagements, contributing architecture vision, scope definition, and executive presence to pursuit teams. Develop points of view for specific industries and use cases that open new client relationships and expand existing ones.
• Develop the Pillar Team: Mentor and grow a team of strategists, architects, and practice specialists within the Experience Engineering & Platforms pillar — conducting structured coaching, defining career development paths, leading internal knowledge-sharing, and establishing the quality bar for client deliverables across the portfolio.

WHAT YOU BRING

• 12+ Years of Enterprise Platform Experience: Deep background leading digital platform strategy and architecture engagements for large enterprise organizations, with direct responsibility for scoping, shaping, and delivering multi-year transformation programs — not just contributing to them. Experience working in or alongside a global digital agency, systems integrator, or enterprise technology consultancy is strongly preferred.
• Composable Architecture and Headless CMS Expertise: Demonstrated ability to architect and evaluate headless and composable experience platforms at enterprise scale — including content modeling for decoupled CMS deployments, API-first integration patterns, CDN strategy, and the organizational design implications of separating content authoring from front-end delivery. You have made these decisions in production environments with real stakes.
• Adobe Product Fluency: Expert-level command of the Adobe Experience Cloud products that define this pillar. You can architect, evaluate, and advise on AEM Sites (both cloud-native AEM as a Cloud Service and on-premise modernization scenarios), Edge Delivery Services (EDS) including document-based authoring and performance optimization, Adobe Commerce (Magento) headless integration patterns, Adobe CDN configuration and performance strategy, Adobe Analytics implementation and data layer architecture, and Adobe Target for personalization and experimentation. At this level, fluency means you have defended these choices in front of CTOs and can articulate the tradeoffs — not just the feature lists.
• Executive Stakeholder Management and Advisory Presence: Proven track record of building trusted advisor relationships with CMOs, CTOs, CDOs, and Executive VPs — facilitating difficult conversations about platform investment, organizational change, and technology risk without losing either rigor or relationship. You can command a room of skeptical enterprise executives and walk out with alignment.
• Practice Building and Commercial Acumen: Experience developing intellectual capital, go-to-market assets, and repeatable delivery methodologies within a consulting or agency practice. You understand how a pillar generates revenue, how to position against competing approaches, and how to develop and retain the talent that executes on the strategy you define.

WHAT DO WE OFFER

We are a collaborative, open-door, best-idea-wins environment that fosters personal and company growth and has fun doing it. Here is a snapshot of our benefits package:

• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401k plan, plus matching
• PTO
• Paid Company Holidays
• Parental Leave

WE SUPPORT YOU BEING YOU: 

DEPT® is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We believe our work is its best when our people feel safe and free to be themselves. We’re committed to an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process and workplace, regardless of anyone’s identity, background, beliefs, lifestyle or disabilities. So tell us about any accommodations you need. It’s totally confidential and only used to make sure you feel fully supported at every step. 

DEPT® participates in E-Verify, meaning your Form I-9 information will be sent to the federal government to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S. 

We are a B Corp-certified company passionate about purpose-driven work.  Our hope is that you can feel good about the contributions DEPT® is making to the world and we always have an open door for your ideas in making the world a better place. 

DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Coach, eBay, and OpenAI.

Learn more about DEPT®

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine. 

We also encourage you  to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.

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