Solution Architect
San Francisco CA-Hybrid
Lead a composable commerce discovery and platform assessment for a leading US retail brand followed by its implementation in longer run — own the current-state assessment, target architecture, multi-vendor evaluation and phased modernization roadmap, working onsite with client leadership, ISVs and steering an offshore assessment pod.
Required Qualifications:
Minimum 12+ years in eCommerce technology, with 5+ years as a Solution Architect owning end-to-end commerce architecture.
5+ years architecting on composable/MACH platforms — hands-on depth in at least two of Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Commercetools, Shopify (Plus/Hydrogen/Functions), SCAYLE, VTEX, Spryer, Fabric or Elastic Path, including their real constraints, not just certifications.
Recommended to have led at least one platform selection/assessment end to end — KPI-based scoring model, RFP, vendor deep-dives, and a recommendation presented to executive leadership.
Must have architected at least one from-scratch or full-replatform enterprise eCommerce implementation through to production.
Expert across commerce subsystems: Profile, Product/Catalog & PIM, Browse & Search, Cart/Order/Checkout, Pricing & Promotions, Payments, Inventory, Returns and Back Office.
Strong foundation in enterprise Java Springboot microservices — enough to review the offshore team's designs and challenge an ISV's technical claims in a deep-dive.
Event-driven and reactive architecture: event modelling, orchestration vs choreography, idempotency, and eventual consistency in order and inventory flows.
PBC integration architecture across search & discovery (Constructor, Bloomreach, Algolia, Coveo), CMS (Contentstack, Contentful, Amplience), personalization/recommendations (Adobe Target, Dynamic Yield), loyalty, OMS and payment/fraud/tax providers.
Ability to assess true modularity — swap-ability per domain, lock-in surface, event coverage, extension model and data export rights.
Expert in one CSP (AWS/Azure/GCP) with in-depth knowledge of its services; strong on API gateways, serverless, containers and messaging (EventBridge/SQS/SNS/Kinesis/Kafka).
Infrastructure-as-code with Terraform or equivalent (CloudFormation/ARM/Deployment Manager).
SQL and NoSQL data architecture (MySQL, Oracle, Postgres, MongoDB, Cassandra, Cosmos, DynamoDB), plus product data modelling, catalog unification and search-index strategy.
Strong API architecture: REST, GraphQL (incl. federation), JSON, OpenAPI/Swagger, versioning and contract governance.
Headless storefront architecture — React/Next.js, edge rendering, BFF patterns, caching (Redis/Hazelcast/CDN), Core Web Vitals and SEO continuity through a phased migration.
Observability and performance engineering with New Relic, Datadog or equivalent; NFR rigour across capacity, resilience, PCI-DSS, CCPA/GDPR and WCAG 2.1 AA.
Must be able to build and defend a TCO model — licence/consumption cost, implementation and run cost, CAPEX/OPEX, and the cost of capability gaps.
Experience defining phased, strangler-pattern roadmaps that absorb an incumbent platform slice by slice, with parity gates and no big-bang cutover.
Good Retail domain knowledge; apparel/fashion preferred.
Exposure to subscription or curated/stylist-led commerce models is a strong plus.
Agentic commerce readiness — governed, machine-consumable access to catalog, inventory, pricing and order data — is an added advantage.
Proficient in Agile methodologies and JIRA.
Professional Skill Requirements:
Proven ability to work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment, creating structure where the client has none.
This is a client-facing onsite role — exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with business partners, technology partners, peers and senior management.
Executive presence able to deliver an unwelcome finding without triggering defensiveness, and to hold a position under pressure from a vendor or an internal advocate.
Workshop facilitation — able to run a room with competing agendas and leave with a decision.
Exceptional written output: assessment charters, architecture blueprints, scoring narratives and board-ready readouts.
Vendor/ISV management — runs RFPs firmly and fairly, extracts written commitments, and distinguishes roadmap promises from shipped capability.
Able to lead and quality-gate an offshore pod across a significant timezone offset, personally reviewing every artefact before it reaches the client.
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work with multiple stakeholders across engineering, product, merchandising and finance to drive success.