Principal Technical Architect

Who We Are:

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse. 

Our global family now encompasses over 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences.  Our expertise spans the entire customer journey, offering deep insights in communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, CX, data, production, and technology. We deliver end-to-end solutions that result in revolutionary work. 

The opportunity:

We are seeking a Principal Technical Architect to work closely with our Principal Solution Architect in building a strategic roadmap that will help guide our clients visions for building a common commerce experience across several channels based upon Salesforce Commerce Cloud. 

You will be responsible for translating the solution design into detailed technical designs using a wide range of technologies from Salesforce Commerce Cloud, through to client-specific cloud solutions and event architecture. You’ll develop relationships with key client-side stakeholder’s while also working closely with our internal delivery teams to ensure your architecture vision is realised  

What you’ll be doing:

• Create complex technical solutions spanning multiple domains  
• Establish technical standards and patterns across programmes  
• Lead architectural decisions with significant organisational impact  
• Resolve complex technical challenges requiring specialist expertise  
• Drive technical debt remediation strategies  
• Create automated delivery pipelines across platforms  
• Architect scalable, secure, and high-performance backend systems for enterprise applications  
• Make and justify key architectural decisions considering all relevant constraints  
• Follow the principles and guidance set out by the Solution Architecture team  

What we want from you:

• Enterprise-level expertise across all technical architecture domains  
• Strategic understanding of emerging technologies and their business impact  
• Deep knowledge of critical system design and fault tolerance  
• Expert knowledge of enterprise-scale architectural patterns  
• Comprehensive understanding of technical innovation and transformation  
• Advanced expertise in technical risk management at scale  
• Authority in technical standards and governance  
• Deep expertise across application, integration, data, and infrastructure architecture  
• Comprehensive knowledge of distributed systems and advanced architectural patterns  
• Expert understanding of cloud platforms and serverless architectures  
• Strong grasp of enterprise integration patterns and distributed transactions  
• Proven experience of designing and delivering an eCommerce solution with Salesforce Commerce Cloud 
• Core understanding of the capabilities of a wide range of technologies typically found within an eCommerce landscape typically found in an eCommerce solution such as OMS, PIM, CRM, Search and apply this knowledge to your solutions  
• Be client and delivery focussed, able to adapt a solution to meet additional requirements and constraints and apply pragmatism when required  
• Prior experience running design workshops   
• Strong stakeholder management skills   
• Have excellent communication, presentation and documentation skills  

If you know some of this, even better:

• Experience with event-driven architecture and streaming platforms. 
• Knowledge of caching strategies. 
• Ability to work cross-functionally. 

What we can offer you:

Alongside the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting brands around the world, we’ll also prioritise your career development and help you grow your skills. We’ll empower you to make a difference, allow you to be yourself, and respect who you are.

Permanent only:
We offer a great benefits package including a discretionary bonus scheme, training opportunities, competitive pension, medical insurance, life assurance, social events, opportunities to buy and sell holidays, family friendly policies, discounts with hundreds of retailers and much more.

Our culture thrives on our core values, designed for impact-driven individuals: Heart, Brains and Courage.

We lead with Heart, fostering empathy and trust where genuine connections and human-centric work flourish.
We empower your Brains for innovation, valuing relentless curiosity and collaborative intelligence to solve complex challenges.
And we champion Courage, inspiring you to speak up, embrace experimentation, and advocate for bold solutions that push our thinking to be better than yesterday.

AT VML Enterprise Solutions

Our Enterprise Solutions division houses strategic consultants, creative and technical architects and skilled developers and operators that together help some of the world’s leading organisations to deliver outstanding digital experiences across all major routes to market worldwide: marketplaces, online retailers, D2C, B2B and social platforms. With over 4,200 experts in 55 operational centres across 34 countries, our capabilities span the entire buying journey from customer acquisition, through engagement, to conversion and loyalty, driving multi-channel growth for world-leading brands.

We work with some of the most exciting brands such as The Coca-Cola Company, EY, Bosch, Unilever, Ford, DFS, Mercedes-Benz, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, Sainsbury’s, Selfridges, Shell and Tiffany & Co. We’ve built over 500 platforms for brands and retailers and generate in excess of $29bn annually for our clients and work with over 50 strategic partners including Adobe, SAP, Salesforce, HCL, Shopify, Sitecore, BigCommerce, commerce tools and Acquia. Our reputation is based on our people, and we believe we have some of the best in the business.

As our business grows internationally, we’re looking for new people to join us on our journey to inspire and take a key role in shaping some of the best commerce solutions, services, and websites in the world. Working as a team, no problem is insurmountable; we share in our client’s successes and believe that anyone can show creative bravery no matter what their role is in the team.

#LI-EMEA #LI-REMOTE #LI-JS1

WPP (VML Enterprise Solutions) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. 

VML is a WPP Agency. For more information, please visit our website, and follow VML on our social channels via Instagram, LinkedIn, and X. 

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