About the role
Technical Architects set and enforce the technical standards on an engagement and are the final authority on whether the build meets them. You own the architecture, the review of everything the team generates, and every production deployment. Perficient's Salesforce practice delivers in small, AI-first teams. AI drafts most of what used to be written by hand — requirements, stories, configuration, tests and documentation — and a named person reviews, corrects and approves every piece of it, and is accountable for it. We hire people who can direct that work, defend it in front of a client, and keep learning as the tools change.
ResponsibilitiesWhat you'll do
The pillars of being a successful Technical Architect at Perficient are:
Own the technical architecture, security architecture, integration design and data model, on the platform and beyond it.
Advise on technical approach and feasibility during the pursuit, and stand behind the technical estimate.
Assess deployability early — how much of the build is source-controlled metadata and what will be manual — because that figure drives how much the build actually compresses.
State a review capacity ceiling before each sprint: how much generated output the team can meaningfully review. It is not negotiable downward by the schedule.
Record technical approval on every story, disposition first-pass review findings, and return final review decisions within one business day.
Verify every platform capability claim against current documentation before it reaches a design, a client or an org.
Own release management and every production deployment, including hot fixes, from a rehearsed runbook.
Hold the executive technical relationship and present architecture to a room that includes people hoping it is wrong.
Marketing Cloud responsibilities
Administer the creation of a new Marketing Cloud instance.
Understand and implement key integrations between Marketing Cloud and the broader Salesforce ecosystem.
Architect solutions across Marketing Cloud Engagement, Marketing Cloud Next and Data 360, and decide which capability belongs in which product.
Design the Data 360 data model, data ingestion and identity resolution that feed Marketing Cloud segmentation and activation.
Guide the move from Marketing Cloud Engagement to Marketing Cloud Next, including what carries over and what is rebuilt.
How you'll use AI
Own the engagement's AI tooling configuration: which tools are used, how they are grounded in this client's org and standards, and what they are permitted to touch.
Use AI deeply across design, code, migration logic, org audits and runbooks — and read every validation query before trusting the number it returns.
Review generated work critically before it moves. Generated work fails plausibly — complete, well-formed, internally consistent and wrong — and you are the one who catches it.
Answer one question about anything you approve: what did you change or correct before you approved it? A reviewer who never has an answer is not reviewing.
Work fluently in whatever the engagement runs on — Claude, Microsoft Copilot, GitHub Copilot, platform assistants, or the client's own stack. The activity is mandatory; the tool usually is not.
Required
8+ years of relevant experience, including client-facing consulting
Salesforce technical architecture on client engagements, including integration and security across systems
Production deployment accountability on a live client system
At least one domain architect certification
Marketing Cloud Email Specialist, Marketing Cloud Developer and Marketing Cloud Consultant certifications
Demonstrated, current use of AI tools in architecture, build and review
Strong written and spoken communication, and the ability to explain complex topics to technical and non-technical audiences
Experience working on the Marketing Cloud and Salesforce.com platforms
Marketing Cloud Engagement architecture experience, including data extensions, journeys and integration with Salesforce Core
Marketing Cloud Next experience, or a clear grasp of how it differs from Marketing Cloud Engagement
Data 360 experience, including data modeling, ingestion, identity resolution and activation to Marketing Cloud
Preferred
Application Architect or System Architect designation
Delivery outside your primary platform at least once
Fixed-price or outcome-based estimates you owned and held
Experience using AMPscript in Marketing Cloud
Experience migrating a client from Marketing Cloud Engagement to Marketing Cloud Next
Data Cloud Consultant certification
Who we're looking for
Technical depth gets you in the door. Beyond that, we hire for four qualities together, not any one in isolation — and we want people who are humble enough to teach as readily as they learn, hungry enough to close a gap without being asked, and smart about people as well as platforms.
Techno-functional depth — You hold the data fundamentals with confidence and can explain complex technical matters so business and technical stakeholders both follow.
Client presence — You hold the client's technology leadership relationship and resolve engagement conflict without escalating it.
AI-native delivery — You decide how AI is used on the engagement and stay hands-on enough to judge what it produces.
Learn-fast orientation — You have taken a new product or platform from unfamiliar to architected on a live engagement.
You are already using AI tools to work faster and deliver better outcomes, and you want to keep pushing on that. This is where the practice is headed, so it is a practical, non-negotiable skill, not a nice-to-have.
The salary range for this position takes into consideration a variety of factors, including but not limited to skill sets, level of experience, applicable office location, training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The new hire salary range displays the minimum and maximum salary targets for this position across all US locations, and the range has not been adjusted for any specific state differentials. It is not typical for a candidate to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the unique facts and circumstances regarding each candidate. A reasonable estimate of the current salary range for this position is $120,000 - $170,000. Please note that the salary range posted reflects the base salary only and does not include benefits or any potential variable compensation programs. Information regarding the benefits available for this position are in our benefits overview.
Perficient Irvine, California, USA Office
2020 Main St, Irvine, CA, United States, 92614
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