Adobe Experience Platform Technical Lead
About SH/FT Shift Paradigm is an execution-led strategic consultancy that bridges the gap between enterprise strategy and technical reality. We partner with Fortune 500 brands and emerging leaders to solve the inherent complexity of modern digital marketing. As partners to the world’s leading MarTech platforms, including Adobe, Salesforce, Optimizely, and Braze, we deploy integrated experts across data analytics, marketing strategy, technology development, engineering, and revenue operations to ensure our clients’ tech stacks don't just exist, but perform. Adobe Experience Platform Technical Lead (Sr. Strategist, Tech Services or Principal Strategist, Tech Services)
About the Role
We're looking for a seasoned Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) Technical Lead to join our team. In this role, you'll be the go-to expert for a suite of Adobe technologies – spanning AEP, Real-Time CDP, Adobe Journey Optimizer, and Customer Journey Analytics – serving clients across multiple industries. You'll balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution: architecting solutions, building within the platforms, and guiding other developers through implementation. You'll work alongside a collaborative team of strategists, analysts, creatives, and engineers working across the broader tech ecosystem – including Salesforce, Marketo, Adobe Experience Manager, and Adobe Target – and you'll be a trusted voice in the room with our clients.
What You'll Do
Technical Leadership & Architecture
- Design and architect end-to-end AEP implementations, including data ingestion, schema design (XDM), identity resolution, and segmentation strategies
- Lead solution design sessions, translating business requirements into scalable, best-practice technical implementations
- Define implementation standards, patterns, and documentation for the AEP ecosystem across client engagements
- Break down complex technical implementations into clear, manageable tasks, delegating ownership to other developers and team members
- Conduct peer reviews of other developers' work, providing constructive technical feedback and ensuring quality and consistency
- Mentor and guide other developers working alongside you on AEP, RTCDP, AJO, and CJA
Hands-On Platform Work
- Configure and build within Adobe Experience Platform: data streams, datasets, schemas, sources, destinations, and merge policies
- Implement and manage Real-Time CDP audiences, identity graphs, and activation workflows to downstream channels and platforms
- Build and optimize customer journeys in Adobe Journey Optimizer, including triggers, decisioning logic, and cross-channel orchestration
- Set up and configure Customer Journey Analytics workspaces, connections, data views, and calculated metrics
- Collaborate with adjacent developers on integrations with AEM, Target, Marketo, Salesforce, Snowflake, and other ecosystem tools
Client Engagement & Advisory
- Serve as a subject matter expert for clients, helping them understand platform capabilities, constraints, and best practices
- Lead and participate in discovery sessions, technical workshops, and solution presentations
- Recommend implementation approaches based on industry experience, making trade-offs clear and actionable
- Translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders including marketing, strategy, and product teams
- Stay current with the Adobe product roadmap and proactively bring relevant updates and opportunities to client conversations
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with strategists, analysts, and creatives to ensure technical solutions support campaign goals and data insights
- Coordinate with other platform developers (AEM, Salesforce, Target, Marketo) to deliver cohesive, integrated solutions
- Participate in sprint planning, backlog grooming, and technical discovery as part of an agile delivery team
What You Bring Required
- 5+ years of experience working in the Adobe Experience Cloud ecosystem, with deep, hands-on expertise across AEP, RTCDP, AJO, and CJA
- Proven ability to architect and implement AEP solutions from the ground up, including XDM schema design, data ingestion pipelines, and identity resolution
- Experience activating audiences from RTCDP to paid media, email, Adobe Target, and other downstream destinations
- Hands-on AJO experience building multi-step customer journeys, decisioning, and cross-channel messaging
- Strong understanding of CJA configuration, including connections, data views, and Analysis Workspace reporting
- Experience with AEP RESTful APIs and Configuration as Code (CaC) best practices and techniques
- Experience guiding and reviewing the work of other developers, with a strong eye for implementation quality
- Comfortable presenting technical solutions and recommendations directly to clients and stakeholders
- Familiarity with adjacent technologies including AEM, Adobe Target, Salesforce, or other marketing/data platforms
Nice to Have
- Adobe certifications (e.g., Adobe Certified Expert in RTCDP, CJA or AJO)
- Experience with data engineering concepts: SQL, ETL pipelines, API integrations, or event streaming
- Familiarity with web data collection via Adobe Web SDK / alloy.js or Launch/Tags
- Agency or consultancy background with experience managing multiple client engagements simultaneously
- Understanding of data privacy frameworks (GDPR, CCPA) and how they apply to customer data platforms
Why This Role
- Work on complex, high-impact engagements across a diverse client portfolio
- Shape how our practice approaches the Adobe ecosystem – your architecture decisions matter
- Collaborate with experienced practitioners across the full digital experience stack
- Grow your craft in a team that values technical depth and client partnership equally