AEM Technical Architect

Merkle Inc.; Pune District; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Merkle Inc. in Pune, Maharashtra, seeks an experienced AEM Technical Architect to lead the design, modernization, and integration of scalable digital experience platforms.

This role acts as the technology lead and CMS SME for client engagements, with deep knowledge of AEM Cloud Service, headless architectures, and high-performance delivery patterns. You will architect enterprise-grade AEM solutions, guide modernization from legacy implementations, and apply AI-enabled development and operations

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in enterprise software engineering or solution architecture with significant hands-on experience in Adobe Experience Manager and modern digital experience platforms.
• Deep knowledge of AEM architecture including Sites, Assets, Content Fragments, Experience Fragments, Headless CMS, GraphQL, Universal Editor, Edge Delivery Services, and AEM as a Cloud Service operating models.
• Strong expertise in Java, Sling, OSGi, HTL, JCR, Dispatcher configuration, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Frontend expertise in modern frameworks such as React, Angular, Vue, or similar technologies, with solid understanding of web performance and accessibility.
• Proficient in backend integrations using REST/SOAP, middleware tools, and message brokers.
• Experience with migration or modernization programs, including AEM 6.5 to AEM as a Cloud Service, content model redesign, and performance remediation.

Responsibilities

• Architect robust, secure, and scalable AEM solutions across Sites, Assets, Content Fragments, Experience Fragments, Headless CMS, GraphQL/OpenAPI integrations, and Edge Delivery Services-enabled experiences.
• Act as the CMS technology SME, helping clients navigate platform capabilities and recommending effective solutions.
• Evaluate and design integrations with CRM, DAM, marketing automation, and analytics.
• Define modernization roadmaps for AEM estates, including phased adoption of Universal Editor and Edge Delivery Services.
• Lead PoCs and define reusable frameworks, accelerators, and reference architectures for AEM Cloud Service implementations.

Skills

AEM architecture

Java

Sling

OSGi

HTL

Dispatcher

Frontend frameworks

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science/IT

Tools

GraphQL

REST APIs

CI/CD pipelines

Adobe I/O

Job description

We are seeking a forward-thinking and technically strong Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Technical Architect to lead the design, modernization, and integration of scalable digital experience platforms. This role acts as the technology lead and CMS subject matter expert for client engagements, with deep knowledge of AEM as a Cloud Service, composable and headless architectures, modern authoring models, and high-performance delivery patterns such as Edge Delivery Services with Universal Editor. You will architect enterprise-grade AEM solutions, guide modernization from legacy implementations, apply AI-enabled development and operations practices, and proactively identify better ways to deliver measurable value for clients.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect robust, secure, and scalable AEM solutions across Sites, Assets, Content Fragments, Experience Fragments, Headless CMS, GraphQL/OpenAPI integrations, and Edge Delivery Services-enabled experiences.
• Act as the CMS technology SME, helping clients navigate platform capabilities and recommending the most effective solutions.
• Evaluate and design integrations with surrounding systems including CRM, DAM, marketing automation, and analytics.
• Assess when to use traditional AEM Sites, headless/composable delivery, document-based authoring, or Edge Delivery Services depending on client needs, migration complexity, performance goals, and operating model.
• Define modernization roadmaps for AEM 6.5, AMS, and AEM as a Cloud Service estates, including phased adoption of Universal Editor, Edge Delivery Services, content modeling, and API-first delivery.

Job Title: AEM Technical Architect

We are seeking a forward-thinking and technically strong Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Technical Architect to lead the design, modernization, and integration of scalable digital experience platforms. This role acts as the technology lead and CMS subject matter expert for client engagements, with deep knowledge of AEM as a Cloud Service, composable and headless architectures, modern authoring models, and high-performance delivery patterns such as Edge Delivery Services with Universal Editor. You will architect enterprise-grade AEM solutions, guide modernization from legacy implementations, apply AI-enabled development and operations practices, and proactively identify better ways to deliver measurable value for clients.

Key Responsibilities

Solution Architecture & Design

• Architect robust, secure, and scalable AEM solutions across Sites, Assets, Content Fragments, Experience Fragments, Headless CMS, GraphQL/OpenAPI integrations, and Edge Delivery Services-enabled experiences.
• Act as the CMS technology SME, helping clients navigate platform capabilities and recommending the most effective solutions.
• Evaluate and design integrations with surrounding systems including CRM, DAM, marketing automation, and analytics.
• Assess when to use traditional AEM Sites, headless/composable delivery, document-based authoring, or Edge Delivery Services depending on client needs, migration complexity, performance goals, and operating model.
• Define modernization roadmaps for AEM 6.5, AMS, and AEM as a Cloud Service estates, including phased adoption of Universal Editor, Edge Delivery Services, content modeling, and API‑first delivery.

Technology Leadership

• Lead cross‑functional technical teams, ensuring best practices in architecture, development, and deployment.
• Guide technology choices for frontend, backend, and delivery architecture—balancing modern frameworks, Universal Editor compatibility, performance, maintainability, scalability, and enterprise governance.
• Participate hands‑on when necessary, especially in complex integrations or issue resolutions.
• Lead PoCs and define reusable frameworks, accelerators, block libraries, starter kits, and reference architectures for AEM Cloud Service and Edge Delivery Services implementations.
• Use AI‑assisted and agentic development practices responsibly to accelerate code quality checks, migration analysis, content modeling, troubleshooting, and delivery workflows while maintaining human review and architectural ownership.

Client Engagement & Innovation

• Act as the primary technical point of contact for clients on CMS solutions, providing trusted guidance and making proactive recommendations—not just reacting to requests.
• Drive innovation by staying informed on AEM as a Cloud Service releases, Edge Delivery Services, Universal Editor, Adobe Experience Cloud integrations, content supply chain evolution, and broader CMS/DXP trends.
• Advise clients on pragmatic adoption of emerging capabilities, including where greenfield Edge Delivery Services implementations, selective brownfield modernization, and traditional AEM Sites approaches are most appropriate.

Integration & Performance

• Design and implement integrations using REST, GraphQL, SOAP where required, event‑driven patterns, Adobe I/O, middleware, cloud‑native services, and composable enterprise APIs.
• Ensure solutions are optimized for performance and scale, applying Dispatcher and CDN strategies where relevant, and leveraging Edge Delivery Services for low‑latency, high‑performing web experiences when appropriate.
• Establish data flow architectures that ensure data consistency, security, and integrity.

Governance, Security & Compliance

• Enforce coding and architecture standards, security best practices, privacy‑by‑design principles, accessibility, content governance, release governance, and Cloud Manager quality gates in line with organizational and client‑specific guidelines.

Team Enablement & Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with developers, business analysts, and client stakeholders.
• Provide mentorship to team members across disciplines (backend, frontend, DevOps) to build collective strength.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement and shared accountability.

• Required Skills & Experience10+ years of experience in enterprise software engineering or solution architecture, with significant hands‑on experience in Adobe Experience Manager and modern digital experience platforms.Deep knowledge of AEM architecture, including Sites, Assets, Content Fragments, Experience Fragments, Headless CMS, GraphQL, Universal Editor, Edge Delivery Services, and AEM as a Cloud Service operating models.Strong expertise in Java, Sling, OSGi, HTL, JCR, Dispatcher configuration, and CI/CD pipelines.Frontend expertise in modern frameworks such as React, Angular, Vue, or similar technologies, with solid understanding of web performance, accessibility, Core Web Vitals, and framework‑agnostic authoring patterns.Proficient in backend integrations using REST/SOAP, middleware tools, and message brokers.Strong understanding of database technologies, cloud platforms, Adobe Cloud Manager, CI/CD automation, observability, DevOps practices, and deployment governance across AWS, Azure, or equivalent cloud environments.Experience working in Agile delivery models with a focus on rapid value delivery and iterative design.Experience with migration or modernization programs, including AEM 6.5 to AEM as a Cloud Service, component refactoring, content model redesign, performance remediation, and platform rationalization.

• Nice to Have
• Awareness or hands‑on experience with Content Supply Chain tools such as Adobe Workfront, Adobe Express, DAM workflows, asset lifecycle management, review/approval automation, and content velocity optimization.Familiarity with Adobe Experience Cloud products beyond AEM.Experience with Adobe I/O, App Builder, GraphQL, OpenAPI, personalization, experimentation, analytics integration, and AI‑assisted content or development workflows.Exposure to agentic AEM concepts, AI‑supported pipeline troubleshooting, developer agents, content modernization agents, or automated migration accelerators.Working knowledge of other CMS platforms (e.g., Contentful, Sitecore, Drupal) to provide comparative insight.

• Soft SkillsProactive mindset – ability to anticipate client needs and offer improvements, not just fulfill requests.Strategic thinker with excellent problem‑solving abilities.Strong communication and storytelling skills – capable of translating complex technical concepts into business‑friendly language.Team player with leadership presence and the ability to influence across teams and stakeholders.

• Education
  Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related technical discipline.undefined