Systems Architect (Salesforce)

Nicholson Search and Selection Ltd; Italia; Remote; EUR 110,000 - 160,000; Part time

Job summary

Nicholson Search and Selection Ltd is seeking a senior, hands-on Systems Architect to own the application landscape architecture with Salesforce at the core. You will collaborate across data, engineering, Salesforce and operations to consolidate four Salesforce instances in a multi-application environment.

You will lead architectural standards, data governance and cross-team alignment while mentoring admins and developers.

Qualifications

• Senior Systems Architect with multiple Salesforce projects and hands-on delivery.
• Proven ability to own end-to-end multi-system architecture.
• Strong data governance, modeling and quality focus.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the overall application landscape architecture with Salesforce at core.
• Define architectural standards, integration patterns and best practices.
• Lead data quality and governance across systems.
• Oversee platform dependencies, releases and interoperability.
• Mentor Salesforce admins and developers.
• Engage stakeholders to translate business needs into architecture.

Skills

Salesforce

Architectural design

Data governance

Data modeling

ERP integration

MuleSoft

APIs

Leadership

Stakeholder alignment

Tools

MuleSoft

REST APIs

Job description

Location: Full remote

Contract: Freelance

About the role

Our client is looking for a senior, hands-on Systems Architect to own the architecture of its application landscape, with Salesforce at the core. You will sit at the intersection of architecture, data and technical leadership, working closely with the data architect, engineering, Salesforce and operations teams.

A key part of the mission is the consolidation and migration of four Salesforce instances, within a multi-application environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the overall application landscape architecture, with Salesforce (Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, CPQ) at its core.
• Own the data quality from Salesforce and other key systems.
• Define and enforce architectural standards, integration patterns, and best practices across all connected systems.
• Lead system optimisation initiatives — identifying gaps, technical debt, and opportunities to consolidate or modernise.
• Manage platform dependencies, release impacts, and system interoperability across the full technology stack.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for architectural decisions affecting the Salesforce ecosystem.

Data Strategy & Quality Ownership

• Take accountability for the quality, consistency, and integrity of data produced by and flowing through business systems.
• Define and implement data governance frameworks — covering master data management, data lineage, and quality standards.
• Partner with the data and analytics teams to ensure system outputs are reliable inputs for reporting and BI.
• Drive remediation of data quality issues at source, establishing controls to prevent recurrence.
• Champion a data-first culture — embedding data quality principles into system design and change processes.

Application Ownership & Accountability

• Act as the accountable owner for the Salesforce platform and associated integrated applications.
• Manage the application roadmap in alignment with business priorities, ensuring a sustainable and scalable landscape.
• Oversee vendor relationships and third-party app evaluations related to the Salesforce ecosystem.
• Ensure platforms remain compliant, secure, and up to date — managing licensing, audits, and certification cycles.

Team Management & System Governance

• Partner with Sales, Service, Finance, and Operations leaders to translate business requirements into architectural solutions.
• Lead architectural review boards and change advisory processes for system modifications.
• Produce clear documentation — architecture diagrams, data dictionaries, decision logs — accessible to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Mentor and guide Salesforce administrators and developers within the team.

What We're Looking For

• 10+ years of System architect including Salesforce experience, with deep hands‑on expertise across Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and ideally CPQ.
• Proven track record as a system or solution architect — owning end‑to‑end design across complex, multi‑system landscapes.
• Strong data strategy background: data modelling, governance, master data management, and quality frameworks.
• Experience integrating Salesforce with ERP, billing, or third‑party platforms (e.g. via MuleSoft, REST APIs, middleware).
• Demonstrated accountability for application ownership — including roadmap management, stakeholder alignment, and release governance.

Technical Skills

• Salesforce certifications: Architect‑level preferred (e.g. Application Architect, System Architect, CTA track).
• Strong understanding of Salesforce data model, governor limits, and platform scalability considerations.
• Familiarity with data quality tooling, MDM platforms, and BI/data warehouse integrations.
• Comfortable with integration architecture: APIs, event‑driven patterns, and ETL/ELT approaches.

Behaviours & Ways of Working

• Ownership mindset — you hold yourself accountable for outcomes, not just outputs.
• Structured communicator — able to distil complex architecture into clear, business‑readable narratives.
• Collaborative by default — you build alignment across functions without losing technical rigour.
• Proactively identifies risk and drives resolution before it becomes an issue.

What is on offer

• A senior role with real architecture responsibility and high visibility
• A cross‑functional scope across technology, data and business