Chief Engineer – Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) & Web

Vanguard; Charlotte (NC); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanguard seeks a Chief Engineer for Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) and Web, to shape the future of digital experiences. You will provide strategic technical leadership across AEM-based web platforms,Partner with architects, engineers, and product teams to set technology direction and standards.

You will drive modern web architecture, scalable CMS capabilities, and high-performing experiences while mentoring teams and advancing engineering excellence in a hybrid role based in Charlotte, NC.

Qualifications

• Requires 10+ years related work experience with 5+ years in development.
• Undergrad degree or equivalent; graduate degree preferred.
• Extensive experience leading enterprise web architecture and engineering initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Define strategy for AEM-based web platforms and digital experiences.
• Establish architectures, patterns and standards for scalable web apps.
• Lead AEM Cloud Service modernization and migration initiatives.

Skills

AEM

React

Web Components

TypeScript

AWS

CDN

Security

Identity

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

AEM Cloud Service

GraphQL

AWS

CDN (Akamai)

Job description

Join our team as a Chief Engineer - Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) & Web and play a key role in shaping the future of digital experiences. In this role, you will provide strategic technical leadership across web platforms and Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) solutions, partnering with architects, engineers, and product teams to define technology direction, solve complex technical challenges, and establish engineering standards. As a Chief Engineer, you will help drive modern web architecture, scalable content management capabilities, and high-performing digital experiences while influencing technical decisions across multiple teams and product areas. This role is ideal for a senior technology leader who brings deep expertise in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), web architecture, cloud technologies, and frontend engineering, along with a passion for mentoring teams and advancing engineering excellence. This is a hybrid role requiring in-office presence Tuesday through Thursday and is based in Charlotte, NC.

Responsibilities

• Partner with architecture leaders to define and evolve the strategy for AEM-based web platforms and digital experiences across public and secure websites.
• Establish reference architectures, design patterns, and engineering standards that drive scalability, consistency, and reuse across web applications.
• Lead the architectural direction and adoption of AEM Cloud Service, including modernization and migration initiatives.
• Architect and govern CDN capabilities, including caching strategies, edge configuration, web application firewall (WAF) policies, traffic management, and performance optimization.
• Drive modernization of web platforms and content management solutions to improve scalability, maintainability, and delivery efficiency.
• Provide technical leadership for frontend engineering using modern frameworks and architectures, including React and Web Components.
• Champion modern web engineering practices, including accessibility, responsive design, performance optimization, and secure coding standards.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), providing guidance across AEM Sites, AEM Forms, AEM Assets, and related technologies.
• Architect integrations between web platforms, enterprise services, APIs, identity solutions, and Adobe ecosystem technologies.
• Partner with product, engineering, and architecture teams to conduct design reviews, influence technical decisions, and resolve complex architectural challenges.
• Translate business objectives and product roadmaps into scalable technical solutions and long-term engineering strategies.
• Define and promote secure website delivery patterns, including authentication, content security, and protection of sensitive data.
• Mentor engineers and technical leaders, foster engineering best practices, and maintain architectural standards and documentation.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of ten years related work experience, with at least five years of development experience.
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience. Graduate degree preferred.
• Extensive experience leading enterprise web architecture and engineering initiatives, with a demonstrated ability to drive technical strategy across multiple teams and platforms.
• 5+ years of deep hands-on expertise with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), including headful (Sites/traditional), headless (Content Fragments, GraphQL, Edge Delivery), and AEM Forms spanning architecture, development, and operational concerns.
• Strong command of modern frontend frameworks and technologies, including React, Web Components, TypeScript, and modern JavaScript. Experience with micro-frontend architectures, module federation, or similar patterns for large-scale secure web applications.
• Experience architecting and optimizing high-traffic, customer-facing websites utilizing Akamai CDN or comparable technologies, including caching strategies, edge configuration, WAF, and performance optimization.
• Experience with both secure (authenticated) and public website architectures, including integration with identity providers, session management, and content security.
• Strong understanding of cloud-native architectures and experience with AWS services, including compute, networking, storage, serverless, and IAM.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AEM Cloud Service and leading migration initiatives.
• Expertise with AEM Forms, including adaptive forms, form data models, document services, and forms-centric workflow automation.
• Experience with Adobe marketing stack integration, including Adobe Launch (Tags), Adobe Web SDK, Adobe Target, and Adobe Experience Platform (AEP).
• Familiarity with design system implementation and governance (e.g., Storybook, custom element registries, shared component libraries).
• Exposure to Agentic AI or generative AI-enabled content authoring, experience assembly, or intelligent personalization.
• AEM certifications - Adobe Certified Expert - Sites Architect, Sites Developer, or Forms Developer.

Sponsorship

Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.

About Vanguard

At Vanguard, we don't just have a mission - we're on a mission.

To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients. To lead through product and services that transform our clients' lives. To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team. From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best.

How We Work

Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection. We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience.