Senior Manager AEP

Horizontal Talent; Katy (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Horizontal Talent is seeking an Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) Architect to design, build, and scale our enterprise CDP ecosystem in the TX area. You will work closely with engineering to implement XDM schemas, identity graphs, and segmentation logic, while owning the architectural blueprint for AEP integration across Martech landscape.

You will lead RT CDP design, data ingestion from batch and streaming sources, and ensure data quality, governance, and privacy compliance.

Qualifications

• Must possess hands-on experience with Adobe Experience Platform Real-Time CDP and Adobe Journey Optimizer in production environments.
• Strong ability to translate business requirements into technical architecture for enterprise CDP ecosystems.
• Solid documentation discipline: architecture diagrams and data dictionaries.
• Experience integrating AEP with CRM, DMPs, and data warehouses.
• Familiarity with data privacy frameworks (DULE, consent flags) and governance practices.

Responsibilities

• Real-Time CDP Design & Implementation with XDM schemas and identity graph strategy.
• Design audience segmentation and profile fragment strategies for streaming and batch processing.
• Own data governance, sandboxes, access controls, and CI/CD for AEP schemas and datasets.
• Architect journeys in AJO and cross-channel orchestration for activation.
• Define reusable integration patterns for connecting AEP RT CDP with upstream/downstream systems.
• Lead collaboration with engineering, marketing, and Adobe account teams to align roadmaps.

Skills

AEP Real-Time CDP

AJO Experience

XDM Schema Design

Identity Resolution

Audience Segmentation

Data Ingestion

Data Governance

API Integration

Cloud Data Platforms

JSON/JavaScript/SQL

Tools

Adobe APIs

Adobe I/O

Postman/API Testing

Job description

Looking for a hands-on Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) in TX location and Adobe Journey Optimizer (AJO) Architect to design, build, and scale our enterprise Customer Data Platform (CDP) ecosystem. This is not a pure PowerPoint-architect role; you will be expected to be deep in schema design, dataset configuration, identity resolution, segmentation logic, and journey orchestration alongside the engineering team, while also owning the architectural blueprint for how AEP integrates across our broader data and Martech landscape.

Key Responsibilities

Real-Time CDP (RT CDP) Design & Implementation

Architect and configure Real-Time CDP: XDM schemas, class/field group design, datasets, identity namespaces, and identity graph strategy

Design and build audience segmentation (streaming and batch), merge policies, and profile fragment strategy

Own data governance implementation, including data usage labels (DULE), sandboxes (dev/stage/prod), and access controls

Data Modeling & Ingestion

Design canonical and source-aligned XDM schemas that scale across multiple business units, brands, and data domains

Architect ingestion pipelines from batch (CSV, Parquet, cloud storage), streaming (Web/Mobile SDK, server-side), and API-based sources into AEP

Define and enforce data quality, deduplication, and identity stitching rules across first-, second-, and third-party data

Partner with data engineering on source-to-target mapping and reconcile CDP data models with the enterprise data warehouse/lakehouse

Platform Setup & Administration

Lead end-to-end platform provisioning: sandbox strategy, environment promotion, access/role management, and platform governance frameworks

Establish CI/CD and configuration-as-code practices for AEP (schemas, datasets, segments) where applicable

Monitor platform health, data latency, ingestion failures, and segment/profile performance; drive optimization

Adobe Journey Optimizer (AJO)

Architect customer journeys, event-based triggers, and decisioning logic within AJO

Design cross-channel orchestration (email, push, SMS, in-app, direct mail, paid/offline via Destinations)

Integrate AJO with RT CDP profiles/audiences and external channel/partner systems for activation

Enterprise Integration Patterns

Define reusable integration patterns for connecting AEP RT CDP with:

Upstream sources: CRM, POS, e-commerce, mobile apps, web analytics, IoT/offline systems

Downstream destinations/partners: ad platforms, ESPs, data warehouses, personalization engines, and other MarTech/AdTech tools

Architect real-time and batch activation via Adobe Destinations (Streaming, Batch, Cloud Storage) and custom/webhook destinations

Establish standards for API-led connectivity, event-driven architecture, and pub/sub patterns feeding AEP

Ensure solutions align with enterprise data privacy, consent, and compliance requirements (GDPR/CCPA)

Leadership & Collaboration

Act as the technical authority on AEP/AJO for engineering, marketing, and data teams

Mentor implementation engineers/developers on best practices

Partner with Adobe account teams on roadmap, platform limits, and escalations

Required Skills & Experience

Strong stakeholder communication: able to translate business requirements into technical architecture and vice versa

Comfortable owning ambiguity in a fast-evolving platform (Adobe ships frequent updates)

Documentation discipline: architecture diagrams, data dictionaries, integration runbooks

Must 2+ years hands‑on experience with Adobe Experience Platform (Real‑Time CDP) and Adobe Journey Optimizer in production environments

Strong expertise in XDM schema design, identity resolution/graph, segmentation (streaming & batch), and profile management

Proven experience with data ingestion methods: Source Connectors, Streaming Ingestion API, Batch Ingestion API, Web/Mobile SDKs

Solid understanding of enterprise data architecture patterns, including event‑driven design, API integration, ETL/ELT, and pub/sub

Experience integrating AEP with CRM, DMPs, CDPs, ESPs, ad platforms, and data warehouses/lakehouses (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, etc.)

Working knowledge of Adobe Analytics, Adobe Target, and Customer Journey Analytics (CJA), for integration context, not necessarily deep configuration

Proficiency with JSON, JavaScript, SQL; familiarity with Postman/API testing

Understanding of data privacy/consent frameworks and how they're operationalized in AEP (DULE, consent flags)

Experience with cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP) as they relate to data pipelines feeding AEP

Preferred Qualifications

Adobe Certified Expert, AEP Architect / AJO certification

Experience with Adobe Experience Platform APIs and Adobe I/O

Familiarity with Composable CDP / Federated Audience Composition

Background in customer data strategy, MDM, or identity resolution platforms outside Adobe (e.g., Tresure Data, Segment, mParticle, Tealium)

Horizontal is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where different perspectives are valued and respected. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply and bring their unique experiences to the team.

By applying for this position, you acknowledge and agree that Horizontal Talent may contact you regarding your application using automated technology, including phone calls, SMS/text messages, or email, which may be delivered by our virtual AI recruiter, Alex.