Solutions Architect

WPP; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 60,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Passionate, inspired work culture

Unique projects with creative problem-solvers

Opportunities for growth

Job summary

WPP in Chicago is looking for a skilled architect to design and guide the development of large-scale enterprise applications. You will collaborate with product and engineering teams to ensure reliability, maintainability, and performance.

The ideal candidate has robust Java experience and is familiar with distributed systems and cloud-native architectures. A hybrid work model allows for flexible work arrangements, fostering a creative culture.

Base pay ranges from $60,000 to $140,000 USD annually.

Qualifications

• Strong proficiency in Java and JVM ecosystem, including performance tuning.
• Experience producing architecture artifacts like interface contracts and design documentation.
• Knowledge of NoSQL databases like MongoDB including data modeling.

Responsibilities

• Architect and guide the development of large-scale enterprise applications.
• Collaborate with teams to translate business requirements into solution architectures.
• Lead architecture and design reviews while mentoring engineers.

Skills

Java proficiency

Large enterprise application development

Distributed systems concepts

Relational databases and SQL

Strong communication skills

Tools

Spring/Spring Boot

Cloud platforms (Azure/AWS/GCP)

Docker and Kubernetes

Job description

What you’ll be doing:

• Demonstrate strong Java proficiency to design, prototype, and review core services and integrations.
• Architect and guide the development of large-scale enterprise applications, ensuring reliability, performance, and maintainability.
• Partner with product and engineering teams to translate business requirements into solution architectures, technical specifications, and implementation plans.
• Define and evangelize architecture standards, patterns, and best practices (e.g., layered architectures, microservices where appropriate, API-first design).
• Design integration approaches across systems, including RESTful APIs, messaging/event-driven patterns, and data synchronization.
• Evaluate and recommend technology choices, frameworks, and third‑party components; perform trade‑off analyses and document decisions.
• Ensure non‑functional requirements are met, including security, scalability, observability (logging/metrics/tracing), resilience, and disaster recovery.
• Collaborate with DevOps/SRE to support CI/CD pipelines, deployment architecture, and operational readiness.
• Lead architecture and design reviews, mentor engineers, and provide technical guidance through delivery and post‑release support.
• Identify technical risks and dependencies early; propose mitigation plans and drive resolution with stakeholders.

What you’ll need:

• Strong proficiency in Java and the JVM ecosystem (e.g., Spring/Spring Boot), including performance tuning and troubleshooting.
• Demonstrated experience developing and supporting large enterprise applications with high availability and complex integrations.
• Experience producing architecture artifacts (solution diagrams, interface contracts, sequence diagrams, and design documentation).
• Solid understanding of distributed systems concepts (e.g., concurrency, caching, eventual consistency, resiliency patterns).
• Experience with relational databases and SQL; ability to model data and optimize queries.
• Knowledge of document‑based (NoSQL) databases (e.g., MongoDB, Couchbase) including data modeling and query patterns.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to explain technical trade‑offs to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Write clean, well‑documented, and tested code.
• Take features from start to finish, including testing, with empathy for the end‑user experience.
• Participate in a constructive and inclusive culture of peer code reviews.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with cloud platforms (Azure/AWS/GCP) and cloud‑native architectures.
• Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with messaging and event‑driven design.
• Experience with identity and access management, application security, and threat modeling.
• Experience with observability tooling and practices (APM, centralized logging, distributed tracing).
• Experience with the Office 365 ecosystem.
• Experience with Okta and/or other single sign‑on (SSO) identity providers.

Who you are:

Open‑minded: we encourage the free exchange of ideas and respect diverse views.

Optimistic: we believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures for our people, clients and communities.

Extraordinary: we are strong together and pioneer the industry with creative leadership.

What we’ll give you:

Passionate, inspired people – a culture where you can do extraordinary work.

Scale and opportunity – the chance to influence and complete projects at an unparalleled scale.

Challenging and stimulating work – unique projects with creative problem‑solvers. Are you up for the challenge?

Hybrid work model – teams in the office about four days a week, with accommodations and flexibility discussed during the interview process.

Base Salary Range: $60,000 - $140,000 USD

We believe the best work happens when we’re together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection.

WPP is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.