Salesforce Technical Architect – Marketing Cloud, Data Cloud & Marketing Cloud Next - Riyadh

Salesforce Technical Architect – Marketing Cloud, Data Cloud & Marketing Cloud Next

Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – OnsiteContract: Initial 6 MonthsType: ContractRole OverviewWe are looking for an experienced Salesforce Technical Architect with deep expertise across Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Data Cloud and Marketing Cloud Next to join a major enterprise digital transformation programme based onsite in Riyadh.This is a senior, client-facing architecture role responsible for defining and owning the technical solution across the Salesforce marketing and customer data landscape.A key requirement is knowledge and practical experience of Salesforce Marketing Cloud Next, alongside strong Marketing Cloud and Data Cloud architecture experience.You will work directly with senior client stakeholders to understand their marketing and customer engagement objectives, translate these into scalable Salesforce architectures, and provide technical leadership to both onsite and offshore delivery teams.Key ResponsibilitiesOwn the end-to-end Salesforce technical architecture across Marketing Cloud, Data Cloud and Marketing Cloud Next.Lead client discovery, architecture and solution design workshops.Translate marketing, customer engagement and data requirements into scalable Salesforce solutions.Architect solutions using Salesforce Marketing Cloud Next, including its interaction with Data Cloud and the wider Salesforce platform.Design customer data architectures supporting unified customer profiles, segmentation, activation and personalisation.Define integration architecture between Salesforce and wider marketing, CRM, data and enterprise platforms.Design solutions covering customer journeys, marketing automation, campaign execution and personalised customer engagement.Define appropriate approaches for data ingestion, identity resolution, harmonisation, segmentation and activation within Data Cloud.Ensure architecture meets requirements around scalability, security, performance, data governance and privacy.Establish technical standards, architecture principles and development best practices.Produce and review architecture documentation, solution designs and integration patterns.Work closely with functional consultants, developers, data specialists and other Salesforce architects.Provide technical direction and leadership to offshore/distributed Salesforce delivery teams.Support technical decision-making throughout design, build, testing and deployment.Clearly communicate complex architectural concepts to senior technical and non-technical stakeholders.Essential Skills & Experience8+ years' overall Salesforce experience with significant experience across Salesforce marketing technologies.Proven experience as a Salesforce Technical Architect, Solution Architect or Lead Architect.Strong architecture expertise across Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Data Cloud.Knowledge and experience of Salesforce Marketing Cloud Next is essential.Strong understanding of the relationship between Marketing Cloud Next, Data Cloud and the wider Salesforce platform.Strong understanding of customer data, segmentation, personalisation, activation and marketing automation.Experience architecting enterprise integrations using APIs, middleware and event-driven/integration patterns.Strong understanding of Salesforce data architecture, security, governance and platform considerations.Experience translating complex marketing and business requirements into technical architecture and solution designs.Proven experience leading client workshops, discovery sessions and architecture discussions.Experience providing technical leadership to onsite and offshore development teams.Excellent client-facing communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills.Highly DesirableSalesforce Marketing Cloud and Data Cloud certifications.Salesforce Architect-level certifications.Experience with Agentforce and AI-driven marketing/customer engagement.Experience integrating Marketing Cloud/Data Cloud with Sales Cloud and Service Cloud.Experience with MuleSoft or other enterprise integration platforms.Previous consulting or professional services experience.Experience delivering major Salesforce transformation programmes.Previous Saudi Arabia / Middle East delivery experience.Arabic and English language skills are highly desirable.Contract DetailsInitial 6-month contractFull-time onsite in Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaMajor enterprise Salesforce transformation programmePotential for extension based on programme requirementsImportant screening pointFor this one, I would specifically screen candidates on Marketing Cloud Next rather than accepting someone who only has traditional SFMC experience.

Given how new Marketing Cloud Next is, I'd ask candidates to explain exactly what they have designed or delivered with it, rather than simply having it listed on their CV.