Director of Architecture/Distinguished Engineer 

Framingham, MA - Hybrid 

The Director of Architecture/Distinguished Architect for Retail eCommerce will play a pivotal role in driving innovation and leading the architectural and engineering strategy for our eCommerce platforms. This individual will be a hands-on leader responsible for designing and implementing highly scalable, reliable, and secure systems that enhance the digital shopping experience. As a key leader, you will leverage the latest technologies to ensure our platforms can handle rapid growth, respond to market changes, and deliver seamless customer experiences. You will drive innovation through AI and cloud based technologies. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Architectural Leadership: Define and lead the architectural vision for our eCommerce platforms, ensuring they are highly scalable, performant, and aligned with the company’s growth strategy. Hands on coding and prototyping is a must. 
• Engineering Leadership: · Maintain technical expertise in all areas of software engineering including coding standards, best practices, and methodologies.
• Innovation & Technology Adoption: Drive the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, including cloud-native architectures, microservices, AI/ML, MACH, Micro front end to enhance the capabilities of our eCommerce systems.
• Scalable Solutions Design: Oversee the design and implementation of scalable, fault-tolerant, and high-performance solutions that can handle large volumes of transactions and user interactions, especially during peak shopping periods.
• Customer Experience Optimization: Collaborate with product teams to design solutions that prioritize seamless user experiences, personalization, and fast response times across all digital channels.
• Team Leadership: Mentor a team of Solutions Architects, fostering a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and collaboration.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with engineering, product, marketing, and operations teams to align technical solutions with business objectives, ensuring that our eCommerce platforms are robust and future-proof.
• Cloud Strategy: Lead the design and implementation of cloud-native architectures, ensuring optimal use of cloud services to achieve scalability, flexibility, and cost efficiency.
• Security & Compliance: Ensure that all eCommerce systems are designed with security and compliance in mind, meeting industry standards and protecting customer data.
• Performance Monitoring & Optimization: Implement tools and practices for monitoring system performance, quickly identifying and resolving bottlenecks, and continuously optimizing for speed and reliability.
• Vendor & Partner Management: Collaborate with third-party vendors and technology partners to integrate best-in-class solutions into our eCommerce architecture.
• Market Awareness: Stay abreast of eCommerce trends, emerging technologies, and competitive landscape to keep our platforms ahead of industry standards. Act as a coach for cross functional teams to adopt architectural practices. 
• Experience: 15+ years of experience in solutions architecture/software engineering with a focus on eCommerce platforms, and at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of eCommerce technologies, cloud computing (AWS, Azure, GCP), microservices, micro frontends, APIs, and modern application frameworks.
• Scalability Focus: Proven experience in designing and building highly scalable, high-performance systems that support large-scale eCommerce operations. Asynchronous, vertical and horizontal scalability knowledge is a must
• Innovation Leadership: Demonstrated ability to drive innovation through the adoption of emerging technologies and best practices in the eCommerce space such as AI, conversational commerce etc. 
• Agile & DevOps: Strong understanding of Agile methodologies and DevOps practices, with experience in continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD).
• Customer-Centric: Ability to design solutions that enhance the digital customer journey, improve personalization, and increase conversion rates.
• Communication: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels.
• Certifications: Relevant certifications such as AZURE Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, or similar are preferred. AKS knowledge preferred. 
• Industry Knowledge: In-depth knowledge of the retail eCommerce landscape, including industry trends, customer behavior, and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Experience: 15+ years of experience in solutions architecture, with a focus on eCommerce platforms, and at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of eCommerce technologies, cloud computing (AWS, Azure, GCP), microservices, micro frontends, APIs, and modern application frameworks.
• Scalability Focus: Proven experience in designing and building highly scalable, high-performance systems that support large-scale eCommerce operations. Asynchronous, vertical and horizontal scalability knowledge is a must
• Innovation Leadership: Demonstrated ability to drive innovation through the adoption of emerging technologies and best practices in the eCommerce space such as AI, conversational commerce etc. 
• Agile & DevOps: Strong understanding of Agile methodologies and DevOps practices, with experience in continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD).
• Customer-Centric: Ability to design solutions that enhance the digital customer journey, improve personalization, and increase conversion rates.
• Communication: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels.
• Certifications: Relevant certifications such as AZURE Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, or similar are preferred. AKS knowledge preferred. 
• Industry Knowledge: In-depth knowledge of the retail eCommerce landscape, including industry trends, customer behavior, and regulatory requirements.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with AI/ML in eCommerce personalization.
• Knowledge of headless commerce architectures.
• Familiarity with cybersecurity best practices in retail.
• Experience with global eCommerce platforms and multi-channel retailing.

At Staples, “inclusion” is an action word. It represents what we do to ensure that all employees feel valued and supported to contribute to their fullest potential. When we operate inclusively, diversity naturally follows. This is why we work hard to foster an inclusive culture, as we seek employees with unique and varied perspectives and areas of expertise. The result is a better workplace and innovative thinking that helps us exceed our customers’ expectations -- through the power of the people behind our iconic brand.

Staples is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.