Principal Systems Architect - Marketing Technology

Caterpillar Inc.•Peoria, IL

3d•$159,120 - $258,570

About The Position

The Principal Systems Architect is the architecture leader for digital marketing technology at Caterpillar. The role establishes the target-state vision and executable roadmap for an integrated, secure, scalable, and measurable MarTech ecosystem spanning content creation, asset management, product information, web experience delivery, analytics, social, and omnichannel activation. The architect designs scalable MarTech architectures, leads content management and personalization initiatives, defines integration and data-governance strategies, and partners with business and marketing teams to deliver digital transformation and measurable business value. The role owns current-state, transition, and target-state architecture; develops application, platform, integration, and data designs; evaluates and deploys technologies; and provides technical direction to delivery teams, partners, architects, and engineers. The position also architects end-to-end content supply chains and data-layer capabilities to reduce manual handoffs and duplicate stores while enabling reliable measurement and personalized omnichannel experiences. It leads architecture reviews and technical discovery, evaluates cost, benefit, risk, and likelihood of success, and connects architecture recommendations to business outcomes.

Requirements

Extensive IT and MarTech experience, including senior architecture leadership and full-lifecycle delivery of complex, global digital transformation programs.
A degree in computer science, information systems, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Deep enterprise DXP experience with AEM, Contentful, Uniform, or similar platforms, including headless and composable delivery models.
Production experience with React/Next.js or comparable web stacks, server rendering, edge platforms/CDNs, caching, redirects, accessibility, SEO, and web performance.
Strong working knowledge of Adobe Experience Cloud and adjacent content tools, especially Adobe Experience Manager Sites and Assets, Creative Cloud workflows, and Adobe Workfront.
Architecture experience across enterprise PIM and commerce platforms, DAM/CDN and media platforms, social platforms, analytics/BI, and customer-facing web ecosystems.
Expertise in marketing, advertising, personalization, experimentation, customer data platforms, data orchestration, content strategy, and omnichannel activation.
Demonstrated success simplifying fragmented content and data flows, integrating legacy and modern platforms, and moving organizations from manual handoffs toward governed, AI-enabled automation.
Strong integration fundamentals, including REST APIs, webhooks, OAuth/OIDC, SAML, event-driven and durable asynchronous processing, idempotency, reconciliation, and data-contract design.
Cloud fluency (AWS, Azure, or equivalent), including serverless compute, secrets management, observability, resilience, security, privacy, and cost control.
Knowledge of modern delivery practices, including Agile and full SDLC, architecture-as-code/documentation, automated testing, CI/CD, environment strategy, release governance, and vendor/platform lifecycle management.
Practical knowledge of privacy-by-design, consent management, identity resolution, data governance, and responsible AI-enabled personalization.
A record of mentoring technical talent, directing partners and vendors, and converting architecture strategy into prioritized investment decisions and measurable outcomes.
Ability to analyze organizational problems, determine root causes, and develop solutions.
Effective communication skills, including the ability to transmit, receive, and interpret ideas, information, and needs.
Knowledge of application design methodologies, tools, and techniques to translate business requirements and logical models into technical designs.
Knowledge of data architecture processes and techniques, and the ability to design blueprints for integrating data resources.
Knowledge of platform architecture and the ability to design technology roadmaps and supportive interfaces in accordance with standards and processes.
Knowledge of requirements analysis tools and techniques and the ability to elicit, analyze, and record functional and non-functional requirements.
Ability to develop target architecture blueprints and roadmaps aligned with business strategies and objectives.

Nice To Haves

Architecture and platform certifications.
Familiarity with Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Target, Experience Platform/Real-Time CDP, and Journey Optimizer is highly valuable.
Experience with structured content and DITA.
Experience in B2B manufacturing, industrial, dealer/distributor, or similarly complex global ecosystems.

Responsibilities

Own current-state, transition, and target-state architecture and the multiyear roadmap across the digital marketing technology ecosystem.
Develop architecture deliverables that translate functional and non-functional requirements into application, platform, integration, and data designs.
Design technical infrastructure, including databases, programming languages, utilities, and testing approaches, and lead evaluation and deployment of technologies that enhance digital capabilities.
Partner with business, product, marketing, data, security, and engineering teams to deliver digital solutions that meet business results.
Assess the marketing technology ecosystem, identify capability and performance gaps, document architecture decisions, and recommend solution patterns and best practices.
Define platform strategy from MVP through implementation, maintenance, consolidation, and deprecation.
Architect end-to-end content supply chains for image, video, and product/specification content across Adobe Creative Cloud, agencies, source systems, Assets, Sites, PIM, commerce, and external channels.
Design data-layer contracts, tagging standards, consent gating, identity and audience flows, API/event integrations, metadata, and data-quality controls.
Lead architecture reviews, technical discovery, and requirements walkthroughs; quantify cost, benefit, risk, and likelihood of success; resolve complex design issues; and maintain traceability to business outcomes.
Provide technical direction to delivery teams and partners, coach architects and engineers, and communicate recommendations to executives and practitioners.