As a Solution Architect at the Associate Director level, you’ll bridge technical depth and client strategy, translating complex requirements into elegant architecture decisions and guiding engineering teams through implementation. You’ll define the technical vision for large-scale data platforms, designing the systems, standards, and integration patterns that power data-driven insights and predictive and generative models for enterprise clients.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Lead solution design and architecture decisions for mid-to-large scale client engagements, with a focus on data platforms, pipelines, and AI-enabled workflows
- Produce and present architecture artifacts: system diagrams, integration maps, ADRs, and technical standards
- Guide engineering teams through architecture implementation with hands-on involvement during critical phases
- Facilitate technical discovery workshops and requirements sessions with client engineering, data, and IT stakeholders
- Evaluate and recommend cloud data platforms, frameworks, and third-party integrations based on client requirements and constraints
- Identify and mitigate architectural risk across the project portfolio
- Contribute to pre-sales technical scoping, RFP responses, and solution presentations
- Lead enterprise architecture discovery including current-state assessment, gap analysis, and future-state roadmapping
- Define platform architecture patterns for data pipelines, composable stacks, and API-first ecosystems, including the integration of AI/ML capabilities into data flows
- Architect data foundations that connect marketing data ecosystems (GA4, advertising platforms, CRMs, CDPs) to analytics and ML workloads
- Partner with client and internal teams, including Machine Learning Engineering, to align architecture to enterprise security, privacy, compliance, and governance requirements
- Establish engineering standards, documentation, and best practices, and mentor engineers on architectural decision-making
- Represent technical strategy in client executive briefings and RFP/SOW processes
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
- 7+ years of software or data engineering experience with 2+ years focused on architecture or solutions design
- Strong breadth across the modern technology stack: cloud, APIs, data, and platform ecosystems
- Experience with data governance, privacy compliance, and security best practices
- Experience integrating AI/ML capabilities into data pipelines, with exposure to GenAI applications
- Demonstrated ability to design scalable, maintainable systems and communicate them clearly
- Experience working directly with client technical teams and translating business requirements into system design
- Ability to operate as a trusted technical advisor to both client and internal stakeholders
- Deep expertise in cloud data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Redshift), with clear, well-reasoned opinions on trade-offs
- Proficiency in Python and SQL for data processing and ETL
- Experience designing distributed systems and API ecosystems at enterprise scale
- Hands-on experience with AI-powered coding, agentic engineering, and AI-enabled workflows
- Experience producing and presenting architecture artifacts to both technical and executive audiences
- Ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and drive technical consensus across an organization that is 50/50 tech and creative
NICE TO HAVE
- Experience across multiple domain verticals (commerce, content, data, infrastructure)
- Formal architecture training or certifications (AWS, Azure, GCP, TOGAF)
- Background in pre-sales technical consulting or solutions engineering
- Familiarity with marketing data ecosystems and customer data platforms
- Background in digital transformation or platform migration programs
ABOUT US
Born in 2001, Code and Theory is a digital-first creative agency that sits at the center of creativity and technology. We pride ourselves on not only solving consumer and business problems, but also helping to establish new capabilities for our clients. With a global client roster of Fortune 100s and start-ups alike, we crave the hardest problems to solve. We have teams distributed across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. The Code and Theory global network of agencies is growing and includes Kettle, Instrument, Left Field Labs, Create Group, Current, and TrueLogic.
Striving never to be pigeonholed, we work across every major category: from tech to CPG, financial services to travel & hospitality, government and education to media and publishing. We value the collaboration with our client partners, including but not limited to Adidas, Amazon, Con Edison, Diageo, EY, J.P. Morgan Chase, Lenovo, Marriott, Mars, Microsoft, Thomson Reuters, and TikTok.
The Code and Theory network is comprised of nearly 2,000 people with 50% engineers and 50% creative talent. We’re always on the lookout for smart, driven, and forward-thinking people to join our team.
The compensation range for this role is $160,000 - $210,000 and spans multiple levels. We're open to hiring at the level that best matches the right candidate's experience. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, budget, and location.
Skills Required
- 7+ years of software or data engineering experience
- 2+ years focused on architecture or solutions design
- Broad experience across cloud, APIs, data, and platform ecosystems
- Experience with data governance, privacy compliance, and security best practices
- Experience integrating AI/ML capabilities into data pipelines, including exposure to generative AI applications
- Ability to design scalable, maintainable systems and communicate architecture clearly
- Experience working directly with client technical teams and translating business requirements into system design
- Ability to serve as a trusted technical advisor to client and internal stakeholders
- Deep expertise in cloud data platforms such as Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, or Redshift
- Proficiency in Python and SQL for data processing and ETL
- Experience designing distributed systems and API ecosystems at enterprise scale
- Hands-on experience with AI-powered coding, agentic engineering, and AI-enabled workflows
- Experience producing and presenting architecture artifacts to technical and executive audiences
- Ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and drive technical consensus
- Experience across multiple domain verticals, such as commerce, content, data, or infrastructure
- Formal architecture training or certifications, such as AWS, Azure, GCP, or TOGAF
- Background in pre-sales technical consulting or solutions engineering
- Familiarity with marketing data ecosystems and customer data platforms
- Background in digital transformation or platform migration programs
Code and Theory Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Code and Theory and has not been reviewed or approved by Code and Theory.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off policies include an “unlimited”/flexible PTO approach with paid holidays/sick time and seasonal early-close Fridays, offering notable flexibility. These options provide additional downtime beyond standard accrual models.
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Healthcare Strength — Core medical, dental, and vision coverage is part of the standard package, with employer-verified health plan information cited as current. Life and disability insurance further reinforce foundational coverage.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with employer match is included in the package, supporting long-term savings. Candidates are encouraged to confirm the match formula during the offer stage.
Code and Theory Insights
What We Do
Code and Theory is a strategically driven, digital-first creative agency that lives at the intersection of creativity and technology. We solve consumer and business problems across the entire customer journey that flex to meet the ever-changing needs of consumer expectations. We put the user, their behaviors and needs, at the center of everything we do — from our proprietary research methodologies, to product development processes, to how we create brand, channel and messaging strategies. Our goal is simple: to solve our clients business problems. We bring big ideas to life by looking holistically at brand ecosystems where digital plays a prominent role in driving the consumer from first-touch through to conversion to relationship deepening over time. We identify gaps in the consumer journey and opportunities in culture that require products, services or communications to fill. We work across categories, ranging as far and wide as health care (Pfizer, Sanofi, Reach MD, Bioreference Laboratories) to financial services (JP Morgan Chase, Prudential, Morgan Stanley, First Data) to cpg (Mars, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson) to technology companies (Facebook, Xerox, Samsung, Comcast) to culture brands (adidas, H&M). And because our DNA is in publishing — we’ve embedded in over 135 newsrooms in the past decade — we bring unique expertise in understanding how content is created, distributed and optimized, including our work with CNN, NBC News, NBC Sports, and Bustle Digital Group. At Code and Theory, we strive to only be limited by our own ambition and creativity. We believe in pushing our creativity beyond the easy and obvious answers in order to deliver the solutions that are right for our clients, their businesses, and their consumers.
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