Position: Manager, Systems Architecture

Department: IT

What you will be doing:

As Manager, Systems Architecture, you will serve as a key technical leader across our global Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) ecosystem, partnering closely with the Director, Systems Architecture to shape and execute our technology strategy. You'll lead the design and evolution of scalable, secure, and high-performing ecommerce solutions supporting iconic brands like Hydro Flask, OXO, Osprey, Drybar, Revlon, and more.

This role sits at the center of our digital platform-collaborating across backend, frontend, integration, DevOps, and analytics teams to ensure cohesive, future-ready architecture.

Architecture Leadership & Design

• Design and own end-to-end technical architecture across backend, frontend, integration, DevOps, and analytics layers
• Translate business requirements into technical specifications, architecture diagrams, and cohesive solution designs
• Produce and maintain clear architecture documentation (e.g., Confluence) to support engineering and business alignment
• Evaluate and recommend technology solutions and integration patterns
• Provide effort sizing and high-level estimation for architectural deliverables
• Ensure all solutions are scalable, secure, performant, and maintainable

Standards, Governance & Quality

• Lead architecture reviews across all DTC engineering teams
• Define, document, and enforce architectural standards, patterns, and guardrails
• Conduct code and design reviews to ensure architectural alignment and consistency
• Enforce best practices across backend, frontend, integration, DevOps, and analytics teams
• Identify, manage, and drive down technical debt while promoting long-term platform health

Cross-Team Collaboration & Delivery

• Partner closely with engineering managers, lead engineers, and cross-functional teams across the DTC ecosystem
• Resolve cross-cutting technical dependencies and design conflicts between teams
• Coordinate architectural decisions spanning multiple teams, systems, and product lines
• Represent the architecture function in project discovery, planning, and stakeholder communications
• Ensure architectural decisions support delivery timelines, budgets, and business goals

Platform Strategy & Innovation

• Contribute to and help shape the multi-year DTC technology roadmap
• Drive modernization initiatives, platform upgrades, and migration strategies
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend adoption where impactful
• Assess cost, risk, and ROI trade-offs for key architectural decisions

Operational Excellence

• Act as the architectural escalation point for complex, cross-team production and design issues
• Lead root cause analysis for incidents with architectural impact and implement systemic improvements to prevent recurrence
• Safeguard platform stability, scalability, and reliability across global ecommerce systems

Mentorship & Influence

• Mentor engineers and engineering managers on architectural thinking and design principles
• Coach and develop lead engineers into future architects
• Identify skill gaps and help build targeted training and development plans
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement across distributed teams

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field
• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including 5+ years in solution or systems architecture
• 5+ years of experience architecting Adobe Commerce (Magento 2) or comparable enterprise ecommerce platforms
• 3+ years in a technical lead or engineering management role
• 3+ years designing cloud-based solutions on AWS (or similar) within Linux environments
• Proven experience leading architecture across cross-functional teams (backend, frontend, integration, DevOps, analytics)
• Strong programming background in modern languages (e.g., PHP, Python, Java, Node.js, JavaScript) and familiarity with frontend frameworks (React, Vue, or similar)
• Experience working with global, distributed engineering teams (onshore and offshore)
• Deep expertise in Adobe Commerce / Magento 2 architecture, customization, and extensibility
• Strong knowledge of integration patterns (REST, GraphQL, event-driven, ETL, middleware) across ERP, OMS, 3PL, marketing, and analytics platforms
• Proficiency in AWS cloud architecture (compute, networking, storage, security, observability) and DevOps practices (CI/CD, infrastructure as code)
• Experience designing for performance, scalability, and capacity in high-traffic ecommerce environments
• Strong database architecture expertise (MySQL/MariaDB, Redis, Elasticsearch/OpenSearch)
• Advanced understanding of object-oriented design, MVC, microservices, event-driven architecture, and modern design patterns
• Familiarity with observability/APM tools (e.g., New Relic, Datadog) and security standards (PCI, GDPR, CCPA) with a secure-by-design mindset
• Strong skills in creating technical diagrams (C4, UML, sequence) and producing architecture documentation and business-facing presentations
• Authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in a related field
• AWS Solutions Architect certification and/or Adobe Commerce (Magento) certification

The standard base pay range for this role is $130,000 - 175,000 annually. Actual salaries will vary based on several factors, including but not limited to location, experience, skill level, and performance. The range listed is just one component of the total compensation package for employees.

Benefits: Salary + Bonus, Healthcare, Dental, Vision, Paid Holidays, Paid Parental Leave, 401(k) with company match, Basic Life Insurance, Short Term Disability (STD), Long Term Disability (LTD), Paid Time Off (PTO), Paid Charitable (volunteer) Leave, and Educational Assistance.

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The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified. Management retains the right to add or to change duties of the position at any time.