Solution Architect - Digital Asset Management (DAM) / Content Supply Chain

Position: Solution Architect - Digital Asset Management (DAM) / Content Supply Chain
Location: Flexible - candidates may be sourced from any location or time zone
Work Arrangement: Onsite highly preferred; exact site and attendance requirements to be confirmed
Experience: 10+ years in enterprise solution/software architecture
Platform Preference: Aprimo DAM preferred; Adobe DAM experience acceptable for consideration
Current Project Phase: Discovery, architecture blueprinting, proof-of-concept, requirements-gap analysis, and scope definition
Hiring Priority: High - immediate recruiting focus

Overview
Client is seeking a senior Solution Architect to lead the end-to-end solution definition for its Digital Asset Management (DAM) and Content Supply Chain initiative.
The immediate assignment focuses on discovery, architectural blueprinting, proof-of-concept evaluation, migration assessment, identification of requirements gaps, and definition of the minimum viable product (MVP) and longer-term platform scope.
The main MVP implementation is planned for the following project year. This position is therefore focused initially on architecture and technical definition rather than production implementation or detailed API and ingestion development.
The Solution Architect will own the overall solution perspective, define how DAM capabilities fit into the broader enterprise ecosystem, and determine the architectural approach for current upstream integration requirements.
The architect will also assess existing asset repositories and capabilities, define future migration considerations, and establish a scalable architecture that can support downstream content distribution in subsequent phases.
The DAM platform has not yet been selected. Aprimo is currently preferred, while candidates with strong Adobe DAM architecture experience may also be considered.
This is a senior architecture ownership position. The Tech Lead / Engineering Lead will work under the architect's technical direction, supporting detailed technical design, proof-of-concepts, and subsequent implementation and release activities.

Purpose: Lead the architectural definition of a major enterprise DAM and Content Supply Chain initiative for McDonald's. Establish the foundation for how digital assets and content capabilities will be managed, integrated, governed, and expanded across the enterprise.

Objectives
1. Establish the End-to-End DAM and Content Supply Chain Solution Blueprint. lead architecture discovery and develop the target solution blueprint for McDonald's DAM and Content Supply Chain initiative. Define the major solution components, capability boundaries, integration relationships, metadata and governance considerations, and enterprise architecture dependencies in collaboration with Product, BTA, enterprise architecture, security, and engineering stakeholders. Clearly distinguish the capabilities required for the initial MVP from those intended for subsequent phases and document significant design alternatives and technical decisions. Success will be measured by stakeholder acceptance of the proposed architecture blueprint, resolution or documented disposition of priority architectural questions, and agreement on the initial MVP architectural scope.
2. Evaluate DAM Platform Options and Define the Preferred Technical Direction. support technical evaluation of Aprimo and Adobe DAM solutions against agreed business requirements, enterprise architecture standards, integration needs, and future scalability expectations. Assess relevant platform capabilities, customization implications, technology dependencies, architectural constraints, and potential migration considerations without assuming that the final product decision has already been made. Lead or guide focused technical proof-of-concepts where additional evidence is required and document the implications of each platform choice for the overall solution. Success will be measured by completion of agreed platform evaluation deliverables, documented technical trade-offs, and an architecture recommendation or decision record accepted by the responsible stakeholders.
3. Define the Upstream Integration and Migration Architecture. establish the high-level architectural approach for integrating upstream content sources and enterprise capabilities with the future DAM solution. Assess existing assets, repositories, metadata structures, content workflows, and relevant migration dependencies, including systems such as SharePoint, Amazon S3, and Dropbox where applicable. Define the conceptual integration patterns, migration considerations, system boundaries, and governance requirements needed to support the agreed MVP while deferring detailed production API and ingestion implementation to the appropriate delivery phase. Success will be measured by acceptance of the upstream integration architecture, completion of the agreed migration assessment.
4. Define the MVP Roadmap and Scalable Future-State Architecture.consolidate discovery findings, proof-of-concept results, requirements gaps, and architectural dependencies into an actionable MVP technical roadmap. Establish the future-state architectural principles needed to support enterprise scalability, security, content rights, lifecycle management, and eventual downstream distribution to systems such as GMA, MCDP/Braze, Digital Menu Boards/Coates, kiosks, and POS. Clearly distinguish immediate upstream integration priorities from downstream capabilities that may be considered in 2027 or 2028 and guide the Tech Lead on the engineering implications of the approved design. Success will be measured by acceptance of the MVP architecture and roadmap, documentation of priority risks and dependencies, and agreement on the major technical decisions required before implementation begins.

Critical Subtasks
1. Conduct Enterprise DAM Discovery and Capability Assessment. review current DAM-related business needs, existing content capabilities, repositories, enterprise architecture standards, and identified stakeholder requirements. Facilitate discovery sessions with Product, BTA, enterprise architecture, security, data governance, and engineering representatives to understand current-state constraints and desired outcomes. Document the major capability gaps, architectural dependencies, and unresolved technical questions that will influence solution design. Success will be measured by an accepted discovery summary, a prioritized requirements-gap register, and agreement on the architectural areas requiring further investigation.
2. Evaluate DAM Platform Capabilities and Technical Feasibility. assess Aprimo and Adobe DAM capabilities against the relevant functional, integration, governance, and enterprise technology requirements. Evaluate platform architecture, extension capabilities, technology-stack implications, and the degree to which each option supports the anticipated Content Supply Chain operating model. Guide technical demonstrations or proof-of-concepts to address material uncertainties and document the results for decision-makers. Success will be measured by completion of agreed evaluation criteria.
3. Develop the Target Architecture and MVP Capability Blueprint. translate discovery findings and platform evaluation results into an end-to-end solution architecture. Work with the Tech Lead and enterprise architecture stakeholders to validate feasibility, identify technical dependencies, and separate MVP requirements from future enhancements. Success will be measured by approval of the target architecture artifacts, documented capability boundaries, and agreement on the MVP architectural baseline.
4. Assess Existing Asset Repositories and Migration Requirements. evaluate the architectural implications of existing digital assets, repositories, metadata models, content workflows, and related enterprise capabilities. Identify migration and coexistence considerations, including data quality, metadata mapping, content ownership, rights preservation, and dependencies between current and future platforms. Define a high-level migration strategy and identify technical investigations required before a detailed migration plan can be finalized. Success will be measured by acceptance of the migration assessment, documentation of major migration risks, and agreement on the recommended next-phase approach.
5. Define Upstream Integration Architecture and Validate Key Assumptions. establish the solution-level integration approach for upstream enterprise capabilities that will supply or manage content within the DAM ecosystem. Define system responsibilities, conceptual data flows, architectural integration patterns, governance considerations, and major interface dependencies while collaborating with the Tech Lead on feasibility assessments. Use targeted proof-of-concepts to validate complex assumptions rather than committing the team to detailed downstream or production integration development during discovery.
6. Finalize MVP Scope, Architecture Decisions, and Implementation Readiness. consolidate architectural decisions, requirements gaps, platform considerations, migration findings, and upstream integration dependencies into an agreed technical definition for the planned MVP. Partner with Product, BTA, enterprise architecture, and the Tech Lead to establish a phased implementation roadmap, future-state design principles, and the key non-functional requirements that engineering must address during delivery. Document deferred downstream capabilities separately, including potential [redacted] integration work, and identify the decisions required before full implementation begins.

Requirements

• Senior Enterprise Architecture Experience: 10+ years of solution or software architecture experience, including responsibility for defining complex enterprise solutions and guiding major technical decisions.
• DAM / Content Platform Architecture: Strong experience architecting DAM, CMS, MarTech, Content Supply Chain, or comparable enterprise content platforms, with direct DAM architecture accomplishments strongly preferred.
• End-to-End Solution Ownership: Demonstrated ability to own solution definition across business capabilities, enterprise integrations, governance, technical constraints, and future-state architecture.
• Discovery and Blueprinting: Experience leading technical discovery, requirements-gap analysis, solution blueprinting, proof-of-concepts, and architecture planning before full implementation.
• Aprimo or Adobe Expertise: Direct Aprimo DAM architecture experience is preferred for the initial search. Strong Adobe DAM architecture experience remains acceptable for client review, particularly where the candidate demonstrates transferable enterprise DAM expertise.
• Integration and Migration Architecture: Experience defining enterprise integration patterns, high-level data flows, system boundaries, repository migration approaches, and platform interoperability.
• Metadata, Taxonomy, and Governance: Strong understanding of digital asset metadata, taxonomy, search, rights management, access controls, and content lifecycle governance.
• Cloud and Enterprise Architecture: Experience with scalable cloud-based systems, enterprise security, non-functional requirements, and architecture documentation.
• Technical Leadership: Ability to direct a Tech Lead and collaborate effectively with Product, BTA, security, data governance, and engineering teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Aprimo DAM: Direct architecture, platform evaluation, or implementation experience with Aprimo.
• Adobe DAM: Experience with Adobe Experience Manager Assets or comparable Adobe Content Supply Chain capabilities.
• Relevant Technology Stacks: Familiarity with .NET-based enterprise integration environments and/or Java-based content platforms, depending on the selected DAM product.
• Enterprise Repositories: Experience with SharePoint, AWS/S3, Dropbox, or comparable content repositories and migration approaches.
• Global Architecture: Experience establishing scalable architecture for large enterprises or multi-market environments.
• Onsite Collaboration: Ability and willingness to work onsite as required, with onsite availability especially valued for this role.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• The ideal candidate is a senior DAM Solution Architect who has personally led enterprise content platform architecture initiatives from discovery through technical blueprinting and implementation planning.
• They have deep experience in DAM architecture and can explain how they evaluated platform capabilities, identified business and technical gaps, established solution boundaries, assessed migrations, and designed enterprise integration strategies.
• Aprimo experience is the preferred differentiator. However, a highly accomplished Adobe DAM architect with strong product-agnostic solution design skills, relevant integration experience, and the ability to learn a different DAM platform should remain in consideration.
• The candidate should be able to demonstrate senior architectural judgment, communicate trade-offs, influence stakeholders, and guide a Tech Lead without becoming primarily responsible for day-to-day engineering execution.

The strongest evidence of fit will be a previous project in which the candidate defined the end-to-end architecture for a complex enterprise DAM or content platform, addressed significant integration and migration challenges, and prepared a practical MVP roadmap