Principal Solutions Architect

London, United Kingdom

About the Position

At VML, we are a global creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce to create connected brands that drive growth. We are seeking a Principal Solutions Architect to lead enterprise commerce solutions and drive growth for leading global brands.

About the Company

VML is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Our Commerce & Technology division helps leading global brands design, build, and run the commerce platforms behind their growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect Enterprise Commerce: Design end-to-end commerce solutions across Adobe Commerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Shopify, HCL, and composable (MACH) solutions, spanning web, mobile apps, data, and back-office systems.
• Lead with Value: Frame every solution around commercial outcomes, cost, and return, so clients can see clear cases for change rather than a technology shopping list.
• Client Engagement and Discovery: Build trusted relationships with senior business and technology stakeholders. Run discovery workshops, ask the questions that uncover what really matters, and cut through complexity to the decisions that count.
• Solution Design and Architecture: Produce clear architecture diagrams and solution designs covering storefront, mobile apps, commerce platform, search, content, order management, product information, payments, data, and other integrations.
• Platform Selection and Replatforming: Guide clients through platform choices and migrations, including the move from monolithic to composable, weighing total cost of ownership, speed to market, risk, and operating model.
• Data, Integration, and Back Office: Get into the detail of how commerce connects to ERP (such as SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, or Oracle), order management, warehouse, customer data, and analytics, and design integration patterns that hold up at enterprise scale.
• Mobile and Omnichannel: Shape mobile app strategy and architecture (native, cross-platform, and headless) alongside web, store, and marketplace channels, so the customer experience is joined up.
• Business Case and Value: Build business cases, value models, and roadmaps that link technology decisions to revenue, conversion, margin, and cost to serve.
• Demonstrations and Proofs of Concept: Stand up demo storefronts and prototypes quickly, such as a Shopify store or a composable proof of concept, to show clients what is possible and take risk out of their decisions.
• Proposals and Pitches: Own the solution story, architecture, assumptions, and effort estimates in proposals, and present them with confidence at pitch.
• Handover and Delivery Assurance: Make sure what is sold can be delivered, with a clean handover to delivery teams and continued involvement through mobilization.
• Market and Partner Leadership: Stay across the commerce market, including cloud (AWS, GCP), AI in commerce, and agentic commerce. Share that knowledge to strengthen our propositions and our partner relationships.

Requirements

• Enterprise Commerce Experience: Extensive senior experience in enterprise commerce across retail, consumer brands, or B2B, gained in digital agencies, consultancies, or large brands.
• Breadth Across Platforms: Strong working knowledge of Adobe Commerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and Shopify, plus composable and MACH (microservices, API first, cloud native, headless) components such as Commerce tools, Contentful, Algolia, Akeneo, or similar.
• Presales and New Business: A track record of shaping and winning significant commerce deals, running workshops, writing proposals, and presenting to senior audiences.
• Commercial Acumen: Understands how clients make money. Speaks confidently about value, cost, and return, and can hold a commercial conversation with a Chief Executive or Chief Financial Officer as easily as with a Chief Technology Officer.
• Data and ERP Integration: Hands-on understanding of how commerce connects with ERP, order management, product information, customer data, and analytics, and the integration patterns that make it work.
• Mobile Apps: Solid understanding of mobile commerce app architecture and delivery, including native and cross-platform approaches and how apps connect to headless commerce services.
• Architecture and Communication: Excellent diagramming, written, and verbal skills. Able to turn complex estates into simple pictures and clear stories for senior audiences.
• Hands-On Credibility: Comfortable building a demo store, configuring a platform, or proving a concept yourself, rather than relying on slides alone.
• Presence: Energetic, confident, and credible with clients. Able to cut through noise and lead the room.

Nice to Have

• Certifications across Adobe Commerce, Salesforce B2C Commerce, or Shopify, MACH
• AWS certifications (Solutions Architect Associate or Professional) and experience running commerce on Cloud solutions
• Order management, product information management, and marketplace platforms
• B2B commerce, including complex pricing, catalogue, and account structures
• Agentic commerce concepts and emerging standards (ACP, AP2, A2A) and practical use of AI in commerce
• Total cost of ownership and business case modelling
• The C4 model and diagrams as code

We Offer

Alongside the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting brands around the world, we’ll also prioritize your career development and help you grow your skills. We’ll empower you to make a difference, allow you to be yourself, and respect who you are.

Permanent only

We offer a great benefits package including a discretionary bonus scheme, training opportunities, competitive pension, medical insurance, life assurance, social events, opportunities to buy and sell holidays, family-friendly policies, discounts with hundreds of retailers, and much more.

Our culture thrives on our core values, designed for impact-driven individuals: Heart, Brains, and Courage.

• Heart: Fostering empathy and trust where genuine connections and human-centric work flourish.
• Brains: Valuing relentless curiosity and collaborative intelligence to solve complex challenges.
• Courage: Inspiring you to speak up, embrace experimentation, and advocate for bold solutions that push our thinking to be better than yesterday.

How We Use AI in the Recruitment Process

To ensure more focused and engaging conversations, we leverage AI in our recruitment process exclusively for secure, objective note-taking, never for evaluative judgments. This allows our team to be fully present with you. You are always welcome to request a transcript of these notes or opt out of this feature at any time. Opting out will not impact the outcome of the interview process.

At WPP Enterprise Solutions

WPP Enterprise Solutions designs, builds, and operates the growth systems that competitive businesses rely on. In a world where AI is reshaping how companies drive growth, we lead clients in business transformation and marketing modernization, connecting strategy directly to execution.

Our 12,000 experts in engineering and platforms, commerce, consulting, content transformation, CRM, and CX, work within a unified global operating unit across 40+ markets. WPP Enterprise Solutions works alongside best-in-class partners including Adobe, AWS, Braze, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Shopify, as well as innovators in AI, to deliver growth solutions tailored to the needs of our clients’ businesses. We have received distinction as a leader in Commerce Services and CX Strategy Consulting by the Forrester Wave™

To find out more, visit enterprisesolutions.wpp.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

WPP Enterprise Solutions is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions, and expert strategic counsel.

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

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