Principal Architect - Digital Platform

Role Description

The Principal Architect - Digital Platform is the technical leader responsible for defining and driving Ferguson's long-term strategy for digital platform build and modernization. This role will lead the transformation from fragmented channel-specific applications toward a unified, composable platform built on microservices passionate about core business areas. It incorporates headless architecture, API-first development, and event-driven integration.

This individual will serve as the senior-most technical leader for Digital within the organization. They define architecture principles, engineering standards, and reference implementations. These enable reusable capabilities across all digital channels. In this role, the ideal candidate will partner closely with Product, Engineering, Enterprise Architecture, and Business leaders to ensure technology investments accelerate innovation while maintaining operational stability. This position will also lead adoption of AI-assisted software engineering and Agentic AI capabilities, helping transform both the customer experience and engineering efficiency.

Location: This position may be remote or hybrid in accordance with company policy.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Digital Platform Architecture: Define and own the target architecture for Ferguson's Digital Platform, establishing the technical roadmap for headless commerce, API-first services, domain-driven microservices, and event-driven architecture.
• Platform Modernization Strategy: Lead the architecture and execution strategy for modernizing the digital technology landscape, driving the evolution from fragmented legacy applications to a modernized unified platform.
• Enterprise Solution Architecture: Lead architecture and solution design for strategic business initiatives, ensuring solutions maximize reuse, minimize redundancy, and align with enterprise architecture principles while supporting long-term platform evolution.
• Technology Standards & Governance: Establish architecture principles, engineering standards and technology guardrails covering APIs, cloud-native development, security, observability, resiliency, CI/CD, and engineering best practices.
• Domain-Driven Platform Design: Partner with engineering teams to identify domain boundaries, define reusable business capabilities, and establish shared services that can be consumed across multiple brands, customer channels, and connected platforms.
• AI & Agentic Engineering Strategy: Lead the organization's technical strategy for AI-assisted software development, Generative AI, and Agentic AI systems.
• Innovation & Emerging Technologies: Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend investments that improve scalability, developer productivity, customer experience, operational efficiency, and speed-to-market.
• Architecture Leadership: Lead architecture reviews across critical initiatives and mentor architects, principal engineers, and engineering leaders to ensure consistent technical direction and engineering excellence.
• Multi-functional Collaboration: Partner with Product Management, Engineering, Enterprise Architecture, Infrastructure, Security, Data, and Business collaborators to align technology strategy with business priorities and modernization goals.
• Technical Leadership & Influence: Act as the organization's trusted technical advisor, influencing executive leadership on architecture decisions, platform investments, technology risks, and long-term modernization strategy.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of software engineering, architecture, and technology leadership experience.
• Consistent track record leading enterprise-scale digital platform modernization initiatives.
• Experience designing large-scale commerce platforms supporting millions of products and high transaction volumes.
• Experience leading architecture for modern digital platforms across web, APIs, and partner ecosystems.

Requirements

• Technical Expertise: Domain-Driven Design (DDD), Microservices Architecture, Headless Commerce, API-first Design, Event-Driven Architecture, Cloud-native Platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP), Distributed Systems, BFF (Backend for Frontend), GraphQL & REST APIs, Identity & Access Management, Observability & Site Reliability Engineering, Performance Engineering, Security by Design.
• Leadership Skills: Executive presence with the ability to influence senior technology leaders. Proven ability to lead without direct authority across multiple engineering organizations. Strong mentoring and coaching skills for Principal and lead engineers.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Paid time off.
• Life insurance.
• 401(k) with a company match.
• Mental health coverage.
• Gender affirming and family building benefits.
• Paid parental leave.
• Associate discounts.
• Community involvement opportunities.