Chief Architect

Chief Architect

Location:

Remote (United States)

The Head of Architecture (Chief Architect) is Thunder's senior technical authority, owning the architecture practice end to end and carrying the architecture leadership seat on the Delivery team. You define and enforce Thunder's architecture standards, govern cross-cloud, data, and AI solution design, provide oversight on technical solutioning through pre-sales, and own the technical bar that defines architectural excellence  set the Thunder's direction on how data and AI show up in client solutions, ensuring they rest on a sound data foundation rather than just sitting on top.

You are also the architect Thunder turns to on its most critical engagements, the judgment that protects our delivery reputation when the stakes are highest. This role is equal parts technical authority, executive influence, and stewardship of the Thunder's architectural identity.

• Own the architecture function. Set direction, run the operating cadence, and hold the architect community accountable to standards and outcomes.
• Serve as the single point of accountability for architecture quality across the portfolio.

• Define, publish, and enforce Thunder's architecture standards, including design patterns, documentation templates, integration standards, and Dev Ops/CI-CD guardrails.
• Run architecture review boards and design gates; own the customization versus configuration line.
• Extend Thunder's standards to cover data architecture and AI/agent design, so emerging solution patterns are held to the same governance bar as established ones.
• Make standards real and operational.

• Serve as the connective tissue on multi-cloud and multi-system programs, ensuring work streams align on a coherent data model and platform strategy.
• Govern how Salesforce integrates into the broader technology ecosystem, including ERP, data platform, middleware, and identity, ensuring seamless, scalable interoperability.

• Own the architecture strategy for data and AI across client solutions, including data platforms, Data 360, Agentforce and agentic patterns, ensuring solutions are grounded in a sound data model and governed data foundation.
• Set the design standards and guardrails for AI and agent solutions, covering data readiness, trust and security, human-in-the-loop design, and responsible-use considerations, so that what we deliver is scalable and defensible.
• Serve as the Thunder's senior authority on when AI genuinely fits a client problem and when it does not, protecting clients and Thunder from AI over-reach.
• Provide technical input to Thunder's internal delivery-transformation efforts, partnering with delivery leadership on how AI strengthens how we architect and deliver.

• Set the standards for how Thunder solutions and estimates before it commits, establishing the estimation discipline and design principles that govern technical scoping.
• Vet proposed architectures on strategic and complex pursuits against delivery capacity and skill sets to prevent sales over-reach.
• Provide architectural oversight and review on the highest-stakes pursuits; guide technical discovery and shape the technical narrative that wins executive trust.

• Own the technical bar for the architect community. Define what "good" looks like, the design and code-quality standards architects are held to, and the certification and capability roadmap as a technical artifact.
• Partner with practice and delivery leadership on the architect career ladder, hiring bar, and career development, ensuring the people model is anchored to the technical standard you set.
• Coach and elevate the architect community through review, mentorship, and knowledge-sharing.

• Step into escalated or at-risk engagements to diagnose technical root cause, reset the design or direction, and stabilize.
• When a critical engagement requires it, go deep. Lead solution design sessions, review complex integration and data-migration strategies, and make the hard architecture calls directly.

• Represent Thunder externally through client executive presentations, public speaking, and published thought leadership.
• Stay current on Salesforce product and platform capabilities, emerging patterns, and product updates.

• 12–15+ years within Enterprise and/or…