Forest Pond Associates, Inc. Adobe Experience Manager Solution Lead Remote · Full time Company website

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Forest Pond Associates ensures availability of trusted data for clinical data submissions and decision making by delivering better end-to-end people, process, technology, and governance.

Position Summary

Forest Pond Associates is seeking an experienced AEM Solution Architect to assess a client’s primarily vendor-built Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service implementation and define a sustainable long-term support model for a large, public-facing digital platform.

This platform is one of the client’s most visible digital properties. Its current AEM environment is highly customized and not fully transparent to internal stakeholders. This role is intended to bring clarity to the architecture, identify what is sound versus what introduces risk, and recommend the staffing, governance, and support approach needed for the platform’s next phases.

The selected candidate will lead an initial assessment during the first several months of the engagement and then continue as a strategic technical advisor through the remainder of the contract, supporting transition execution, governance, and platform decisions as they arise.

Description of Work

The AEM Solution Architect will partner with Forest Pond Associates leadership, client stakeholders, engineering, operations, procurement, and the incumbent technical vendor to evaluate the platform’s current state and shape its future.

The work begins as a diagnostic engagement and evolves into ongoing architectural advisory support as transition activities move forward. The consultant will lead architecture and solution design for relevant AEM tools, including AEM Sites, Assets, Forms, and related capabilities.

This role requires deep AEM expertise, sound judgment to distinguish standard practice from over-customization, and the communication skills to make complex technical realities understandable to executive and non-technical audiences. The consultant will guide internal and external development teams on security and performance best practices, code review, enforcement and creation of standards, and deployment and governance strategies.

Expected Outputs

Over the course of the engagement, the architect will produce written assessments, recommendations, and supporting documentation that give Forest Pond Associates and its client a clear understanding of the platform environment and a credible path forward for support and governance.

Specific deliverables will be defined collaboratively based on assessment findings and organizational needs.

By the end of the engagement, the following outcomes should be achieved:

• Forest Pond Associates and the client have a documented, credible understanding of the AEM environment, its risks, and its dependencies
• A future-state support model has been defined and endorsed by leadership
• A transition plan is in place and execution is underway
• Core architecture and support documentation exists in client-owned systems
• Governance expectations for future platform changes are established

Key Responsibilities

• Platform assessment and architecture review: Evaluate the current AEM as a Cloud Service implementation. Distinguish standard platform practice from over-customization or unnecessary complexity. Assess long-term maintainability and recommend simplification, stabilization, or remediation where warranted.
• Support model and transition planning: Define what support work can reasonably be performed internally, by contractors, or by a vendor. Develop a credible transition approach. Identify the skills and roles required for the future-state team.
• Documentation and knowledge transfer: Identify gaps in existing platform documentation. Establish documentation standards. Guide knowledge transfer between the current vendor and future support resources so that critical knowledge resides within the organization rather than with individuals.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Work with stakeholders across product, UX, content, and engineering teams.
• Architecture support: Evaluate and define component, template, and experience architecture. Translate business requirements into technical architecture, workflows, and content models.
• Governance and supportability: Recommend guardrails to ensure future enhancements align with sound AEM practices. Advise leadership on architectural tradeoffs, technical debt, and the long-term implications of platform decisions.
• Stakeholder communication: Serve as a trusted technical advisor to Forest Pond Associates and client leadership. Translate architectural complexity into clear, actionable guidance for executive, procurement, and operational audiences.
• Risk and decision support: Surface platform risks and operational dependencies with clear analysis and decision points. Help leadership weigh the cost of maintaining the current model against alternatives.
• Vendor and contractor oversight: Evaluate current vendor responsibilities and provide technical input into future contractor or vendor scopes, labor categories, and accountability expectations.

Work Schedule

• 1-year contract with potential extension
• Standard business hours, Monday through Friday, with flexibility based on client needs
• Remote or hybrid work arrangement may be available depending on engagement requirements
• Consultants must maintain a secure, high-speed internet connection when working remotely
• Occasional onsite meetings may be required based on client or project needs

Required Qualifications

• Located in ET timezone (Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and part of eastern Alabama), preferably located in Pennsylvania
• 8–10 years of experience in enterprise content management, digital platform architecture, or closely related roles
• Deep hands-on Adobe Experience Manager expertise across architecture, implementation, and support
• Strong knowledge of Java, Sling, Dispatcher, and front-end integration
• Experience assessing complex, highly customized enterprise platform environments and identifying supportability risks
• Experience working with vendor-built systems and evaluating transition readiness
• Demonstrated ability to develop technical assessments, support models, and documentation strategies
• Strong written communication skills, including assessments and recommendations for executive audiences
• Experience with collaboration and delivery tools such as Confluence, SharePoint, or Azure DevOps

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting transitions from vendor-led to internal or hybrid support models
• Experience establishing or maturing enterprise platform governance, including customization standards, change management, and support ownership models
• Experience contributing to technical procurement, statements of work, or contractor role definition
• Experience supporting large public-facing digital platforms
• Familiarity with AEM as a Cloud Service operational constraints, including Cloud Manager pipelines, deployment strategies, branching strategies, automated testing, and environment management
• Understanding of AEM security models and familiarity with accessibility requirements
• Relevant Adobe or architecture certifications

Additional Requirements

• Familiarity with enterprise platform governance, vendor management, and support model design
• Exposure to technology procurement or participation in RFP/RFI processes preferred
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the role