Technical Architect - Drupal/Symfony/Next.js

Job Description :

Technical Architect (Drupal)

Role Overview :

The Drupal Technical Architect plays a pivotal role in defining and delivering scalable, secure, and AI-ready enterprise-grade Drupal solutions. You will lead the technical direction of projects, mentor engineering teams, and collaborate with clients to translate business goals into robust technical architectures.

This role demands a blend of deep Drupal expertise, architectural leadership, AI and cloud fluency, and a consultative mindset to guide clients through digital transformation.

Key Focus Areas :

Solution Architecture & Technical Leadership :

- Architect, design, and oversee complex Drupal ecosystems (multisite, multilingual, headless/decoupled).

- Define technical standards, reusable patterns, and design systems for enterprise platforms.

- Lead architectural reviews and ensure compliance with best practices for performance, security, and accessibility.

- Evaluate and integrate modern frameworks (Symfony, Next.js, React, Node.js) where applicable.

- Own the architecture for integrations (CRM, ERP, DAM, SSO, AI APIs, CDPs, and marketing automation tools).

- Recommend and architect infrastructure solutions (Acquia Cloud, Pantheon, AWS, Azure, or GCP).

AI-Driven Development & Modern Engineering :

- Champion AI-assisted workflows for code generation, debugging, QA automation, and audit (Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude.ai).

- Guide teams on implementing AI-enhanced features : semantic search, RAG content discovery, recommendation systems, and personalization.

- Advocate for data-driven engineering integrating observability (New Relic, Datadog), analytics, and automated monitoring pipelines.

Project Delivery & Governance :

- Lead discovery workshops and define scalable technical approaches aligned with client objectives.

- Collaborate with project managers, product owners, and stakeholders to translate business needs into actionable technical roadmaps.

- Ensure delivery excellence across CI/CD pipelines, code quality, performance optimization, and documentation.

- Conduct architecture audits, risk assessments, and technical due diligence for new and existing systems.

- Support pre-sales and solutioning efforts estimations, RFP responses, and proof-of-concept (PoC) builds.

Leadership, Mentorship & Community :

- Provide technical mentorship to senior and mid-level engineers.

- Lead code reviews, architectural discussions, and cross-team design sessions.

- Foster open-source engagement core contributions, module releases, and community leadership.

- Represent QED42 at Drupal events, technical meetups, and thought-leadership initiatives

Qualifications :

Must-Have Skills :

- Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

- 8+ years of experience in web technologies with at least 6 years in Drupal.

- Proven experience in architecting large-scale, enterprise Drupal platforms.

- Expertise in custom module development, API design, and integration architecture.

- Strong understanding of Drupal core architecture (Entity, Render, Cache APIs).

- Knowledge of decoupled or headless Drupal architectures.

- Experience with Symfony, Composer, PHP 8+, and object-oriented design patterns.

- Proficiency with cloud-native deployments, Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD automation.

- Practical exposure to at least one major cloud platform (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or Acquia Cloud).

- Strong knowledge of Git, Agile, and DevSecOps workflows.

- Excellent communication, documentation, and stakeholder management skills.

- Knowledge of web accessibility standards (WCAG) and implementation best practices.

- Proficiency in leveraging AI-powered engineering tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude.ai) within IDEs and workflows for code generation, intelligent debugging, code reviews, and solution auditing.

- Exposure to AI-driven systems (Chatbots, LLM-integrations, semantic search).

- Contributions to Drupal.org, open-source projects, or community speaking engagement.

Good To Have :

- Familiarity with low-code platforms such as Acquia Site Studio, Webflow, or WordPress.

- Acquia Certified Drupal 10 Backend Specialist / Cloud Architect.

- Experience with Acquia Site Factory, Site Studio, or headless frameworks (Next.js, Gatsby).

What Youll Get :

- A collaborative, open, and forward-thinking culture that values innovation over hierarchy.

- Work with cutting-edge AI, cloud, and Drupal technologies.

- Leadership opportunities to define architecture standards and engineering practices.

- Strong mentorship, flexible schedules, competitive pay, and inclusive policies.

- Opportunities to represent QED42 in DrupalCons, Camps, and global AI-Tech conferences.