An AEM Architect is a professional who specializes in designing and implementing Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) solutions. AEM is a leading content management system (CMS) used by organizations to manage and deliver digital experiences across multiple channels. AEM Architects play a critical role in architecting, configuring, and customizing AEM to meet the unique needs of businesses. In this blog post, we will explore the primary responsibilities and the most in-demand hard and soft skills for AEM Architects.

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Main Responsibilities of an AEM Architect

The following list describes the typical responsibilities of an AEM Architect:

Align

• Align AEM roadmap phases to executable use cases.

• Align application architectures with client's business requirements.

Assist in

• Assist in strategic sales efforts from a technical perspective.

• Assist Project Leadership conduct project risk identification and mitigation planning.

• Assist Project Manager(s) in establishing team goals, objectives, and budgets.

• Assist with defining digital marketing Solution and Consulting scope during sales cycle.

Balance

Balance art and science to create award-winning digital experiences for today's connected.

Coach

Coach and mentor other team members to share knowledge and experience and help grow the team.

Collaborate with

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including developers, designers, and content authors.

• Collaborate with stakeholders to gather and analyze functional and technical requirements.

Communicate

Communicate and ensure comprehension of these concepts to developers.

Conduct

• Conduct code reviews and provide guidance to the development team.

• Conduct performance testing and optimization for AEM solutions.

Contribute to

• Contribute in all phases of the development lifecycle.

• Contribute to Customer's digital marketing strategies based on industry best practices.

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of the development process practices tools and techniques.

Create

• Create Architecture and Technical specifications documents.

• Create technical documentation and user guides.

• Create technical documentation as part of client deliverables.

Customize

Customize AEM using technologies such as Java, JavaScript, and HTML/CSS.

Define

• Define and enforce AEM development standards and coding guidelines.

• Define and manage technology delivery roadmap.

• Define, communicate and enforce coding standards.

• Define, explore, and support the implementation of ART and Solution Train.

• Define subsystems and their?.

• Define the overall system architecture, including components, modules, and integrations.

Design

• Design and implement AEM security and access controls.

• Design / develop / configure OSGI services.

Develop

• Develop AEM templates and components leveraging AEM Sightly framework.

• Develop and implement AEM templates, workflows, and custom components.

• Develop project technology strategy by understanding key client objectives.

Employ

Employ strong coding standards for efficiency, readability, and reuse.

Ensure

• Ensure compliance with industry standards, regulations, and best practices.

• Ensure the scalability, reliability, and performance of AEM solutions.

Explore

Explore solution alternatives.

Guide

Guide the team on best practices in CMS domain.

Identify

• Identify and recommend process improvements to enhance AEM development and delivery.

• Identify system deficiencies and implement effective solutions.

Implement

Implement and help architect A / B targeting scenarios.

Install

Install and configure Adobe Experience Manager for on premise solutions or cloud based solutions.

Integrate

Integrate AEM with external systems, databases, and APIs.

Lead

• Lead and participate in client meetings, professionally and expertly.

• Lead design and technical architecture activities to define overall software design.

• Lead large-scale ecommerce implementations, such as hybris, Oracle / ATG, Sterling Order.

• Lead the analysis, design, and development of new Digital Services.

• Lead the architecture and design of AEM solutions to meet business requirements.

Mentor

• Mentor and manage team members in creating best-in-class web experiences through AEM.

• Mentor developers, applying best practices and standards for Adobe Experience Manager.

• Mentor senior engineers and share technical knowledge with the entire engineering practice.

Monitor

Monitor AEM system health and implement proactive measures.

Optimize

• Optimize application architecture for performance and scalability.

• Optimize application performance and scalability.

Participate in

• Participate in planning, definition, and high-level design of the solution and?.

• Participate in the development of conceptual and logical architectures.

• Participate in the upkeep, maintenance and improvement of existing Systems.

Perform

Perform AEM system upgrades and migrations.

Prepare

Prepare and produce releases of software components.

Promote

Promote and coordinate technical knowledge harvesting within the organization.

Provide

• Provide accurate estimates based on business requirements.

• Provide constructive feedback in code reviews.

• Provide support to the sales effort on new business development pursuits, assisting with RFP.

• Provide technical leadership and mentoring of team members.

• Provide training and support to AEM developers and content authors.

Recognize

Recognize the potential reuse of existing systems in the broader system environment.

Represent

Represent technical team in client-facing dealings.

Resolve

• Resolve functional and technical issues relating to AEM.

• Resolve integration and interfacing issues between various back-end systems.

Stay updated with

Stay updated with the latest AEM features, enhancements, and best practices.

Subdivide

Subdivide a complex application, during the design phase, into smaller, more manageable pieces.

Support

• Support continuous improvement by investigating alternatives and technologies.

• Support the sales team with proposal strategy, estimations, and pitches as required.

Track

Track and identify new opportunities to improve our methodology and offerings.

Translate

• Translate business needs into technical requirements.

• Translate business requirements into technical details relevant to AEM.

Troubleshoot

Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues and provide support to end-users.

Understand

Understand and apply Scrum rules and principles in every tasks.

Work with

• Work with alliances and partnerships to ensure deep understanding of the technologies.

• Work with our Analytics team to advance Sling's data-driven capabilities.

Write

Write well designed, testable, efficient code.

Most In-demand Hard Skills

The following list describes the most required technical skills of an AEM Architect:

1. Proficiency in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) and its core components.

2. Strong knowledge of Java programming language.

3. Expertise in web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

4. Experience with AEM building blocks, including templates, components, and workflows.

5. Deep understanding of AEM architecture, including Apache Sling and OSGi.

6. Familiarity with AEM integrations, including Adobe Analytics and Adobe Target.

7. Knowledge of content modeling and metadata management in AEM.

8. Experience with version control systems, such as Git.

9. Proficiency in RESTful web services and API integrations.

10. Understanding of agile development methodologies.

Most In-demand Soft Skills

The following list describes the most required soft skills of an AEM Architect:

1. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for effective collaboration.

2. Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.

3. Detail-oriented mindset to ensure accuracy and precision in AEM solutions.

4. Ability to work in a team and lead technical discussions.

5. Adaptability and flexibility to handle changing project requirements.

6. Time management and organizational skills to meet project deadlines.

7. Client-facing skills to understand and address business needs.

8. Leadership and mentoring abilities to guide and support development teams.

9. Continuous learning mindset to stay updated with AEM advancements.

10. Strong documentation and presentation skills.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have explored the primary responsibilities of an AEM Architect, including leading AEM solution design, customization, integration, and maintenance. We have also identified the most in-demand hard skills, such as proficiency in AEM, Java programming, web technologies, and AEM architecture. Additionally, we have highlighted the essential soft skills for AEM Architects, including communication, problem-solving, and leadership abilities.