Principal Architect - Salesforce

Your role:

The Principal Salesforce Architect in Canberra will provide architecture leadership for a key customer’s modernisation agenda, shaping the target architecture, technology roadmap and delivery approach for a major transformation expected to be enabled by the Salesforce platform.

This is not a conventional solution architecture role. You will operate at the intersection of executive advisory, enterprise and Salesforce architecture, program shaping and account development. You are expected to become a trusted adviser to senior government stakeholders, including SES Band 1 and Band 2 executives, while providing the technical credibility and judgment required to define an architecture that is secure, scalable, supportable and fit for a complex Commonwealth department environment.

The role is also strategically important to Capgemini. As a senior Capgemini representative embedded with the client, the Principal Salesforce Architect will help establish and expand Capgemini’s footprint by identifying where Capgemini capabilities, global experience, accelerators and partner ecosystem can create value, whilst always operating with integrity, transparency and within client governance and procurement requirements.

You are an Australian Citizen, already based in Canberra or able to relocate to Canberra, with existing Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) clearance (ideally NV1) or be willing and able to obtain and maintain one. You will be expected to operate predominantly on-site with the customer in Canberra which requires the flexibility to work in accordance with departmental security and access requirements.

Your responsibilities:

• Define and maintain the architecture vision and roadmap for the customer’s modernisation program, translating strategic and business outcomes into an executable Salesforce-enabled target state.
• Act as the senior Salesforce architecture authority and trusted technology adviser within the program, providing clear recommendations, design trade-offs and risk advice to executive and technical stakeholders.
• Shape the program architecture across Salesforce and its surrounding ecosystem, including integration, data, identity, security, cloud, digital channels, automation, analytics and AI-enabled capabilities.
• Create the architecture foundations, governance and decision framework required to take the program from early design and planning through future procurement and delivery.
• Represent Capgemini at a senior level, strengthening relationships, identifying adjacent transformation opportunities and connecting the client to relevant Capgemini and partner capabilities.

Salesforce and enterprise architecture leadership:

• Own the end-to-end Salesforce solution architecture for the customer’s modernisation initiative, ensuring alignment with the customer’s enterprise architecture, security obligations, business strategy and future operating model.
• Design the appropriate mix of Salesforce and non-Salesforce capabilities, clearly articulating platform boundaries, constraints, integration patterns and architectural trade-offs.
• Define architecture across Salesforce platform services, data models, workflow and automation, security and sharing, APIs and integration, digital experience, identity, DevSecOps, environment strategy and non-functional requirements.
• Assess existing platforms, legacy dependencies and surrounding systems to determine transition states, integration requirements, migration implications and sequencing.
• Ensure architecture decisions address scalability, resilience, performance, maintainability, supportability, privacy, sovereignty and protected-government requirements.
• Establish architecture principles, standards, reference patterns, decision records and design assurance processes that can be carried forward into future procurement and delivery.Provide authoritative guidance on technical risks, dependencies, solution options and remediation strategies across the program.

Executive advisory and stakeholder leadership:

• Build trusted-adviser relationships with SES Band 1 and Band 2 executives, senior business leaders, CIO/CTO stakeholders, enterprise architects, security stakeholders and delivery leaders.
• Translate complex architecture choices into clear business implications, investment choices, risks and outcomes for non-technical executive audiences.
• Facilitate executive workshops, architecture forums and strategic planning sessions, creating alignment across business, policy, technology and delivery stakeholders.
• Navigate complex Commonwealth government stakeholder environments with maturity, discretion, sound judgment and strong political and organisational awareness.
• Challenge assumptions constructively, resolve competing stakeholder perspectives and create clarity where requirements, ownership or direction are ambiguous.

Program shaping and roadmap:

• Translate modernisation objectives into a coherent target architecture, transition architecture and sequenced technology roadmap.
• Support definition of program scope, capability boundaries, delivery increments, major dependencies and architecture work packages.
• Develop high-quality architecture artefacts suitable for executive decision-making, program governance and future market engagement.
• Work with business, commercial, security and procurement stakeholders to ensure architecture is sufficiently defined to support future sourcing and delivery decisions.
• Bring leading practices from large-scale Salesforce, government and international transformation programs into the customer’s planning and design.

Account development and growth:

• Act as a senior ambassador for Capgemini, demonstrating the quality, integrity and breadth of Capgemini’s global technology and transformation capability.
• Identify adjacent client needs and opportunities where Capgemini can add value across Salesforce, MuleSoft/integration, data, AI, digital experience, cloud, engineering, testing and managed services.
• Connect the customer with relevant Capgemini specialists, global case studies, accelerators, alliances and intellectual property where these support the client’s objectives.
• Contribute to account strategy and opportunity shaping, providing technical leadership for future pursuits while maintaining appropriate separation between trusted client advisory and commercial activity.

Architecture governance and delivery readiness:

• Establish effective design authority and architecture governance, including clear decision rights, review mechanisms and escalation paths.
• Define quality expectations for solution design, security, integration, data, environments, testing and release management.
• Ensure architecture is practical and implementable, balancing strategic direction with delivery constraints, cost, risk and program timing.
• Support technical due diligence, estimation, delivery planning and procurement evaluation activities as required.
• Mentor architects and technical leads, raising architecture maturity and promoting consistent, reusable solution patterns.

Success measures:

• Trusted-adviser status established with senior executives and technology leaders.
• A clear, credible and decision-ready modernisation target architecture and roadmap is established and endorsed.
• Architecture governance, standards and key design decisions are in place to support future procurement and delivery.
• Executive stakeholders understand the major technology choices, risks, dependencies and investment implications.
• The customer has a pragmatic architecture that is secure, scalable, implementable and aligned with enterprise strategy.
• Capgemini’s reputation and relationships with the customer are strengthened, creating a sustainable platform for future collaboration and growth.

Your profile:

• An architect with unusual breadth: technically outstanding, credible with senior executives, commercially aware and comfortable operating in a complex government environment.
• Significant experience as a Salesforce Technical Architect, Solution Architect, Enterprise Architect or Account/Chief Architect on complex enterprise transformation programs.
• Deep knowledge of Salesforce architecture and platform capabilities, including enterprise data models, security and sharing, integration, APIs, automation, application design, environment strategy and release lifecycle.
• Demonstrated experience architecting end-to-end solutions spanning Salesforce and complex external enterprise systems, including legacy platforms and integration middleware.
• Strong understanding of architecture for identity and access management, cyber security, privacy, data protection, resilience and non-functional requirements in regulated or government environments.
• Proven experience defining target-state architecture, transition roadmaps and architecture governance for large, multi-year programs.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical choices and trade-offs to senior business and technology executives and gain commitment to a recommended direction.
• Strong executive presence, facilitation capability and stakeholder management skills, with the emotional intelligence and judgment to operate effectively with SES-level stakeholders.
• Commercial and consulting acumen: able to recognise client needs, shape opportunities, mobilise specialist capability and contribute to account growth without compromising trusted-adviser status.
• Experience working across multi-vendor environments and influencing partners, delivery teams and architecture stakeholders without relying on formal authority.
• Excellent written communication, with the ability to produce concise, decision-ready architecture papers, roadmaps, options assessments and executive presentations.
• Experience in Australian Federal Government, Defence, National Security, border/immigration, citizen services or similarly regulated environments is highly desirable.
• Equally comfortable working with engineers and at an executive table with SES leaders.
• Combine deep Salesforce architecture expertise with the confidence to form a point of view, the judgment to know when to challenge, and the interpersonal skill to bring stakeholders with you. 
• Curious about the broader client agenda, alert to opportunities to create value, and capable of representing Capgemini as a trusted, senior technology leader inside one of Australia’s most important Commonwealth departments.

Salesforce capability and qualification expectations:

• Expert understanding of Salesforce platform architecture, limits, design patterns and governance for enterprise-scale implementations.
• Strong capability across integration architecture and API strategy; MuleSoft experience is highly regarded.
• Strong understanding of data architecture, migration, data quality, master/reference data and large data volume considerations.
• Ability to design robust Salesforce security models and explain security implications within a broader enterprise security architecture.
• Experience with modern Salesforce capabilities such as Data Cloud, Experience Cloud, Public Sector Solutions and AI/Agentforce is highly regarded where relevant to enterprise architecture.
• Understanding of DevSecOps, CI/CD, source control, environment management, automated testing and release governance for Salesforce delivery.
• Ability to guide teams on when to use declarative, programmatic, integration or off-platform approaches and to defend those design choices.
• Salesforce Certified Technical Architect (CTA) is highly desirable; candidates on the CTA pathway with substantial equivalent architecture experience will also be considered.
• Salesforce Application Architect and/or System Architect credentials are highly regarded.

What you'll love about working here:

• We recognise the significance of flexible work arrangements to provide support. Be it remote work, or flexible work hours, you will get an environment to maintain healthy work life balance.
• At the heart of our mission is your career growth. Our array of career growth programs and diverse professions are crafted to support you in exploring a world of opportunities.
• Equip yourself with valuable certifications in the latest technologies, such as AWS.
• We foster a safe and inclusive environment where everyone can be their authentic selves, supported by staff-led community groups.

We strive to ensure you feel respected, informed and valued through our recruitment process. If your experience falls short of this, we welcome your suggestions for improvement via our Contact Us page on our website.

If you are living with a disability, we can provide support with access requirements or by making an adjustment to our hiring process.