Salesforce Technical Architect

Job Summary

The Salesforce Technical Architect (TA) is a senior technical specialist responsible for the design, and technical integrity of Salesforce-based solutions supporting the Graduate Student Experience (GSE) Transformation and other high‑value Salesforce initiatives at UBC such as the broader coordinated student success roadmap. The Salesforce ecosystem at UBC functions as a core enterprise engagement platform, integrating multi-cloud capabilities including Education, Experience, Marketing, and Data Clouds. The GSE Transformation is a large-scale institutional shift impacting all faculties and administrative units, while the Coordinated Student Success initiative represents an even broader enterprise expansion aimed at unifying the student journey across the entire University. The TA ensures these multi-year, high-impact initiatives remain scalable, cost-effective, and aligned with UBC’s 5-10-year strategic digital vision.

The role translates approved enterprise architecture standards and blueprints into detailed, Salesforce technical designs, and provides technical oversight to ensure that internal teams and external partners deliver secure, scalable, and sustainable solutions aligned with UBC’s long‑term digital platform strategy.

This is a delivery‑focused role. Enterprise Architecture (EA) establishes enterprise-wide policies, standards, and guardrails; the Salesforce TA is accountable for the end‑to‑end technical design and quality of Salesforce implementations within those guardrails.

Organizational Status

The position operates within a matrix reporting structure:

• Administrative and strategic accountability is provided through the Senior Manager, Constituent Engagement Platforms to ensure alignment with long-term platform vision and business unit priorities.

• Architectural governance, standards alignment, and design assurance are provided through Enterprise Architecture.

• Tactical project direction is provided by the project manager to ensure achievement of specific delivery milestones.

The role works closely with Enterprise, Integration, Data, Identity & Access Management (IAM), and Security Architects, as well as project managers, product owners, and external implementation partners.

Work Performed

Technical Architecture and Design

• Designs and maintains end‑to‑end Salesforce technical architectures across Education Cloud, Experience Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, and Data Cloud/Salesforce Data 360.

• Architects and governs the Salesforce 'Virtual Data Lake,' ensuring seamless and secure data orchestration between Salesforce and UBC’s core legacy systems to provide a single, 360-degree view of the student to support engagement activities.

• Defines the technical strategy for multi-cloud synchronization, ensuring that data and business logic flow effectively across disparate enterprise engagement layers

• Produces Salesforce Technical Design Documents (TDDs), solution diagrams, and related architecture artifacts to support build and review.

• Ensures solutions are scalable, secure, supportable, and aligned with approved enterprise standards and roadmaps.

Technical Governance and Collaboration

• Applies approved enterprise architecture, data, cybersecurity, and privacy standards in all Salesforce designs.

• Engages Enterprise Architecture early and throughout delivery; submits designs for architecture review and endorsement, including Architecture Review Board (ARB) review where required.

• Collaborates with domain architects to translate cross‑platform requirements into Salesforce‑specific designs.

Technical Fit–Gap Analysis

• Leads Salesforce-specific technical fit–gap analysis to evaluate the platform’s ability to deliver core university business capabilities (e.g., Student Engagement, Admissions, Alumni Management).

• Provides strategic technical recommendations on the optimal placement of institutional capabilities, determining when a requirement should be met within the Salesforce ecosystem versus leveraging other enterprise platforms to ensure maximum architectural efficiency and functional alignment across UBC.

• Conducts high-level trade-off analyses between 'Native Configuration,' 'Custom Extension,' and 'Enterprise Integration' to ensure the chosen solution is the most sustainable and cost-effective for the University's long-term needs.

• Leads Salesforce‑specific technical fit–gap analysis to assess native capability, configuration, customization, AppExchange solutions, or integration needs.

• Provides technical input to enterprise‑level decisions regarding appropriate system‑of‑record placement.

Integration and Data Design (Salesforce Perspective)

• Designs Salesforce‑side integrations using Flows, APIs, and event‑driven patterns in alignment with approved enterprise integration standards.

• Works with Integration Architecture teams to ensure MuleSoft and data governance requirements are met.

Partner Oversight and Quality Assurance

• Acts as the internal technical authority for Salesforce delivery, providing critical oversight of external implementation partners to ensure technical solutions are not only functional but provide high institutional ROI and long-term cost-effectiveness.

• Audits partner designs, configurations, and code for architectural quality, performance, security, and cost‑effectiveness, to ensure strict adherence to UBC’s long-term digital platform strategy and to prevent the accumulation of costly technical debt.

• Identifies technical risks and recommends mitigation strategies to project and delivery leadership.

• Champions the 'UBC-First' architectural perspective during vendor negotiations and design sessions to protect the University’s strategic interests.

Technical Innovation (Salesforce‑Scoped)

• Leads or contributes to Salesforce‑specific technical innovation, including pilots and proofs of value related to Salesforce AI, Data Cloud, and development tooling.

• Participates in experimentation with AI‑enabled Salesforce development practices in coordination with enterprise delivery and modernization teams.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Errors in judgment or design may result in:

• Delivery delays or increased project costs;

• Introduction of technical debt or security vulnerabilities;

• Misalignment with enterprise architecture standards;

• Reduced system reliability or user experience.

Work requires a high degree of accuracy, sound technical judgment, and adherence to established governance processes.

Supervision Received

Works under general direction of the Senior Manager, Constituent Engagement Platforms, with architectural oversight provided by Enterprise Architecture. Work is reviewed at key milestones through design reviews and governance forums.

Supervision Given

This position does not have formal supervisory responsibility. The role provides technical direction and guidance to internal team members and external implementation partners.

Minimum Qualifications

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Post-graduate degree may be required for specialized positions. Minimum of nine years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience. Supervisory experience may be required. Technical expertise in a highly specialized area required.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

Education

• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of experience in enterprise IT delivery and architecture roles.

• At least 7 years of experience designing and leading large‑scale Salesforce implementations.

• Experience working in complex, federated, or regulated environments, preferably within higher education or the public sector.

Certifications

• Required: Salesforce Certified Technical Architect (CTA) or Salesforce Application Architect / System Architect.

• Preferred: Salesforce Education Cloud Consultant, Data Cloud Consultant, Agentforce Specialist.

Skills and Competencies

• Advanced expertise in Salesforce technologies including OmniStudio, Flow, Apex, and Lightning Web Components (LWC).

• Strong understanding of Salesforce integration patterns and API‑led design.

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and release governance.

• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and communication skills.

• Ability to collaborate effectively across technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

Performance Indicators

• Salesforce solutions that are enterprise‑aligned, delivery‑ready, and sustainable.

• Effective collaboration between Digital Delivery, Enterprise Architecture, and integration teams.

• High‑quality partner deliverables with reduced technical risk and rework.

• A Salesforce platform that supports UBC’s long‑term digital transformation objectives.