Principal Forward Deployed Architect Job at The Muse (San Francisco)

Job Description

The Forward Deployed Architect (FDA) is a trusted transformation architect who combines enterprise-grade technical design with consulting-grade business acumen to shape how strategic customers adopt Atlassian as their operating system for work. This is not a traditional Solutions Engineer role, nor a hands-on-keyboard engineering role. The FDA is the architect in the room the person who turns a CIO's ambiguous 'modernize how we work' into a credible, phased, AI-native architecture and the business transformation plan that makes it stick across HR, Finance, Marketing, PMO, Operations, and Engineering. You will be embedded with 13 strategic accounts at a time, typically for 39 months each, owning both the technical truth and the business transformation narrative end-to-end. This role will report into the Head of Solution Architects and will require up to 50% travel.

Job Responsibility

Design the customer's System of Work across functions using Jira, Confluence, Rovo, and the broader Atlassian platform
Lead process and workflow transformation from current state to future state, including operating model design, Center of Excellence structures, RACI, governance, and platform team design
Expand Atlassian beyond the development buyer into HR, Finance, Marketing, PMO, Operations, and other business teams through cross-functional workflow design
Drive AI adoption for knowledge workers through practical, workflow-based use cases embedded into daily work
Support adoption through change management, enablement, and success metrics
Own and evolve the System of Work blueprint based on outcomes, feedback, and usage data
Own the target-state architecture for strategic enterprise customers across the Atlassian System of Work Plans, Goals, Work, Knowledge, Code, and AI (Rovo, Teamwork Graph, Atlassian Intelligence)
Design across the full stack: multi-tenant SaaS, identity & SSO (SAML/OIDC/SCIM), data residency, integration patterns (REST/GraphQL/event-driven), Forge & Connect app strategy, Marketplace ecosystem, and migration paths (Server/DC → Cloud, Cloud-to-Cloud)
Co-design AI-native workflows Rovo agents, knowledge grounding, Teamwork Graph enrichment, AI governance, and human-in-the-loop patterns
Ship durable artifacts reference architectures, ADRs, Forge prototypes, Terraform/IaC modules, Compass scorecards, automation rule libraries that survive past the engagement
Lead executive discovery with CIOs, CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and Heads of Platform translating business outcomes into capability roadmaps and phased delivery plans
Orchestrate execution across SE, SA, TAS/FDE, Professional Services, Partners, and customer stakeholders
Close the loop with Product capture patterns from the field and convert them into prioritized, well-articulated product and platform requirements
Mentor and uplevel Senior Solutions Engineers, Professional Services Architects, and Partner architects
Represent Atlassian externally through conference talks, reference architecture publications, and Developer Community contributions

Requirements

812+ years in customer-facing technical, advisory, consulting, or transformation roles
A track record of owning and delivering end-to-end transformations at Fortune 1000, large regulated, or public sector customers not only scoping them
Executive presence and exceptional written communication
able to produce a memo, ADR, or design doc that stands up to executive review
Strong workflow and systems thinking, including the ability to map complex processes and design scalable ways of working across business functions
Comfort with enterprise architecture concepts: cloud-native design, integration patterns, identity, security, and data
Ability to prototype, debug, and read code in at least one of: Java/Kotlin, TypeScript/Node, Python
Cross-functional credibility with IT, PMO, HR, Finance, and senior business stakeholders
Willingness to travel up to 50% and operate across customer time zones

Nice to have

Deep cloud-native architecture experience on AWS or equivalent hyperscaler, including multi-region, multi-tenant SaaS, identity, security, and data
Prior experience at a SaaS vendor's Forward Deployed, Customer Engineering, or Professional Services team
Or senior architect / Principal Consultant experience at a major SI or Atlassian Solution Partner with a track record of leading platform transformations
Management or technology consulting background, including Big 4, boutique, or internal strategy
Domain depth in one or more of: DevOps / Platform Engineering, ITSM/ESM, Agile-at-Scale, FSI, Public Sector, Healthcare
Experience designing on Forge, the Atlassian Marketplace ecosystem, or large Atlassian Cloud migrations
AI/LLM architecture experience including RAG, knowledge graphs, agent design, and AI governance
Relevant certifications such as ACP, AWS Solutions Architect Professional, TOGAF, or CISSP
Public artifacts including conference talks, open source contributions, published reference architectures, or blogs

What we offer

Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Short-Term Disability
Long-Term Disability
FSA
HSA With Employer Contribution
Fitness Subsidies
Mental Health Benefits
On-Site Gym
HSA
Adoption Leave
Birth Parent Or Maternity Leave
Non-Birth Parent Or Paternity Leave
Fertility Benefits
Adoption Assistance Program
Family Support Resources
Flexible Work Hours
Remote Work Opportunities
Hybrid Work Opportunities
Work-From-Home Stipend
Holiday Events
Casual Dress
Pet-Friendly Office
Happy Hours
Snacks
Some Meals Provided
On-Site Cafeteria
Paid Vacation
Paid Holidays
Personal/Sick Days
Volunteer Time Off
Leave Of Absence
401(K) With Company Matching
Company Equity
Performance Bonus
Relocation Assistance
Financial Counseling
Access To Online Courses
Internship Program
Leadership Training Program
Tuition Reimbursement
Learning And Development Stipend
Promote From Within
Founder Led
Employee Resource Groups (ERG)
Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Program

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