Director, Braze Architecture

Job Description:

The Platform Director, Braze Architecture - reporting to the Head of Architecture - holds a leadership role responsible for managing the performance, development, and client impact of a Braze Platform Architect team. This position demands both deep technical expertise and strong leadership skills, along with the credibility to lead a talented team and earn the trust of clients. In this role, the Platform Director will lead through influence as much as through authority, setting the standards for team operations, client service, and the professional growth of architects at all levels.

The Platform Director brings the technical depth to guide a team of architects with credibility and the client-facing experience to make complexity feel manageable. They set the standard for how the team operates, how clients are served, and how architects at every level grow in their craft. They are the steady presence clients rely on during critical moments and the honest voice their team counts on to make hard calls and clear the path forward. They approach team development with intention, investing in the people, processes, and culture that turn a group of talented individuals into a high-performing team.

Description & Responsibilities:

• Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Braze Platform Architects at both staff and senior levels, providing clear direction, regular feedback, and structured growth opportunities.

• Create an environment of accountability, mentorship, and continuous improvement, ensuring that architects are both challenged and supported

• Set and uphold standards for team operations, code quality, delivery practices, and client service - modeling the behaviors you expect.

• Set clear performance expectations and developmental paths, including the conducting performance reviews, career development conversations, and ongoing coaching to build a high-performing, engaged team.

• Proactively identify team capability gaps and partner with talent and training resources to address them.

• Build cohesion and a shared sense of purpose within a distributed remote team

• Client Engagement

• Serve as the primary technical contact for Merkle's Braze business, strengthening our client partnerships

• Lead or assist in client escalations by providing calm authority and practical solutions to complex situations

• Represent Merkle in pre-sales and business development discussions as a credible subject matter expert

• Foster long-term client relationships by consistently delivering scalable insights, clarity, and results that exceed client expectations

• Partner with Account and Delivery leads to assess client health, align on priorities, and identify opportunities to deepen the partnership.

• Technical Leadership

• Provide architectural guidance and oversight for client engagements to ensure the quality and consistency of delivery

• Stay current on Braze platform capabilities, marketing technology trends, and industry best practices and translate emerging platform capabilities and industry trends into actionable guidance for clients and the team

• Own architect scoping guidance, solution design, and estimation for strategic client engagements

• Collaborate with cross-functional delivery teams, including Strategy, Analytics, and Engineering, to ensure cohesive, integrated solutions.

• Operational Oversight

• Contribute to the development of repeatable delivery frameworks, playbooks, and standards that improve team efficiency and output quality.

• Collaborate with the Operations team and Client Partner leadership on resource planning, staffing, and capacity management

• Provide guidance on creating and renewing contracts, as well as scoping projects for both new and existing clients

• Promote knowledge sharing and the adoption of best practices across the broader Merkle organization

Qualifications:

Required -

• 8-12+ years of experience in marketing technology, enterprise platform architecture, or a related technical field
• 4+ years of hands-on experience with the Braze platform at scale
• 3 or more Braze Certifications, including Braze Certified Marketing Specialist, Braze Certified Marketing Strategy Expert, and Braze Certified Technical Marketing Expert
• Proven experience in developing high-performing technical teams and effectively leading, growing, and developing team members
• Strong writing, presentation and client facing communication skills
• Organized, extremely detail-oriented, and able to balance multiple priorities
• Strong executive presence with the capacity to communicate technical concepts clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience managing client relationships at all levels in a consulting or agency setting
• Bachelor's Degree required
• Average 10%-30% travel

Preferred:

• Background in pre-sales, solution design, or technical business development
• Experience in building or scaling offshore and nearshore team structures
• Familiarity with APIs, data integration, and data warehousing concepts

The annual salary range for this position is $113,000 - $182,562. Placement within the salary range is based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law.

Benefits available with this position include:

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance,
• Life insurance,
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance,
• 401k,
• Flexible paid time off,
• At least 15 paid holidays per year,
• Paid sick and safe leave, and
• Paid parental leave.

Dentsu also complies with applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, in accordance with its plans and policies. For further details regarding Dentsu benefits, please visit www.dentsubenefitsplus.com.

To begin the application process, please click on the "Apply" button at the top of this job posting. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and qualified candidates will be contacted for next steps.

At dentsu, we believe great work happens when we're connected. Our way of working combines flexibility with in-person collaboration to spark ideas and strengthen our teams. Employees who live within a commutable distance of one of our hub offices, currently located in Chicago, metro Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York City, are required and expected to work from the office three days per week (two days per week for employees based in Los Angeles). Dentsu may designate other Hub offices at any time. Those who live outside a commutable range may be designated as remote, depending on the role and business needs. Regardless of your work location, we expect our employees to be flexible to meet the needs of our Company and clients, which may include attendance in an office.

Location:

USA - Remote - New Jersey

Brand:

Merkle

Time Type:

Full time

Contract Type:

Permanent

Dentsu is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. We do this without regard to race, color, national origin, sex , sexual orientation, gender identity, age, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, ancestry, physical or mental disability, marital status, political affiliation, religious practices and observances, citizenship status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

Dentsu is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to, among others, individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans. If you need an accommodation because of a disability to search and apply for a career opportunity with us, please send an e-mail to ApplicantAccommodations@dentsu.com by clicking on the link to let us  know the nature of your accommodation request and your contact information. We are here to support you.