Program Architecture Director

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Job Category

Customer Success

Job Details

About Salesforce

Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn’t a buzzword — it’s a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we're looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce's core values at the heart of it all.

Ready to level-up your career at the company leading workforce transformation in the agentic era? You’re in the right place! Agentforce is the future of AI, and you are the future of Salesforce.

Job Description

The Commercial Architecture Lead ensures Professional Services deals are shaped correctly before we commit to the customer.

This role owns the practical commercial logic behind scoping, estimation, SOW structure, risk, pricing assumptions, and delivery economics.

The Focus Is Simple:

Help the field shape deals that are clear, executable, profitable, and easier to approve.

What This Role Owns

Deal Qualification Rules

Define when a ProServe opportunity is ready to be scoped and estimated.

This Includes:

What information must be known before estimation startsWhen CoE review is requiredWhich deals are too vague to estimate responsiblyWhich deals need Legal, RevRec, PS Ops, GDC, Practice, or Governance input

Example:

If a customer asks for fixed fee but scope, data sources, integrations, or acceptance criteria are unclear, this role defines the required checks before the team proceeds.

Commercial Model Guidance

Create clear guidance with respective stakeholders on when to use:

T&MFixed capacityFixed feeHybrid modelsInvestment / discount structures

This role helps teams avoid choosing a commercial model that creates delivery or margin risk later.

Example:

Fixed fee may be acceptable for repeatable work with clear scope. It should not be the default for unclear, multi-cloud, dependency-heavy work.

Estimation Guardrails

Define the commercial assumptions that must be included in an estimate.

This Includes:

Bid metricsRole mixSkill levelOnshore / GDC mixContingency logicRisk bufferCustomer dependenciesAssumptions and exclusionsMargin thresholds

Example:

If the estimate assumes GDC delivery, this role ensures the assumptions are realistic: right skills, timing, handoff model, and delivery readiness.

SOW Commercial Quality

Ensure SOWs are commercially clean before they move forward.

Focus Areas:

Scope is clearOut-of-scope items are explicitCustomer responsibilities are documentedAcceptance criteria are defined where neededPayment milestones make senseChange control language is clear Commercial Risk Detection

Build a system to identify common issues before the deal is signed.

Risks To Catch:

Scope too broadEstimate too optimisticFixed-fee exposureMissing customer dependenciesUnderestimated data / integration workNon-standard terms introduced lateDelivery leader brought in too lateStaffing model not executableApproval path unclear

Practical Deliverables

This Role Should Create And Maintain:

Deal qualification checklistCommercial model decision treeFixed-fee readiness checklistEstimation assumptions checklistMargin / risk review checklistSOW commercial quality checklistApproval trigger guideAssumptions and exclusions libraryCommercial risk heatmapStandard guidance for T&M, fixed capacity, fixed fee, and hybrid deals

Key Partners

Sales Excellence

Align on when ProServe should engageImprove deal qualificationReduce late-stage sales escalations caused by unclear scope

PS Operations

Ensure deal structure can be booked, approved, staffed, and tracked correctlyAvoid mismatches between SOW, approvals, and system setup

Growth & Offering

Turn repeatable offerings into clear commercial modelsDefine standard scope, pricing assumptions, and delivery boundaries

GDC

Validate offshore / onshore delivery assumptionsConfirm skill availability and delivery feasibility

Practices

Confirm product-specific effort driversValidate assumptions for Data Cloud, Agentforce, MuleSoft, Industry Clouds, and multi-cloud work

Delivery Innovation & Governance

Align commercial guardrails with delivery risk controlsEnsure governance focuses on real risk, not unnecessary process

Legal / RevRec / Finance

Define early triggers for legal terms, fixed fee, fixed capacity, milestone billing, and revenue recognition review

What Success Looks Like

Fewer poorly shaped deals reach approval stageFewer SOW rework cyclesFewer pricing / system mismatchesBetter estimate qualityBetter margin predictabilityCleaner handoff to deliveryFaster approvals because required inputs are clear upfrontField teams know which commercial path to take and when to escalate

Minimum Qualifications

10+ years in professional services, services sales, deal shaping, solutioning, delivery, or services operationsStrong understanding of scoping, estimation, SOWs, pricing assumptions, approvals, and delivery handoffExperience with T&M, fixed capacity, fixed fee, and hybrid commercial modelsAbility to identify commercial risk before signatureExperience working with Sales, Delivery, Operations, Legal, Finance, RevRec, GDC, and Practice teamsStrong ability to turn messy deal experience into simple checklists, guardrails, and decision trees

A Day in the Life

A typical day involves analyzing commercial patterns in recent deals, refining guardrails to prevent recurring issues, and guiding field teams on selecting the optimal commercial model for live opportunities. Responsibilities include validating assumptions, identifying risks, and coordinating with PS Operations, Legal, RevRec, GDC, Practices, and Governance to ensure every deal is clear, executable, and commercially sound before signature.

Unleash Your Potential

When you join Salesforce, you’ll be limitless in all areas of your life. Our benefits and resources support you to find balance and be your best, and our AI agents accelerate your impact so you can do your best. Together, we’ll bring the power of Agentforce to organizations of all sizes and deliver amazing experiences that customers love. Apply today to not only shape the future — but to redefine what’s possible — for yourself, for AI, and the world.

Accommodations

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