Lead Pega System Architect

RAPP Chicago is looking for a Lead Pega System Architect to join our award-winning Technology team.

WHO WE ARE:

We are RAPP – world leaders in activating growth with precision and empathy at scale.

As a global, next-generation precision marketing agency we leverage data, creativity, technology, and empathy to foster client growth. We champion individuality in the marketing solutions we create, and in our workplace. We fight for solutions that adapt to the individual’s needs, beliefs, behaviors, and aspirations.

We foster an inclusive workplace that values diversity and emphasizes personal well-being.

HOW WE DO IT:

At RAPP, our fearless superconnectors help to create value from personal brand experiences by focusing on three key areas: connected data, connected content and connected decisioning.

Our data analysts identify who that person is, our strategists understand what they want, and our award-winning technologists and creatives know how to deliver it – ensuring we’re able to activate authentic customer connections for our clients.

Part of Omnicom’s Precision Marketing Group, RAPP is comprised of 2,000+ creatives, technologists, strategists, and data and marketing scientists across 15+ global markets.

YOUR ROLE:

RAPP has a tradition that encourages entrepreneurial thinking, innovative solutions, and the conviction to executive. We seek individuals who thrive in fast-paced, problem-solving environments. As a Lead Pega System Architect, you will lead the design, development, and deployment of Pega-based applications while leveraging AWS Cloud infrastructure. You will collaborate with stakeholders to deliver scalable, secure, and high-performing solutions that integrate seamlessly with cloud-native services. Your expertise will ensure adherence to best practices, governance standards, and architectural frameworks.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead the design and implementation of Pega-based business applications in marketing domain.
• Establish and enforce best practices for Pega application development, including reusable components, case designs, and declarative processing.
• Ensure that Pega solutions align with the strategic objectives of both the IAT and Campaign Engineering team, delivering cohesive and integrated marketing campaigns.
• Architect, design and implement highly scalable and reliable system to meet operational, spiky workloads including multi-node installation.
• Architect and implement integrations between Pega and AWS services, such as S3, Lambda, API Gateway, SQS, SNS, Pinpoint, RDS and other AWS services as needed.
• Design scalable solutions leveraging AWS infrastructure to enhance Pega applications' resilience, availability, and performance.
• Optimize Pega deployments for cloud-native architectures, including containerization with ECS/EKS and serverless paradigms.
• Provide technical leadership to Pega development teams, ensuring high-quality delivery and adherence to project timelines.
• Establish and enforce Pega governance frameworks, including access control, auditing, and security policies.
• Conduct code reviews and performance tuning of Pega applications.
• Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform, AWS CloudFormation for Pega infrastructure provisioning.
• Automate deployment pipelines using CI/CD tools like AWS CodePipeline, GitLab, CircleCI
• Collaborate with DevOps teams to ensure seamless integration between Pega applications and cloud-based infrastructure.
• Design secure Pega solutions, ensuring compliance with organizational security policies and industry standards such as FedRAMP, NIST
• Implement AWS-native security controls like IAM, VPC, and Security Groups to safeguard Pega deployments.
• Conduct regular security assessments and remediations.
• Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks within Pega applications and their AWS environments.
• Utilize AWS monitoring tools (e.g., CloudWatch, X-Ray) and Pega diagnostic tools to maintain operational excellence.
• Partner with business analysts, product owners, and other architects to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership, providing insights into Pega and AWS capabilities.

 REQUIRED SKILLS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (Master’s preferred).
• 8+ years of experience in Pega development, with 3+ years in a leadership role.
• Pega Certified Lead System Architect (CLSA) required.
• Deep expertise in Pega Platform versions (8.x preferred).
• Experience in designing Pega applications with workflows, case management, decision strategies, and rule management.
• Hands-on experience with Pega integrations (REST, Kafka, etc.).
• Proficiency in programming languages like Java, Python, or JavaScript for custom Pega and AWS integrations. 
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and version control tools (e.g. CodeCommit/GitLab). 
• Strong grasp of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using Terraform and CloudFormation 
• Leadership capabilities to guide development teams and drive architectural decisions.
• Strong communication skills to interact with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong understanding of core AWS services: EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda, API Gateway.
• Experience with AWS networking (VPC, Subnets, Route 53, Reverse Proxy).
• Knowledge of AWS security services: IAM, KMS, AWS WAF.
• Familiarity with AWS-native DevOps tools: CodePipeline, CodeDeploy, and CloudFormation.

 DESIRABLE (but not required):

• T3 Security Clearance
• Additional certifications like Pega Decisioning Consultant (PCDC) or Pega Data Scientist

Our hybrid work model:

RAPP's current hybrid model is designed to enable in-person connections and collaboration that is core to our culture, while also supporting flexibility for all employees. As such, we have the option to work from home two days per week, if we'd like. 

RAPP provides a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits plan. Benefits for this role include health/vision/dental insurance, 401(k), stock options, Healthcare & Dependent Flexible Spending Accounts, vacation, sick, and personal days and positive activism days, paid parental leave and disability benefits. For more information regarding Omnicom benefits, please visit www.omnicombenefits.com. A reasonable estimate of the salary for this role, at the time of posting, is $120,000 - $140,000. This range is specific to Chicago and multiple factors are considered in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to: skill set, experience and training, certifications; etc. This is an exempt position. If your requirements fall outside of this range, you are still welcome to apply.

“As an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status.”

NOTE:  This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employee may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.