Sr. Solution Architect – Customer Technology

ABOUT USG AND OUR DIGITAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE JOURNEY USG Corporation is an industry-leading manufacturer of building products and innovative solutions highlighted by Sheetrock, Durock, and Securock Brands. Headquartered in Chicago, USG serves construction markets around the world through its Gypsum, Performance Materials and Ceilings divisions. Its wall, ceiling, flooring, sheathing, and roofing products provide the solutions that enable customers to build outstanding spaces where people live, work, and play. USG is evolving its digital customer experience and translating the objective of being the easiest to do business with, into a sustainable technology roadmap which USG shares with the parent company Knauf. The digital transformation includes upgrading our technology stack and augmenting our teams, developing new digital platforms, and integrating an agile operating model to deliver exceptional customer experiences. The program supports all USG regions, building solutions for customers in the US, Canada, and LATAM. ROLE SUMMARY USG is building the data and technology foundation for a next-generation digital platform and this role sits at the center of that transformation. As Sr. Solution Architect, you will translate complex business requirements into technical solution architecture and drive decisions, own the roadmap that delivers them, and serve as the connective tissue between business stakeholders and development teams. This is not a purely technical role. You will spend as much time in conversation with business leaders as you will in architecture design sessions. You think in solutions and processes, communicate in plain language, and know how to make a complicated technical landscape legible to people who don't live in it. You will report directly to the Senior Director of Technology and operate as a senior technical voice across the organization and expert in Customer Technology, preparing and influencing decisions on data platform architecture, web platform capabilities and integration strategy. USG offers a hybrid workplace. The office location is Chicago, IL. Minimal travel may be required. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Strategy and Business Alignment Translate business requirements, commercial goals, and customer experience needs into technical solution architecture and respective decisions and phased roadmaps Partner with business stakeholders across sales operations, marketing and customer service to understand capability needs before they become requirements Own the architecture narrative, producing clear, compelling documentation and presentations that make technical decisions accessible to executive audiences Identify where technology is a constraint on business growth and propose solutions that remove that constraint Ensure solutions align with USG’s global technology stack, architecture standards, and compliance requirements, collaborating effectively with international IT and business teams Architecture and Technical Leadership Define and own the solution architecture across the data platform, web platform, eCommerce, Salesforce platform, integration, and martech domains Develop comprehensive architecture documentation, process flows, and data models to guide and instruct developers and data teams Define and harmonize platform, process, and data architecture across the customer technology stack, ensuring consistency and best practices from user interface through backend data flows In collaboration with the parent company Knauf, set architecture standards and patterns that development teams build against, evaluate emerging technologies and vendors against the organization's strategic direction and existing investments Ensure architecture decisions account for scalability, security, operational complexity, and total cost of ownership Roadmap and Delivery Produce and maintain a technology roadmap that sequences capability delivery against business priorities Work with product and technical leads to translate architecture and solution concept into delivery backlog, sequencing, and delivery milestones Identify and surface technical dependencies, risks, and decision gates that affect delivery timelines Own architecture through delivery, not just the design phase Stakeholder and Team Influence Serve as a senior technical advisor to the Senior Director of Technology and broader leadership Build credibility with both business and IT stakeholders through clear thinking and consistent follow-through Challenge proposals from vendors, colleagues, and partners with rigor and intellectual honesty Mentor developers and analysts on architecture thinking and systems design Midpoint may be adjusted based on the skills and qualifications of the selected candidate. KEY QUALIFICATIONS Education and Experience 10+ years of experience in technology roles, with at least 5 years in a lead solution architecture, enterprise architecture, or application development role Demonstrated track record of translating business strategy into technical architecture and phased delivery roadmaps Proven experience architecting and integrating customer-facing technology solutions end-to-end spanning CMS, PIM, CRM, eCommerce, Digital Asset Management (DAM), and Customer Data Platform (CDP) Relevant experience working in global organizations, with the ability to adapt architectures to align with standardized tech stacks, governance, and regional requirements Experience working across complex enterprise environments and integration‑heavy ecosystems Required Skills Ability to design architecture for digital solutions at enterprise scale Excellent skills in producing clear, actionable architecture documentation and solution diagrams (using tools such as Lucidchart, Visio, or Miro), with a proven track record of instructing cross-functional development and data teams Practical application of MACH architecture principles (Microservices, API‑first, Cloud‑native, Headless) and event-driven, asynchronous patterns to decouple core systems and enable composable platforms Experience designing data architectures that support operational needs and downstream analytical use cases Exceptional communication skills, able to synthesize complex technical concepts for both technical and non-technical audiences, drive consensus, and deliver results in a matrixed global environment Demonstrated technical leadership through mentoring developers, developing and reviewing designs, and elevating architectural maturity across delivery teams Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate architecture decisions, trade‑off and integration strategies to technical and executive stakeholders Preferred Skills Experience with event streaming and CDC patterns in enterprise environments Experience with architecting in Azure cloud environments Exposure to Oracle EBS and ERP modernization or coexistence strategies Experience designing or governing integration platforms or middleware layers (iPaaS, Kafka, ESB) Rate of pay may be adjusted based on the qualifications and experience of the candidate. USG employees enjoy a number of benefit options for themselves and their families. These include two medical insurance options, as well as vision and dental coverage. The cost of these optional programs varies based on coverage level - employees generally pay 25% of the monthly premium cost, USG pays the rest. These coverage options are offered on the first day of employment with no waiting period. Additionally, USG employees enjoy both a 401(k) Investment Plan with company match and a pension plan. Beyond these main features, employees may also choose from a number of additional programs like life insurance, accident insurance, legal insurance, even pet insurance, just to name a few. USG also offers Quarterly (hourly) / Annual (salary) bonus potential for all employees based on performance metrics tied to safety, quality, and productivity. USG also provides employees with paid time off and paid holidays. Since 1902, Chicago-based USG has been a leader in producing innovative, award-winning products and systems to build everything from major commercial developments and residential housing to home improvements. USG's employees are committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and quality in everything we do. Our steadfast commitment to the company's core business values – innovation, quality, integrity, service, diversity, efficiency and safety – have helped us become the company we are today. EOE including disability/veteran