The Ultimate Guide to a Career as a Salesforce Technical Architect
Salesforce is the world’s No.1 customer relationship management (CRM) platform and with over 150,000 Salesforce partners worldwide the demand for Salesforce talent is huge. Salesforce offers a wide range of job roles that cater to different skillsets and interests, each with their own unique opportunities for growth and development.
Whatever your personal strengths and experience, Resource On Demand are here to help you find a role that aligns with your passions and career goals. Whether you’re an experienced Salesforce talent or are just starting out in the Salesforce ecosystem, understanding the various job roles available to you can help you navigate your career path and find your perfect role with Salesforce for your skills and interests.
Salesforce Technical Architects are one of the most senior positions in the Salesforce ecosystem and in this career guide we’ll dive into the roles, responsibilities, career prospects and salary expectations of a technical architect so you can assess if the role is suited to you.
What is a Salesforce Technical Architect?
A Salesforce Certified Technical Architect, or Salesforce CTA, plays a crucial role in the design and implementation of complex solutions on the Salesforce platform. The role requires a deep understanding of both the Salesforce platform and the specific business requirements of the organisation, gained from years of experience as a user of the CRM platform.
Salesforce Technical Architects are concerned with data going into and out from Salesforce and integrated systems as well as the security of data. They ensure that best practices and coding standards are followed to maintain the quality and scalability of the technical solution. They also collaborate with the other teams such as the Solutions Architects, Project Managers and Business Analysts to ensure the successful delivery of a project.
What does a Salesforce Technical Architect do?
Overall, the role of a Salesforce Technical Architect requires a combination of technical expertise, strategic thinking and effective communication to deliver successful Salesforce implementations that align with clients’ objectives. Like the Salesforce Solutions Architect, Salesforce Technical Architect’s design multi-component solutions and prepare data for sending to other systems but with a particular focus on the security of data.
Some of the key responsibilities of the Technical Architect role include, but are not limited to, designing end-to-end technical solutions that meet the client’s requirements, implementing integrations between Salesforce and other systems to ensure efficient data flow and process automation and collaborating with stakeholders to ensure alignment between technical solutions and business goals.
Why is a Salesforce Technical Architect role so interesting?
Anyone who is a natural problem solver will find the Salesforce Technical Architect role interesting because with Salesforce there is never just one way to solve a problem. It is the role of the Technical Architect to select the most appropriate technical components for the clients Salesforce and choose a solution that appropriately meets the clients requirements, essentially making users of the platforms day-to-day lives more efficient.
How to land a Salesforce Technical Architect role?
The Salesforce Technical Architect role is one of the most complex in the entire Salesforce ecosystem. As a result, a successful candidate should have 5+ years of implementation experience, 3+ years of experience in an architect role and 2+ years of experience on the Lightning Platform as well as many specialised skills in order to become a Salesforce Technical Architect. Other desirable skills include consulting skills, being an exceptional communicator across multiple levels in an organisation and in-depth problem solver.
In terms of what Salesforce certifications and Salesforce training are relevant for the job, you will need to pass the Salesforce Certified Technical Architect (CTA) exam to become a certified Salesforce architect. The Salesforce Certified Technical Architect programme is designed for experienced Salesforce architects to demonstrate their knowledge and capabilities of designing high-performance technical solutions for the Lightning Platform, allowing them the opportunity to progress to a more senior role within an organisation.
What does progression look like for a Salesforce Technical Architect?
Salesforce Technical Architects typically come from a combination of technical developer roles and client facing roles where they have gained the technical coding experience but also the experience of creating and managing client relationships and supporting users through change. The Salesforce Architect career path is one of the fastest growing in the Salesforce ecosystem. Salesforce Architect job growth has increased by 111% in the last 5 years and the demand for Salesforce technical skills continues to grow.
The role of a Salesforce Technical Architect offers numerous avenues for career development including the opportunity to progress to more senior-level roles, leadership roles or consulting and advisory roles within an organisation. Alternatively, a Credited Technical Architect may choose to specialise in a particular area such as Sales Cloud, Service Cloud or Marketing Cloud which can lead to them becoming recognised as an expert in that specific domain.
Salary expectations for a Salesforce Technical Architect
As one of the highest Salesforce certifications an individual can attain, on average in the UK, Salesforce Technical Architects can command a salary anywhere from £120k to £160k on a permanent basis and around £900-£1,200 per day for contract roles. This can vary depending on factors such as seniority, location, company size, industry and the specialised skills of the individual.