Principal, Architecture – AI, Unified Commerce

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in California.

📋 Description

• Lead the vision, design, and implementation of a cohesive technology architecture that facilitates seamless, intelligent, and tailored customer experiences across all digital and physical interactions.

• Advocate for the adoption of Agentic Commerce patterns—such as autonomous shopping agents, proactive assistant bots, and AI-driven fulfillment orchestration—to foster effortless, next-generation shopping experiences.

• Create intelligent, AI-enhanced experiences that incorporate predictive personalization, dynamic pricing, virtual styling, conversational commerce, and autonomous checkout processes.

• Integrate commerce ecosystems with real-time decision-making engines, customer data platforms (CDPs), recommendation systems, and AI models to enable adaptive customer journeys.

• Collaborate with product, engineering, and data science teams to implement AI throughout the customer lifecycle, encompassing acquisition, engagement, loyalty, and retention.

• Establish architectural principles to scale AI/ML applications, utilizing cloud-native platforms (GCP, AWS), serverless models, and data mesh strategies.

• Design future-ready, omnichannel commerce platforms that support cohesive experiences such as Buy Online, Pick Up In Store (BOPIS), Same-Day Delivery, and Endless Aisle.

• Ensure the architecture facilitates real-time signals processing (e.g., clickstream, IoT, POS), contextual comprehension, and action-triggering across commerce surfaces.

• Oversee architectural reviews and governance for AI-driven and connected commerce initiatives.

• Direct experimentation with Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), and autonomous agents in commerce, marketing, and fulfillment scenarios.

• Work alongside data, privacy, and compliance teams to ensure AI-powered experiences adhere to data governance and ethical AI standards.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.

• Over 10 years of architecture experience, including at least 5 years in large-scale commerce or omnichannel transformation roles.

• Proven track record in architecting and delivering commerce platforms, including Headless eCommerce solutions (Shopify, Salesforce Commerce, etc.).

• Experience with Digital Experience Platforms (CMS, DAM, PIM).

• Familiarity with Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), Loyalty, and Personalization Engines.

• Knowledge of Retail POS, Order Management Systems (OMS), and Fulfillment Systems.

• Extensive understanding of cloud-native architectures, microservices, event-driven systems (Kafka, GCP Pub/Sub), and serverless patterns.

• Experience in integrating AI/ML services into customer-facing applications, ideally in real-time or large-scale settings.

• Familiarity with Agentic AI frameworks or commerce-focused LLMs.

• Knowledge of AI platforms such as Vertex AI, Amazon Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, or similar technologies.

• Working knowledge of data pipelines, model deployment (MLOps), and experimentation platforms.

• Exposure to composable commerce and MACH (Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless) architecture.

• Experience in retail, consumer packaged goods (CPG), or direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands with a focus on personalization and omnichannel engagement initiatives.

• A strategic mindset with a solid understanding of emerging technologies and their business implications.

• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, particularly regarding complex AI and technology-driven business value.

• Ability to balance immediate business needs with Gap’s long-term architectural vision.

• Highly collaborative with a strong passion for innovation, experimentation, and user-centered design.

• Capable of providing clarity and structure in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.

🏝️ Benefits

• Flexible working arrangements

• Professional development