Expression of Interest: Senior AEM Developer

Saatchi & Saatchi is an advertising agency part of Publicis Groupe Canada with the belief that creativity, data, media and technology should all work together, and we use that to influence human behavior and drive success for clients. S&S is one of the world's largest agency networks with 114 offices and more than 6000 employees globally.
Here in our Toronto office we work with some of the countries most valued brands including Toyota, Buckley's, and Children's Advil, as well as several under the Mondelez banner (Crispers, Oreo, and Chips Ahoy just to name a few). We’re an award winning agency in both creativity and effectiveness, so it’s really important for us here to convert that innovation and the great ideas into real tangible business results for the organization.

This role is posted as an Expression of Interest (EOI), which means we are looking to connect with candidates who are interested in future or upcoming opportunities, rather than hiring for a specific, immediate opening. It helps us build a talent pipeline and understand available skills, so we can reach out when relevant roles become available.

Saatchi & Saatchi is seeking candidates with 6+ years of experience building enterprise-grade web experiences on the Adobe Experience Manager platform, with a track record of technical leadership and delivery on complex, multi-brand digital properties. You are passionate about architecture, performance, and mentoring others. And you thrive in environments where you can drive technical decisions, elevate team capabilities, and deliver high-quality, accessible digital experiences at scale.

You…

• Lead by example and elevate the technical capabilities of your team.
• Are a strategic thinker who balances architectural vision with pragmatic delivery.
• Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Take ownership of problems end-to-end and drive them to resolution.
• Are highly organized and can manage competing priorities across multiple workstreams.
• Stay current with industry trends and actively champion best practices.

• Lead the design, development, and architecture of full stack web applications built on Adobe Experience Manager (AEM).
• Define and enforce component architecture, content modeling patterns, and development standards across multi-brand, multi-site, multi-channel AEM implementations.
• Architect and implement front-end solutions using HTL/Sightly, JavaScript/TypeScript, and modern frameworks (React, Angular, or Vue) within AEM’s front-end architecture.
• Design and build robust backend services, APIs, and integration layers using Java, Apache Sling, and OSGi.
• Own the integration architecture between AEM and middleware platforms (e.g., MuleSoft), third-party systems, and enterprise services via RESTful APIs and GraphQL.
• Drive AEM caching strategy across the full stack — client-side, CDN (AWS CloudFront), AEM Dispatcher, and in-memory (Caffeine) — to optimize performance and scalability.
• Lead Content Fragment modeling and GraphQL persisted query design for headless content delivery.
• Ensure WCAG 2.0 AA compliance and champion accessibility best practices across the development team.
• Mentor junior and intermediate developers through code reviews, pair programming, and technical guidance.
• Drive technical decisions on build tooling, CI/CD pipelines, AEM Cloud Manager deployments, and development workflows.
• Collaborate with solution architects, project managers, and client stakeholders to translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions.
• Identify and manage technical debt, propose improvements, and lead platform upgrade initiatives.
• Contribute to solution design documents, architecture decisions, and technical assessments.

• 6+ years of professional experience in full stack web development, with deep hands-on AEM experience across multiple projects.
• Expert-level experience with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) 6.5+, including templates, components, dialogs, sling models, HTL/Sightly, dispatcher configurations, workflows, and content architecture.
• Strong proficiency in Java/J2EE, Apache Sling, OSGi, and Maven, with the ability to design scalable backend solutions.
• Proven experience with Content Fragments, GraphQL persisted queries, and headless content delivery patterns.
• Experience architecting integrations between AEM and middleware platforms (e.g., MuleSoft, API gateways) via RESTful services and GraphQL.
• Strong understanding of AEM caching strategies across Dispatcher, CDN (e.g., AWS CloudFront), and application-level caching (e.g., Caffeine).
• Proficiency with AEM Cloud Manager for build, deployment, and environment management.
• Deep understanding of web accessibility standards (WCAG 2.0 AA or higher) and proven ability to deliver accessible experiences.
• Experience with AEM’s Digital Asset Management (DAM) and content lifecycle workflows.
• Experience leading code reviews, establishing coding standards, and mentoring developers.
• Strong experience with Git version control, branching strategies, and collaborative development workflows.
• Solid understanding of CI/CD practices, build automation, and deployment pipelines.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence technical direction and present to stakeholders.

Nice to Have

• Experience with AEM as a Cloud Service or Edge Delivery Services.
• Adobe technical certifications (e.g., AEM Sites Developer, AEM Architect).
• Expertise in HTML5, CSS/LESS/SASS, JavaScript/TypeScript, and deep experience with at least one modern front-end framework (React, Angular, or Vue).
• Familiarity with Adobe Experience Cloud products (Analytics, Target, Campaign).
• Experience with AWS CloudFront configuration, cache policies, and CDN optimization.
• Hands-on experience with Azure DevOps and Azure Pipelines.
• Experience with SSO/SAML integration (e.g., OKTA) and enterprise authentication patterns.
• Experience with application security scanning tools (e.g., Veracode) and secure coding practices.
• Experience with monorepo architecture and npm workspaces at scale.
• Experience with bilingual or multi-lingual content management (e.g., EN/FR).
• Knowledge of performance profiling, Lighthouse auditing, and web performance optimization.
• Experience with multi-site manager, blueprinting, and enterprise-scale content governance.
• Experience with containerization (Docker) and cloud hosting environments.
• Knowledge of search engine optimization best practices.
• Experience using design tools such as Figma for developer handoff workflows.

Remote Work: This is a fully remote role, open to freelancers located internationally.

Flexibility & Global Mobility: Work remotely for up to 6 weeks per year from any of our 50+ global offices through our Work Your World program.

Time Off:
- Up to 3 weeks vacation, with additional paid closure between Christmas and New Year's
- Extended long weekends for provincial holidays — we give you both the Monday and Friday so you get a full 4-day break
- 6 sick days and 2 personal days per year

Benefits: Comprehensive group coverage including:
- Medical, dental, and vision care
- Psychological and paramedical services
- Disability insurance
- Fertility support and gender-affirming care
- Dedicated internal guidance programs for employees navigating cancer, fertility treatments, or gender transition

Compensation: The salary range for this position is $80,000–$130,000 per year, based on experience, skills, and relevant certifications. We believe in pay transparency and are committed to offering competitive, market-aligned compensation.

We use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of our hiring process, such as reviewing applications or analyzing resumes. These tools assist our recruitment team but never replace human decision-making. We believe in a human-first approach, where your experience and potential are recognized by people.

Saatchi & Saatchi is committed to building a diverse workforce representative of our community. We encourage and are pleased to consider all qualified candidates, without regard to race, colour, citizenship, religion, sex, marital / family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, aboriginal status, age, disability or persons who may require an accommodation, to apply. If you require a specific accommodation please contact Human Resources at 416-925-7733 or by email at [email protected].