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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for AEM Technical Consultant

💰 $ - $

TechnologyDigital ExperienceAdobe AEMContent Management

🎯 Role Definition

An AEM Technical Consultant (Adobe Experience Manager) is a hands-on technical lead responsible for designing, developing, and operationalizing enterprise-grade digital experiences on Adobe Experience Manager (AEM). The role focuses on component-based development, templating, content repository (JCR/CRX) design, Sling and OSGi architecture, integration with backend services and Adobe Cloud Platform, performance tuning, and best-practice implementation of Dispatcher, CDN and security patterns. The consultant partners with product owners, UX, front-end engineering, DevOps, and infrastructure teams to deliver scalable, maintainable, and secure content-driven web and mobile applications.

Keywords: Adobe Experience Manager, AEM, AEM Developer, AEM Architect, Sling, OSGi, HTL/Sightly, JCR, CRX, Dispatcher, Adobe Cloud Manager, AEM Cloud Service, headless AEM, SPA Editor, GraphQL, DAM, components, templates, Maven, Java.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • AEM Developer / Frontend Engineer with AEM experience
  • Java Backend Developer with CMS experience
  • Digital Experience Developer or Web CMS Engineer

Advancement To:

  • Senior AEM Technical Consultant / Lead AEM Developer
  • AEM Architect / Digital Experience Architect
  • Technical Lead / Solution Architect for Adobe Experience Cloud

Lateral Moves:

  • Full Stack Engineer with focus on headless CMS and Jamstack
  • DevOps or Platform Engineer specializing in AEM Cloud and CI/CD
  • Product Engineer for Digital Asset Management (DAM) integrations

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Design and implement AEM component and template architectures that support modular, reusable, and accessible content building blocks (HTL/Sightly components, Sling Models, servlets), ensuring maintainability and clear separation of concerns across content authors and development teams.
  • Lead end-to-end AEM implementations for multi-site and omni-channel experiences, including content repository (JCR/CRX) structure design, content migration strategies, and environment topology planning for author, publish, and dispatcher tiers.
  • Build and optimize AEM workflows, Sling servlets, event handlers, and custom OSGi services to automate content lifecycle processes and integrate with enterprise back-end systems such as CRM, PIM, and e-commerce platforms using REST/SOAP/APIs.
  • Architect and develop integrations between AEM and Adobe Experience Cloud solutions (Adobe Analytics, Target, Launch) and third-party services (search engines, personalization engines, payment gateways) with robust authentication, tracing, and error handling.
  • Implement headless and hybrid AEM solutions using AEM as a Content Services Provider (CSP) with GraphQL/Content Fragments, SPA Editor support (React/Angular/Vue), and server-side rendering patterns where appropriate.
  • Define and enforce best practices for AEM development including Maven multi-module project structure, code conventions, Sling resource resolution, HTL usage, Sling Models, and component inheritance patterns to improve team productivity.
  • Configure and manage AEM Dispatcher, caching rules, security hardening, and CDN integration to deliver high-performance, secure content delivery at scale; implement cache invalidation strategies for dynamic content.
  • Perform capacity planning and performance tuning of AEM environments (JVM tuning, indexing, GC, persistence managers, Oak segment/DocumentNodeStore configurations) and lead load testing and profiling efforts.
  • Collaborate with UX/UI teams to translate designs into responsive, accessible AEM components and templates, ensuring front-end best practices (HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Webpack) and integration with client-side frameworks for SPAs.
  • Lead code reviews, mentor junior AEM developers, and establish CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Adobe Cloud Manager) for build, test, and deployment automation across AEM on-premise or AEM as a Cloud Service.
  • Create and maintain technical specifications, architecture diagrams, runbooks, and documentation for AEM implementations, deployments, rollback procedures, and operational monitoring.
  • Execute and support content migrations from legacy CMS platforms to AEM using automated migration tooling, scripts, and custom migration handlers, ensuring metadata, taxonomies, and DAM links are preserved.
  • Implement role-based and granular content-authoring permissions, ACLs, and user management strategies, collaborating with security teams to meet compliance requirements (OWASP, secure coding practices).
  • Troubleshoot production incidents, perform root cause analysis on authoring/publishing failures, dispatcher misconfiguration, or repository corruption, and lead incident response and remediation efforts.
  • Design and implement AEM DAM strategies for asset ingestion, rendition management, metadata normalization, smart tags, and integration with Media Asset Manager or other DAM systems.
  • Deliver POCs and technology evaluations for new AEM features (Content Fragments, Experience Fragments, SPA Editor, ContextHub) and advise stakeholders on adoption strategies and cost/benefit trade-offs.
  • Drive accessibility (WCAG) and SEO best practices into templates and components, including semantic markup, metadata, structured data (JSON-LD), sitemap generation, and canonical URL handling.
  • Implement multilingual and multi-site capabilities in AEM (i18n/i10n), language copy workflows, live copy/blueprint setups, and translation integration with translation management systems (TMS).
  • Manage AEM package deployments, CRX package creation, and repository synchronization strategies (package manager, Vault, git-based workflows) while ensuring minimal downtime for content authors.
  • Partner with DevOps and infra teams to automate environment provisioning, backup/restore, monitoring, logging (ELK/Datadog/New Relic), and security scanning for AEM instances and underlying infrastructure.
  • Establish and apply governance, coding standards, and release management practices for multiple projects and business units utilizing AEM as the central content platform.
  • Collaborate with product owners and business stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical design and acceptance criteria, delivering on prioritized roadmaps and sprint commitments.
  • Provide ongoing AEM platform advisories including version upgrades, hotfix strategies, custom code remediation for cloud readiness, and migration plans from Classic or older AEM versions to AEM as a Cloud Service.
  • Advocate continuous improvement by analyzing metrics, authoring experience, and developer feedback to iterate on component libraries, style systems, and developer toolchains.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist with creating training materials, run-books, and internal workshops to upskill content authors and cross-functional teams on AEM authoring, workflows, and component usage.
  • Support security and compliance audits focused on AEM configurations, access controls, and third-party integrations; implement remediation steps and document risk mitigations.
  • Participate in platform roadmap discussions, vendor evaluations, and licensing planning to align AEM capabilities with long-term digital experience strategy.
  • Support emergency on-call rotations for AEM production incidents, performing diagnostics, hotfix deployment, and post-incident retrospectives to improve reliability.
  • Contribute to RFPs and technical pre-sales activities by producing architecture diagrams, estimated effort breakdowns, and feasibility assessments for AEM projects.
  • Create and manage automated tests for AEM components and integrations, including unit tests for Sling Models, integration tests for REST endpoints, and end-to-end UI tests for key authoring flows.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Deep expertise in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) development across versions (AEM 6.x, AEM as a Cloud Service) with hands-on experience in Sling, OSGi, HTL/Sightly, and Sling Models.
  • Strong Java (8/11+) development skills and familiarity with Maven multi-module projects, JUnit, Mockito, and integration testing frameworks for AEM.
  • Proven experience with CRX/JCR repository concepts, Apache Jackrabbit / Oak, indexing strategies, and performance implications for large content repositories.
  • Dispatcher configuration and caching expertise, including cache invalidation strategies, security rules, and integration with CDNs (Akamai, CloudFront).
  • Solid knowledge of front-end technologies: HTML5, CSS3/SCSS, JavaScript/ES6+, and SPA frameworks (React/Angular/Vue) with experience implementing SPA Editor support.
  • Integration experience with RESTful APIs, GraphQL, OAuth/JWT authentication, SSO/SAML integrations, and backend systems like ERP/CRM/e-commerce platforms.
  • Hands-on experience with AEM DAM, asset ingestion, metadata modeling, renditions, and automated workflows for media processing and smart tagging.
  • Familiarity with Adobe Cloud Manager, CI/CD pipelines, containerization concepts, and automated deployments for AEM as a Cloud Service or cloud-hosted AEM.
  • Ability to design secure solutions following OWASP guidelines, implement role-based access control (RBAC), and integrate with enterprise identity providers.
  • Performance tuning and monitoring skills: JVM tuning, GC analysis, thread dumps, profiler usage, and monitoring tools such as New Relic, Datadog, or Grafana/Prometheus.
  • Experience with content migration tools (ACS AEM Commons, Content Transfer Tooling, Sling Content Packages) and scripting migrations for large-scale CMS transitions.
  • Knowledge of SEO, accessibility (WCAG), structured data, and internationalization techniques within an AEM context.
  • Familiarity with automated testing strategies for AEM (unit tests, integration tests, UI E2E tests) and quality gates in CI/CD pipelines.

Soft Skills

  • Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to explain complex technical trade-offs to non-technical business partners and product owners.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills for producing clear technical documentation, runbooks, and architecture decisions.
  • Collaborative mindset and experience working in cross-functional Agile teams; ability to mentor developers and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Analytical problem-solving skills with a focus on root cause analysis, incident remediation, and proactive prevention strategies.
  • Time management and prioritization skills to balance technical debt, feature delivery, and operational stability in fast-paced release cycles.
  • Customer- and outcome-oriented attitude with a bias for measurable delivery and impact on business KPIs.
  • Adaptability and eagerness to learn new AEM features, cloud patterns, and evolving web technologies.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical discipline; or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Computer Science, Digital Media, or related field and/or relevant certifications such as Adobe Certified Expert - AEM Developer or AEM Architect.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Software Engineering
  • Information Systems
  • Web or Digital Media Technologies
  • Interaction Design (for hybrid roles with front-end focus)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3 - 10+ years total software development experience, with at least 2 - 5 years focused on Adobe Experience Manager.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years of AEM-specific experience across multiple major versions (AEM 6.x and AEM as a Cloud Service).
  • Prior experience leading or architecting at least one enterprise-grade AEM implementation, migrations from legacy CMS, or large-scale DAM/Asset initiatives.
  • Demonstrated history of working with DevOps/Cloud teams to deploy and operate AEM in production including CI/CD and managed cloud environments.
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