Functional CRM Solution Architect

About the Role

Brainlake is seeking an experienced Functional CRM Solution Architect to lead the functional design and delivery of enterprise CRM solutions for large, complex organizations. This contract position is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and requires a professional with over 10 years of experience in CRM or customer engagement.

Role Overview

This is a client-facing role that requires a deep understanding of how businesses manage customer sales, service, and engagement. The Functional CRM Solution Architect will translate this understanding into well-designed CRM solutions, leading process discovery, shaping functional architecture, and ensuring solution effectiveness for end-users. The role involves working on enterprise-scale transformation programs with multiple workstreams and demanding stakeholders, with direct accountability for outcomes. Candidates should bring a strategic perspective, having challenged existing business processes, designed improvements, and overseen their implementation through go-live and adoption.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead discovery workshops with business stakeholders to define objectives, current processes, pain points, and customer engagement requirements.
• Map and redesign end-to-end customer processes, including lead-to-opportunity, quote-to-order, case management, service delivery, loyalty, and customer journeys.
• Define the functional CRM architecture across sales, service, marketing, and field operations capabilities.
• Support CRM platform selection and evaluation, encompassing requirements definition, vendor assessment, and fit analysis.
• Conduct fit-gap analysis and recommend the optimal balance of out-of-the-box functionality, configuration, and custom development.
• Translate business requirements into functional designs, user stories, and acceptance criteria for delivery teams.
• Define the functional data model, customer 360 view, record ownership, roles and access, business rules, and process flows in collaboration with technical architects.
• Act as the design authority for functional decisions, managing scope, trade-offs, and change requests across workstreams.
• Define integration requirements from a business perspective, covering ERP, marketing automation, contact center, customer portals, and data platforms.
• Define data migration requirements, mapping, and validation from a business perspective.
• Lead test strategy from a functional perspective, including scenario design, system integration testing support, and user acceptance testing.
• Shape training, change management, and adoption plans to ensure effective solution usage post-go-live.
• Contribute to solutioning, estimation, and scoping for new phases and change requests.
• Identify opportunities for AI and automation within CRM to enhance productivity and customer outcomes.
• Advise clients on CRM best practices, operating models, and governance.
• Produce high-quality functional artifacts, such as process maps, functional design documents, requirements traceability, and decision logs.
• Collaborate with technical architects, developers, data specialists, and delivery leads throughout discovery, design, build, testing, and hypercare phases.

Qualifications and Experience

• 10+ years of experience in CRM or customer engagement, with at least 6 years in functional lead or architect roles.
• Proven track record of leading the functional design of end-to-end enterprise CRM implementations on large-scale, multi-workstream programs.
• Deep implementation experience on at least one leading CRM platform (*, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP Sales & Service Cloud, Oracle CX, Pega), with exposure to multiple platforms being an advantage.
• Experience in a consulting or systems integration environment, delivering for enterprise clients within a structured, client-facing delivery model.
• Strong knowledge of CRM domains, including sales, customer service, marketing, field service, and customer data management.
• Strong business process design skills, including experience in process mapping (*, BPMN) and requirements management using tools like Jira or Azure DevOps.
• Working understanding of CRM data models, integration concepts, and platform capabilities to facilitate credible collaboration with technical teams.
• Experience leading workshops, fit-gap sessions, and user acceptance testing with senior business stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to influence both business and technical audiences.
• Ability to work independently in a contract capacity and quickly integrate into established client teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• CRM certifications, such as Salesforce Certified Consultant or Architect credentials, Microsoft Dynamics 365 functional certifications, or equivalents.
• Experience with CRM platform selection or managing multi-platform CRM landscapes.
• Experience with contact center, Customer Data Platform (CDP), or marketing automation solutions.
• Industry experience in financial services, government, telecoms, or other regulated sectors.

Work Type

This is a contract position based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.