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AEM developers and architects, or the hybrid who does both.
TekRecruiter is an Adobe Experience Manager recruiting agency focused solely on technology and engineering roles at tech and SaaS companies. We screen AEM talent as Java engineers first, on the Sling models, OSGi services and content models they shipped, so you hire someone whose components authors can use and whose architecture survives the next site. Beyond skills and experience, we look for HEARTThe HEART standardHHigh agencyEExecutionAAccountabilityRResourcefulnessTTransparencyWhat we look for, beyond skills →.
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AEM is Java engineering with a content model.
Adobe Experience Manager work is Java, OSGi and Sling underneath, with components, templates and a content model on top. Architects design that structure and the deployment; developers build components against it. The hybrid who does both is the profile clients ask for. In 2026 we recruited AEM talent for a security company in Boca Raton.
Average AEM developer-architect bill rate
From our 2026 AEM searches, for the hybrid profile. The bill rate covers the consultant’s pay and our fee.
Contract-to-hire conversion
Of our contract-to-hire consultants convert to permanent employees.
To onboard a consultant
Contract consultants can start in as little as three days.
The Adobe skill sets we recruit.
AEM developer
Java, OSGi, Sling models, HTL components, templates, dispatcher configuration and front-end integration on AEM Sites.
AEM architect
Content and component architecture, multi-site and language structure, AEM as a Cloud Service or on-premise deployment, and integrations across Experience Cloud.
Developer-architect hybrid
Designs the content model and builds the components. The profile most of our AEM clients ask for, and the one our 2026 rate reflects.
Marketing automation (Marketo)
Adobe Marketo Engage programs, scoring and CRM sync. Covered on our marketing automation developer and architect page.
Who our AEM searches are built for.
- Marketing and web teams running AEM Sites that need builders on a deadline.
- Migrations to AEM as a Cloud Service that need someone who has done one.
- Companies that may want to keep the consultant, through contract-to-hire.
- Content authors and web producers. We recruit the engineers who build AEM.
- Creative Cloud design roles. Photoshop and Illustrator work is a different market.
- Fully outsourced agency builds. Consultants work under your management.
Why AEM searches go wrong.
AEM work looks like web work from the outside and behaves like Java engineering underneath. These are the misses we hear about most.
- 01
A front-end developer who has seen AEM.
HTL templates on the résumé, no Sling models or OSGi services behind them.
- 02
Components authors can’t use.
Every new page needs a developer because the component model fights the authors.
- 03
Nobody owns the content model.
Developers build against a structure no one designed, and each new site is harder to change.
- 04
On-premise habits on Cloud Service.
AEM as a Cloud Service changes deployment, dispatcher config and what you can customize. Not every AEM veteran has made the move.
- Average AEM developer-architect bill rate, 2026
- $80/hr
- Of our contract-to-hire consultants convert
- 98%
Pretty pages hide bad components. We look underneath.
We walk each candidate through AEM components they built and the content model behind them, then ask how authors used them and what broke when the site grew. Every AEM engineer we present also meets our HEART standard.
- Java underneath: OSGi services and Sling models, not only front-end templates.
- Author experience: components authors could use without calling a developer.
- Architecture: content model, multi-site structure and dispatcher caching decisions.
- Deployment: AEM as a Cloud Service or on-premise, and how they shipped releases.
| A generalist IT staffing firm | TekRecruiter |
|---|---|
| Sends front-end developers who have seen AEM | Places Java engineers who build on AEM |
| One "AEM developer" profile | Scopes developer, architect and hybrid separately |
| Rates by guesswork | Bill rates from our 2026 searches: $80/hr hybrid average |
| Treats an Adobe certification as proof | Walks through a release the candidate shipped on AEM |
| Start in weeks | Start in as little as 3 days |
The HEART standard
What we look for beyond skills and experience, in every candidate we present.
- High agencyPeople who see what needs to be done and act without waiting to be told.
- ExecutionPeople who turn ideas into results.
- AccountabilityPeople who own the outcome, not just their piece of the work.
- ResourcefulnessPeople who figure things out when the answer isn’t obvious.
- TransparencyPeople who communicate clearly, honestly, and early.
Developer, architect or hybrid?
A weak AEM architecture makes every later component slower to build. Decide who owns it before you hire.
| AEM developer | AEM architect | Developer-architect hybridYou are here | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What they own | Components, templates and front-end integration | Content model, site structure, deployment and integrations | Both: the structure and the components |
| Typical work | Sling models, HTL, OSGi services, dispatcher rules | Multi-site design, Cloud Service migration, Experience Cloud integration | Designing a site or feature and shipping it end to end |
| When you need them | The architecture is set and pages need building | A new AEM program, a migration to Cloud Service or a site that grew hard to change | A lean web team that needs one senior AEM owner |
| How we screen | Walk through components they built and how authors used them | Walk through a content model they designed and what they would change | Both walk-throughs, plus a release they owned |
| 2026 bill rate | Quoted per search | Quoted per search | $80/hr average |
Scope the site, then find who has built one like it.
Scope the site and the work
AEM version, Cloud Service or on-premise, sites and languages, integrations and whether you need a designer, a builder or both.
Screen on real components
Architecture and code walk-throughs with every candidate, so the people you interview have built on AEM, not just near it.
Contract or convert
Contract, contract-to-hire or nearshore. Consultants start in as little as three days; 98% of contract-to-hire consultants convert.
What clients say.
The hiring team needed someone who could build a Java automation framework from scratch, and we had worked the search for six straight months with at least 12 or 13 vendors. TekRecruiter sent one candidate, and he got the job.
We needed to hire a senior IAM engineer with deep SOC 2 knowledge, and the role had been open for more than three months. Within a week of speaking with Ron, his team sent over three very solid profiles, and we finally found the right fit in just two weeks.
Across multiple companies, I’ve hired more than six senior software engineers through TekRecruiter, and every one of them has been an impressive builder.
I got a firsthand look when I needed a software engineer with strong TypeScript skills to join my team. I was happy with the candidates, and I was able to make a hiring decision.
A former colleague referred me to TekRecruiter, and I was very impressed by the caliber of the senior DevOps engineers they presented. I identified two senior DevOps engineers who were exceptional fits for my team.
He said he would share three to four candidates within a week, and that’s exactly what he did. We hired a senior software engineer we’re confident in, and we’ve been thrilled with how well things have worked out.
The few times I’ve hired over the last five years, I’ve always been vendor neutral, and TekRecruiter has been the staffing partner that filled every one of those open engineering roles.
Their ability to quickly supply highly skilled software and DevOps engineers who blend in well with our existing teams continues to amaze me. They are highly technical at the account management level and transparently propose different solutions, whether staff augmentation or nearshore outsourcing.
Adobe Experience Manager hiring questions, answered.
How much does an AEM developer cost in 2026?
In TekRecruiter’s 2026 AEM searches, the AEM developer-architect hybrid billed at an average of $80 an hour, about $166,000 a year at full time. The bill rate covers the consultant’s pay and our fee. See the 2026 Tech Salary & Rate Guide.
What is the difference between an AEM developer and an AEM architect?
An AEM architect designs the content model, site and language structure, deployment and integrations across Adobe Experience Cloud. An AEM developer builds components, templates and OSGi services against that design. The hybrid does both, which is why most clients ask for it.
Do AEM developers need Java?
Yes. AEM runs on Java, OSGi and Apache Sling, so strong AEM developers are Java engineers who also understand HTL templates, the content repository and dispatcher caching.
Do you recruit Marketo developers too?
Yes. Marketo Engage sits in Adobe Experience Cloud, and we place marketing automation developers and architects who build on it. See our marketing automation page.
How fast can an AEM consultant start?
Contract consultants can start in as little as three days once you approve them, and you interview every one first. See staff augmentation.
Have you recruited AEM talent for security companies?
Yes. In 2026 we recruited Adobe Experience Manager talent for a security company in Boca Raton. See security technology recruiting.
What is the HEART standard?
HEART is the standard we screen every candidate against, beyond skills: high agency, execution, accountability, resourcefulness and transparency. It describes people who take ownership, turn ideas into results and move the business forward. See the standard.
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