Architect I

Responsibilities

• Architectural Strategy: Design and oversee the development of high-scale, mission-critical production systems, ensuring they are modular, composable, and extensible.
• System Modernization: Drive the evolution of "legacy" systems by implementing strategic techniques to migrate them toward a modern, target-state architecture.
• Cross-Functional Translation: Act as a bridge between Engineering and non-technical stakeholders (Product, Security, Finance, etc.) to ensure business needs are reflected in technical designs.
• Documentation & Visualization: Create clear technical documentation and complex system diagrams to communicate architectural visions across various mediums.
• Collaborative Design: Facilitate design sessions and distributed conversations, ensuring engineering teams retain ownership of their work while benefiting from expert feedback.
• Cloud & Cost Optimization: Manage and optimize cloud infrastructure (preferably AWS), balancing high performance with cost efficiencies and regional deployment needs.
• Mentorship & Growth: Serve as a high-level mentor to engineering teams, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning.
• Technology Scouting: Monitor the broader computing landscape to identify dependable current technologies and emerging trends worthy of adoption

Qualifications

• Proven Technical Depth: Extensive experience building and operating large-scale distributed systems, with a "lessons learned the hard way" mentality.
• Expert System Modeling: Advanced proficiency in high-level service design and the ability to model interfaces for long-term scalability.
• Data Layer Mastery: Deep working knowledge of various data persistence layers and a nuanced understanding of which use cases suit specific technologies.
• Public Cloud Proficiency: Significant experience with a major cloud provider (AWS preferred), including a strong grasp of its capabilities and inherent caveats.
• Communication Versatility: Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to tailor complex messages for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Leadership Mindset: A hospitality-focused approach to leadership, prioritizing being "of service" to the teams you support rather than exercising rigid control.
• Collaborative Agility: The ability to propose solutions and integrate critical feedback without defensiveness, maintaining a focus on the best outcome for the product.
• Domain Expertise: A proven track record as a domain expert in a specific focus area (e.g., Front-end or Data Architecture) while maintaining a broad understanding of the full stack.