Senior Software Architect

Description

A billion-dollar global company headquartered in Research Triangle Park, NC, the company builds retail store solutions for major retailers. This senior architect role covers the full path from discovery through delivery and operations, spanning platform engineering, client work, and partner integrations for a large retail platform.

You will own architecture from first discovery through design, delivery, and readiness to run in production. You will lead both the Discovery Track, where prototypes test feasibility and align clients, and the Delivery Track, where production work must produce measurable results. You will also help build the shared platform capabilities that future solutions depend on. The team values people who combine architecture judgment, hands-on development, client skills, integration work, and practical use of AI-assisted coding tools to move faster without weakening design or operations.

The team works within Dual-Track Agile.

Note on the candidate team: the company is not sponsoring visas for this role, now or later, so you must already be authorized to work in the United States without any current or future sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture for platform and client solutions across discovery, design, delivery, and operational readiness.
• Design and build new platform infrastructure for emerging products and use cases.
• Write and maintain architecture artifacts: ADRs, interface contracts, data flow and sequence diagrams, infrastructure specs, migration and rollback plans, and traceability matrices.
• Set and enforce architecture standards, integration patterns, and non-functional requirements for every solution.
• Write production code for critical platform features and infrastructure.
• Build shared services, reusable patterns, and API-first designs that let teams ship features quickly.
• Act as the technical lead in client engagements and drive Discovery Track work.
• Win approvals and alignment from business and technical stakeholders.
• Design and maintain partner integrations with third-party ecosystems.
• Keep architecture consistent across partner integrations and internal product lines.
• Define authentication approaches (OAuth, SAML, API keys), error handling, and API versioning.
• Run architecture quality gates, join design reviews, and sign off on releases.
• Find and reduce architecture risks: compatibility, data integrity, scalability, partner dependencies, backward compatibility, and compliance.
• Coach engineers and architects on AI-assisted development, Dual-Track workflows, and platform practice.
• Spot investment gaps and reusable assets for platform and portfolio strategy.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 8 years of professional software development, including recent hands-on coding and prototyping on modern stacks.
• 5+ years designing cloud-native, microservices, or event-driven systems on Azure or an equivalent cloud.
• Strong record building platform infrastructure and scalable backend systems.
• Proven record of owning medium-to-large projects from design through implementation and post-release operations.
• Experience with partner integrations such as payments, SaaS APIs, loyalty, inventory, or authentication providers.
• Experience building prototypes or reference implementations to test architecture and feasibility.
• Strong API-first design skills with REST and OpenAPI.
• Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases.
• Solid knowledge of containers, CI/CD, and Kubernetes-based pipelines.
• Hands-on use of generative AI and AI coding tools such as GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, or Cursor.
• Clear communicator who can run workshops, present technical solutions, and work across business and engineering.
• Proven record of mentoring engineers, running code reviews, and enforcing architecture governance.
• Preferred: Background in retail platforms, including POS systems, store operations, and payment processing.
• Preferred: Certification such as Azure Solutions Architect, AWS Solutions Architect, or an equivalent.
• Preferred: Experience with an API gateway or integration platform such as Azure APIM, Kong, Apigee, MuleSoft, or Boomi.
• Preferred: Working knowledge of API security and compliance, including OAuth 2.0/OIDC, JWT, and PCI.
• Preferred: Familiarity with OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, and JSON Schema for contract-driven development.
• Preferred: Background in distributed systems, microservices, and infrastructure as code.
• Preferred: Experience leading Dual-Track Agile, managing both tracks, and turning discovery results into backlog items.
• Preferred: Experience shaping platform strategy, reusable assets, and API-first designs.

Conditions

You must be located in or near the Raleigh-Durham, NC area.

The company will not provide visa sponsorship for this position now or in the future, so you must be able to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship.

The company offers a competitive salary.

Benefits

• Group medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Employee assistance programs.
• Pre-tax spending accounts.
• 401(k) plan with company match.
• Company-paid life insurance.
• Pet insurance.
• Employee discounts.
• A generous paid holiday schedule, paid vacation, and sick and personal days.