Technical Architect

The Role
We are looking for a hands-on Principal Technology Architect to own the technical direction of our rating and client data platforms. This is a builders role, not a whiteboard-only one: you will architect systems and then roll up your sleeves to prototype, code, review, and troubleshoot alongside the team. You will translate business and research needs into pragmatic, scalable solutions, set engineering standards, evaluate and introduce new technologies including AI and mentor developers as the platform and team grow.

The ideal candidate has successfully led the modernization of legacy enterprise platforms while introducing AI capabilities into production systems. You possess deep expertise in software architecture, cloud technologies, and enterprise application design, with the ability to balance long-term technical strategy and hands-on implementation. You thrive in a fast-paced environment with a startup mentality, are solution-oriented and comfortable experimenting, enjoy learning new technologies, and understand not just application design but also the underlying IT infrastructure that keeps our systems secure, reliable, and cost-effective. Above all, you have an automation-first instinct you constantly look for manual, repetitive work to eliminate and you know the technologies that make that possible.

Our Technology Direction
Our current platform is .NET-centric, but we are actively evolving toward a more modern stack and want an architect who can lead that shift. Technologies we are moving toward (or open to adopting) include Next.js on the frontend, FastAPI / Python for services and AI workloads, PostgreSQL/MongoDB for data, and containerized deployment on AWS using Fargate, ECS, and ECR. You should be comfortable evaluating, introducing, and building hands-on with technologies like these and recommending others where they better fit the problem.

Key Responsibilities
• Own the architecture of the rating and client data platform end-to-end system design, service boundaries, data flows, and integration patterns.
• Modernize legacy enterprise applications with minimal business disruption, defining and executing a pragmatic path from current systems to a scalable target architecture.
• Introduce AI into production — integrate Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), custom model development, and intelligent automation into real, production-grade workflows.
• Drive process automation — identify manual, repetitive, and error-prone processes across engineering and the business, and re-engineer them into automated workflows. Bring strong awareness of the tooling that makes this possible: workflow/orchestration engines, RPA, low-code/no-code platforms, event-driven pipelines, CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code, and AI-assisted automation (LLMs, agents, document/data extraction).
• Champion an automation-first mindset — continuously ask “can this be automated?”, evaluate and introduce the right automation technologies, and measure the time, cost, and reliability gains they deliver.
• Stay hands-on — build proofs of concept, contribute production code, conduct code reviews, and help debug complex issues across the stack.
• Design scalable, secure services using .NET Core / ASP.NET Core (and modern alternatives such as FastAPI/Python where appropriate), RESTful APIs, and microservices, applying sound design principles (SOLID, layered/clean architecture, design patterns).
• Lead data architecture — design and optimize relational and non-relational data models (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, or equivalent) for large-scale, evolving datasets, and guide data management and migration strategy.
• Shape and implement the cloud and infrastructure strategy — make sound decisions on hosting, networking, CI/CD, containerization (Docker, AWS ECS/Fargate, ECR), environments, observability, and security across AWS / Azure / GCP.
• Drive cost optimization at both the infrastructure and application level, with a track record of measurable savings.
• Lead technical transformation initiatives across architecture, engineering, and cloud platforms.
• Set engineering standards for code quality, testing, documentation, security, and performance, and hold the team to them by example.
• Evaluate and experiment with new tools, frameworks, and approaches; run spikes, weigh trade-offs, and make clear build-vs-buy recommendations.
• Be technology-agnostic and adaptable — while our current stack is .NET-centric, if the platform’s direction calls for moving to a more modern stack (e.g., Next.js, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, AWS Fargate/ECS/ECR), the architect should be able to assess, adopt, and lead the transition to new modern technologies rather than being locked into any single toolset.
• Mentor and grow the team — coach engineers, lead design discussions and reviews, establish best practices, and raise the technical bar across the group.
• Partner with stakeholders — work closely with product, research, UI, and business teams to align technology with business goals and deliver end-to-end features.

Required Skills & Experience
Primary (Must-Have)
• 12+ years of software development experience, with a strong track record architecting and delivering complex, production-grade enterprise systems.
• Demonstrated experience modernizing large legacy enterprise applications with minimal business disruption.
• Proven experience designing and implementing scalable enterprise architectures.
• Hands-on experience integrating AI technologies — LLMs, RAG, intelligent automation, and custom model development — into production environments.
• Strong track record of process automation — automating manual and repetitive workflows across engineering and business operations, with deep awareness of the enabling technologies (workflow/orchestration engines, RPA, low-code/no-code platforms, event-driven pipelines, CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, and AI-assisted automation).
• Experience leading technical transformation initiatives across architecture, engineering, and cloud platforms.
• Deep expertise in .NET Framework / .NET Core / ASP.NET Core and Entity Framework, with the ability to remain hands-on in code.
• Ability to work across technologies and adopt a more modern stack where the platform requires it — for example Next.js, FastAPI/Python, PostgreSQL, and AWS containerized services (Fargate, ECS, ECR) — not tied to a single toolset.
• Proven experience designing scalable, secure backend services, RESTful APIs, and microservices, and defining system architecture.
• Strong command of relational and non-relational databases (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MongoDB or equivalent) and data model design for large-scale applications.
• Solid grasp of IT infrastructure — networking, hosting, security, CI/CD, containerization (Docker/Kubernetes, AWS ECS/Fargate/ECR), monitoring, and environment management.
• Hands-on experience with at least one major cloud platform (AWS / Azure / GCP), including architecture, deployment, and performance optimization.
• Proven track record of optimizations that led to cost savings at both the infrastructure and application level.
• Strong foundation in design patterns, architectural styles, and best practices, plus automated/unit testing (e.g., NUnit).
• Demonstrated experience working in fast-paced, agile environments with a startup mentality, shipping under changing requirements.

Secondary (Good to Have)
• Working experience with Angular / React / Next.js or other modern JavaScript frameworks and component-based UI architecture.
• Understanding of UI integration, API consumption, HTML, CSS, and responsive design concepts.
• Exposure to event-driven/messaging systems, caching, API gateways, and MLOps/AI tooling.
• Familiarity with data pipelines, analytics, or financial-domain data.
Prior experience working in the ESG / sustainability domain.

Attributes We’re Looking For
• Hands-on and pragmatic — leads by building, by directing.
• Startup mentality — takes ownership, moves fast, and gets things done with limited overhead.
• Automation-first — instinctively looks to remove manual effort and knows the technologies that make automation possible.
• Solution-oriented and experimental — comfortable with ambiguity, quick to prototype, and willing to try new approaches.
• Continuous learner — actively keeps up with and adopts new technologies, especially in AI and automation.
• Technology-agnostic — not tied to a single stack; able to adopt and lead a move to more modern technologies if the platform requires it.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Natural mentor — patient, generous with knowledge, and able to grow those around them.
• Excellent communication and collaboration in a cross-functional, agile setting.

Education
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or a related field. A master’s degree or relevant cloud/architecture/devops certifications are a plus.