Lead IT Architect

The Senior IT Architect is responsible for contributing to the technical design and implementation of enterprise-scale systems built on the Microsoft technology stack. This role ensures that technical decisions are practical, scalable, secure, and implemented with high engineering standards.

The role operates in a fast-paced environment with critical delivery timelines and works closely with business stakeholders, product owners, architects, and development teams to design, build, modernize, and support complex applications and integrations. The Senior IT Architect is accountable for making sound technical decisions for the team they work with, writing production code, supporting implementation quality, and ensuring long-term maintainability.

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Key Responsibilities

Architecture & Technical Decision-Making

• Contribute to and help shape solution architecture across application, integration, data, and infrastructure layers within a Microsoft-centric ecosystem.
• Design scalable, secure, and resilient systems using modern architectural patterns (e.g., layered architecture, domain driven design, event driven and service oriented architectures).
• Ensure alignment with enterprise standards for security, performance, observability, and compliance.
• Evaluate and recommend technologies, frameworks, and patterns appropriate for long term sustainability.
• Act as a senior technical authority for assigned work and make appropriate technical decisions for the team they support.

Hands-On Development

• Actively design, write, review, and optimize production grade code.
• Develop solutions using C#, .NET (.NET Core / .NET), ASP.NET, Web APIs, and related frameworks.
• Apply and promote coding standards, best practices, and design guidelines.
• Perform deep technical troubleshooting and root cause analysis for complex issues.
• Participate in code reviews and provide actionable feedback to support quality, performance, and security.

Cloud, Integration & Platform Engineering

• Design and implement solutions leveraging Microsoft Azure, including compute, storage, messaging, and integration services.
• Architect and build APIs and system integrations using REST, messaging, and event based patterns.
• Support data architecture and persistence strategies using SQL Server and related data technologies.
• Support modernization efforts, including refactoring legacy systems and contributing to cloud-native or hybrid architectures.

Delivery, Collaboration & Documentation

• Partner with business analysts and stakeholders to translate business requirements into robust technical solutions.
• Manage assigned technical tasks within project plans, supporting delivery quality and timelines.
• Provide technical guidance to developers as needed, without formal leadership or people-management responsibilities.
• Produce and maintain clear, concise technical documentation, including architecture diagrams, design decisions, and operational guidance.
• Communicate effectively with technical and non technical audiences, explaining tradeoffs and impacts of design decisions.

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Experience & Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, system design, and application architecture.
• Extensive experience in the Microsoft technology stack, including:

o C#, .NET / .NET Core

o ASP.NET, Web APIs, and service based architectures

o SQL Server and relational data modeling

• Proven experience serving as both architect and hands-on senior developer on large, complex systems.
• Strong background designing and supporting enterprise scale, mission critical applications.
• Experience with cloud platforms, preferably Microsoft Azure.
• Experience integrating with external and internal systems through APIs and messaging.
• Ability to diagnose and resolve high complexity technical problems under delivery pressure.
• Strong understanding of software design principles, patterns, and performance optimization.
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction and support engineering quality through sound technical judgment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred / Domain Experience

• Experience modernizing or integrating with legacy platforms.
• Experience with data conversion or large scale system migrations.
• Prior work in highly regulated or data intensive enterprise environments.