Client Software Architect

Must be located near or within the area of Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is seeking a hands-on  Software Engineer to lead end-to-end solution delivery, combining platform development, client engagement, and partner integrations for major retail platform. This role unifies architecture leadership (design, trade-offs, governance), platform building (infrastructure, core capabilities), client solution delivery (discovery, implementation, support), and AI-enabled acceleration to ensure high-quality, scalable, and future-ready solutions.

You will own the complete architecture lifecycle - from discovery and design to delivery and operational readiness - guiding both the Discovery Track (rapid prototyping, feasibility validation, client alignment) and the Delivery Track (production implementation, measurable outcomes) while building the underlying platform capabilities that enable future solutions. The ideal candidate blends deep architecture expertise, software development, client engagement skills, integration experience, and practical use of AI-assisted development tools to accelerate delivery while maintaining architectural integrity and operational excellence.

Key Focus Areas

Platform Infrastructure & Core Capabilities

• Design and implement scalable platform infrastructure to support emerging use cases and product evolution.
• Build and evolve core platform capabilities - APIs, microservices, data pipelines, and shared services.
• Define architecture patterns and frameworks that enable rapid feature development and platform extensibility.
• Lead technical design for new product capabilities as business requirements evolve.

Client Engagement & Solution Delivery

• Own end-to-end solution delivery for client projects, converting business needs into validated architectures and working implementations.
• Lead client-facing architecture activities: facilitate workshops, present technical solutions, drive approvals, and act as subject-matter expert.
• Translate discovery outcomes into structured delivery backlogs that preserve design intent and architecture standards.
• Ensure traceability from business requirements to implemented solutions with full operational accountability.

Product & Partner Integration Architecture

• Own integration architecture design across partner ecosystems - payments, loyalty, inventory, and cloud services.
• Define and enforce integration patterns, API contracts, and data models ensuring interoperability and scalability.
• Establish and maintain partner integration architectures, including authentication, error handling, and versioning strategies.
• Govern solution design and trade-offs with a focus on performance, security, and operational resilience.

Dual-Track Delivery Leadership

• Lead Discovery and Delivery Tracks within Dual-Track Agile - from exploratory prototypes to validated production implementations.
• Drive Discovery Track activities: rapid prototyping, feasibility validation, and stakeholder alignment before full implementation.
• Translate discovery outcomes into delivery backlogs while maintaining architecture quality and non-functional requirements.
• Ensure seamless transition from discovery to delivery with clear design intent and technical specifications.

Hands-On Technical Contribution

• Build production-quality implementations of critical platform components, client solutions, and new infrastructure.
• Lead by example through active coding, prototyping, and technical problem-solving.
• Implement and demo reference code or critical components for both platform capabilities and client solutions.
• Participate in code reviews and hands-on delivery of complex features.
• Work primarily with cloud-native stacks (Java/Spring Boot, TypeScript, React/Vue, Docker/Kubernetes).

Governance, Mentorship & Continuous Improvement

• Define and uphold architecture standards, reusable patterns, and non-functional requirements (security, scalability, observability).
• Mentor engineers and junior architects on design practices, infrastructure patterns, and AI-assisted development.
• Conduct code reviews and enforce architecture governance, promoting best practices across teams.
• Contribute to platform strategy - identifying reusable assets, shared APIs, and infrastructure opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture & Design

• Lead end-to-end solution architecture across discovery, design, delivery, and operational readiness for both platform and client solutions.
• Design and build new platform infrastructure to support emerging product requirements and use cases.
• Produce and maintain key architectural artifacts: ADRs, interface contracts, data flow diagrams, infrastructure specs, sequencing diagrams, migration/rollback plans, and traceability matrices.
• Define and enforce architecture standards, integration patterns, and non-functional requirements across all solutions.

Platform Development

• Write production code for critical platform features and infrastructure components.
• Build core platform capabilities that enable rapid feature development and solution delivery.
• Establish reusable patterns, shared services, and API-first designs for platform extensibility.
• Serve as active technical lead in client engagements.
• Lead Discovery Track activities.
• Drive approvals and alignment across business and technical stakeholders.

Integration & Partnerships

• Establish and maintain partner integration architectures across third-party ecosystems.
• Govern architecture consistency across partner integrations and internal product lines.
• Define authentication strategies (OAuth, SAML, API keys), error handling, and API versioning.

Quality & Governance

• Ensure architecture quality gates and participate in design reviews and release sign-offs.
• Identify and mitigate architecture risks - compatibility, data integrity, scalability, and partner dependencies.
• Own risk analysis and mitigation for architecture decisions, including backward compatibility and compliance constraints.

Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to continuous improvement through reusable patterns, automation, and cross-team alignment.
• Mentor and upskill engineers and architects on AI-assisted development, Dual-Track workflows, and platform best practices.
• Contribute to platform and portfolio strategy, identifying gaps requiring investment and reusable assets.

Qualifications

Must-Have

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 8 years of professional software development experience, including recent hands-on coding and prototyping in modern technology stacks.
• 5+ years designing cloud-native, microservices, or event-driven architectures (Azure or equivalent cloud platforms).
• Strong experience building platform infrastructure and scalable backend systems.
• Proven experience owning end-to-end solution delivery, including design, implementation, and post-release operational accountability for medium-to-large projects.
• Experience with partner integrations - payments, SaaS APIs, loyalty, inventory, or authentication providers.
• Hands-on experience building prototypes or reference implementations to validate architecture and solution feasibility.
• Expertise in API-first design (REST/OpenAPI).
• Experience with relational/non-relational databases (SQL/NoSQL).
• Solid grasp of containerization, CI/CD, and Kubernetes-based delivery pipelines.
• Practical experience with generative AI and AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor).
• Excellent stakeholder communication skills, able to facilitate workshops, present technical solutions, and collaborate across business and engineering teams.
• Proven leadership in mentoring engineers, conducting code reviews, and enforcing architecture governance.

Preferred

• Strong retail platform domain knowledge (POS systems, store operations, payment processing).
• Certifications such as Azure Solutions Architect, AWS Solutions Architect, or equivalent.
• Experience with API Gateway or Integration Platforms (Azure APIM, Kong, Apigee, MuleSoft, Boomi).
• Solid understanding of API security and compliance (OAuth 2.0/OIDC, JWT, PCI).
• Familiarity with formal specifications (OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, JSON Schema) for contract-driven development.
• Background in distributed systems, microservices architecture, and infrastructure as code.
• Experience leading Dual-Track Agile processes, managing both Discovery and Delivery Tracks, and translating discovery outcomes into actionable backlog items.
• Experience contributing to platform strategy, reusable assets, and API-first designs.

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is a dynamic billion-dollar global company based in Research Triangle Park, NC, providing retail store solutions to your favorite brands. Have you ever been in a hurry and made use of the self-checkout at Lowe's Foods, earned fuel rewards at Kroger, or just paid for purchases at retailers such as Walmart, Michaels, Carrefour, The Gap, Calvin Klein, Boots, Cencosud, BJ's, or Costco? These are just a few examples of our in-store solutions and impressive customer base that made us the world's installed market share leader.

The nature of retail is changing quickly, so if you share our 'Together Commerce' vision of a seamless two-way, participatory shopping experience, let's get together to drive the new economy.

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Inc. offers a competitive salary and generous benefits package including the following:

• Group health coverage (medical, dental, & vision)
• Employee Assistance Programs
• Pre-tax spending accounts
• 401(k) plan (with company match)
• Company provided life insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Employee discounts
• Generous paid holiday schedule, paid vacation & sick/personal days

EEO:

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer that evaluates qualified applicants without regard to age, ancestry, color, religious creed, disability, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, national origin, race, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation or any other protected factor. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

Individuals who need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process should email [email protected] to request an accommodation

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION:

We at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions firmly believe that our people are an integral part to the success of our customers. Furthermore, we're committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for all our people as highlighted by our 5 Core Principles (Create Outreach, Foster Belonging, Unleash Opportunity, Diverse Cultural Engagement and Culture of Transparency). We're passionate about our customers the retail industry and becoming a more responsible company as we help create a brighter future.