Principal Solution Architect - Cloud-Native Platforms - IT/Consulting

Role Overview:

We are looking for a hands-on Principal Solution Architect who combines strong software engineering expertise with client-facing consulting and architectural leadership.

The role involves working with senior client stakeholders, designing scalable cloud-native platforms, guiding global engineering teams, driving GenAI adoption and modernizing complex legacy applications.

Key Responsibilities:

- Design and architect scalable, resilient cloud-native enterprise applications and platforms.

- Stay hands-on with architecture, POCs, code reviews, microservices, APIs, databases and messaging systems.

- Act as a trusted technical advisor to CTOs, CIOs, CPOs and senior technology/product leaders.

- Understand business requirements and translate them into scalable technology solutions and long-term architecture roadmaps.

- Lead build-vs-buy decisions and communicate architectural trade-offs to business and technical stakeholders.

- Lead and mentor distributed engineering teams across global locations.

- Drive adoption of Generative AI, LLMs and AI-assisted development across the software development lifecycle.

- Lead modernization of legacy applications, including monolith-to-microservices transformations.

- Troubleshoot complex production issues and conduct deep-dive root-cause analysis.

- Establish best practices around cloud architecture, DevOps, CI/CD, security, scalability and reliability.

- Collaborate with sales/pre-sales teams on technical proposals, solutioning and client presentations.

Required Skills:

- 15+ years of software engineering / technology experience.

- Strong progression from Software Engineer - Architect - Solution/Enterprise/Principal Architect.

- 8+ years of client-facing consulting/advisory experience.

- Strong experience with Java/Spring Boot, .NET Core or Python.

- Hands-on experience with Microservices and distributed systems.

- Strong knowledge of Kafka/RabbitMQ and event-driven architecture.

- Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases.

- Strong exposure to AWS, Azure or GCP.

- Experience with Docker and Kubernetes.

- Knowledge of Terraform / CloudFormation or other Infrastructure-as-Code tools.

- Strong API and cloud-native architecture experience.

- Experience leading global/distributed engineering teams.

- Practical knowledge of GenAI/LLM technologies such as OpenAI API, LangChain or LlamaIndex.

- Excellent communication and executive stakeholder management skills.

Education:

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a related STEM discipline is required.

- Master's degree in Computer Science/Engineering or MCA is preferred.

- AWS/Azure Solutions Architect or TOGAF certification would be an advantage.

Preferred:

- Experience in EdTech / digital learning platforms.

- Exposure to standards such as LTI, QTI, Ed-Fi or CEDS.

- Experience working with large US-based enterprises, universities, publishers or technology companies.