Principal Software Architect

At Robots & Pencils, we build meaningful, scalable digital products for forward-thinking organizations. We are seeking a Principal Software Architect to provide technical leadership across complex, multi-platform engagements. This role sits at the intersection of architecture, delivery, and client partnership owning system design decisions while remaining deeply connected to execution.

As a Principal Software Architect, you will guide architecture across mobile, backend, cloud, and emerging AI-enabled solutions. You will collaborate closely with delivery leaders, engineers, designers, and client stakeholders to ensure systems are scalable, secure, maintainable, and aligned with business outcomes. This is a hands-on, delivery-embedded role, not a pre-sales or advisory-only position.

• Define and evolve application architecture across iOS (Swift), Android (Kotlin), .NET, and Node.js backend services.
• Lead architectural decisions for scalable, secure systems using SQL Server, Oracle, and Azure-based infrastructure.
• Provide technical direction across frontend, backend, mobile, and integration layers.
• Review designs and implementations to ensure alignment with architectural standards and long-term maintainability.

• Partner with Delivery Managers and engineering teams to translate business requirements into robust technical solutions.
• Support end-to-end delivery across multiple concurrent engagements, balance speed, quality, and sustainability.
• Act as a technical escalation point, resolving complex architectural or integration challenges.
• Ensure architecture supports CI/CD, observability, performance, and operational excellence.

• Serve as a senior technical leader in client-facing discussions, building trust through clarity and credibility.
• Translate complex technical concepts into clear business value for non-technical stakeholders.
• Support roadmap planning, risk identification, and technical decision-making with clients.
• Maintain strong relationships through proactive communication and follow-through.

• Guide use of Azure Dev Ops, Git Hub, Jira, Confluence, and modern delivery tooling.
• Support integrations with enterprise platforms such as Radar/Geo Moby (geofencing), Oracle Recruiting Booster, and Dropbox Sign.
• Contribute to AI-enabled initiatives using Python, Type Script, and Azure OpenAI, ensuring responsible and practical adoption.

• Mentor senior and mid-level engineers, fostering strong architectural thinking and craftsmanship.
• Promote engineering best practices, documentation, and shared learning across teams.
• Encourage collaboration between disciplines including mobile, backend, design, and data.

• 12+ years of professional software engineering experience, with significant hands-on ownership of production application architecture.
• Proven experience acting as the technical owner for complex, user-facing applications, not just reviewing or advising.
• Demonstrated ability to design and deliver end-to-end application systems,
  • Mobile clients (iOS with Swift, Android with Kotlin)
  • Backend application services (.NET and Node.js)
  • RESTful and event-driven APIs
  • Relational data models using SQL Server and Oracle
  • Strong experience defining application-level architecture patterns, including:
  • Service boundaries and ownership models
  • API versioning and contract governance
  • Data consistency, transactional integrity, and validation strategies
  • Error handling, resiliency, and failure recovery
  • Hands-on experience building and operating applications on Azure, including:
  • CI/CD pipelines
  • Deployment and environment strategies
  • Logging, monitoring, and performance observability
  • Experience working in delivery-driven consulting or product environments, where architecture must adapt to evolving requirements.
  • Comfort staying close to implementation through code reviews, architectural validation, and team unblockers.
  • Strong understanding of modern SDLC practices, Dev Ops workflows, automated testing, and release management.

• Experience…