Principal Software Architect (Java, Spring Boot, Kafka, React)

Quick Facts

• Role: Principal Software Architect (Java/Cloud/SaaS)

• Location: Reading, PA (onsite; must attend in-person interview)

Description

Lead the technical direction for a SaaS product, setting the architecture and long-term roadmap across application architecture, data platforms, integrations, and delivery practices. Work with engineering, product, data, security, operations, and business teams to build scalable, secure, resilient systems using Java/Spring Boot, React, Kafka-based pipelines, and Snowflake—plus third-party integrations. Help evaluate and responsibly apply AI/LLM technologies, including RAG, where they add measurable value.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve platform technical architecture and long-term roadmap aligned to product goals (scale, reliability, security, cost)

• Provide technical leadership for backend services (Java/Spring Boot) and frontend applications (React)

• Design event-driven architectures and high-throughput data pipelines using Apache Kafka

• Lead data architecture and integration patterns involving Snowflake and analytical data systems

• Architect complex third-party integrations (APIs, authentication, data mapping, reliability, versioning, failure handling)

• Establish architectural standards for service boundaries, data contracts, observability, security, and performance

• Strengthen CI/CD practices, deployment automation, testing strategy, and release reliability

• Collaborate cross-functionally to evaluate tradeoffs and guide technical decisions

• Review designs and mentor engineers/technical leads to improve engineering quality

• Identify and mitigate technical risks, scalability constraints, architectural debt, and operational bottlenecks

• Evaluate AI and LLM technologies and drive secure, practical integration into workflows

• Communicate technical strategy, options, and tradeoffs to technical and non-technical stakeholders

Requirements

• Significant experience designing and evolving production software architectures; principal/staff-level or equivalent senior technical leadership

• Strong hands-on Java and Spring Boot experience in distributed, production-scale systems

• Experience with React and modern web application architecture

• Proven experience designing event-driven systems and large-scale streaming/data pipelines with Apache Kafka

• Strong understanding of cloud data warehousing and practical Snowflake experience

• Demonstrated success architecting and operating third-party API/platform integrations

• Strong understanding of CI/CD, automated testing, deployment strategies, and production operations

• SaaS experience including multi-tenancy, security, availability, scalability, and serviceability

• Lead through technical influence and collaborate across organizational boundaries

• Excellent communication, decision-making, and technical documentation

• Ability to attend an in-person interview in Reading, PA

Benefits

Not specified in the posting.