Staff Software Engineer (Solutions Architect)

Quick Facts

• Role: Staff Software Engineer (Solutions Architect)

• Focus: Hands-on technical leadership and end-to-end architecture ownership for a system or customer journey step

Description

Solutions Architects form a guild that provides end-to-end architectural coverage across systems and customer journey steps. You own a defined slice—either a system (e.g., search, booking, payments) or a journey step (e.g., checkout, post-booking)—and act as the named technical authority. This hands-on role sets architectural direction, documents decisions with rationale, and ensures adoption in practice.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end architecture of an assigned system or journey step (current-state assessment, target architecture, costed sequenced roadmap)

• Maintain living architectural documentation: C4 models (L1/L2), Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), ERDs, and sequence diagrams

• Serve as decision authority on the Architecture Board: assess proposals, drive proactive decisions, resolve cross-slice conflicts, and escalate material cost/strategic impact

• Lead vendor and technology evaluations; recommend or block technology choices with documented rationale; escalate major changes (e.g., new language, cloud provider, DB engine, or TCO > €50k over 3 years)

• Use AI as a default design ingredient: evaluate where AI patterns create leverage, drive adoption, maintain an inventory of AI components and risk profiles, and converge on sanctioned patterns and guardrails

• Engage product/commercial/operations stakeholders to translate business intent into technical requirements and trade-off frames (design for outcomes)

• Enforce engineering standards within the slice (API design, observability, security baselines, data handling, AI usage); act as DRI for at least one standard and contribute reusable patterns/golden paths

• Define SLIs and SLOs, review breach trends, and partner with Engineering Managers on quarterly reliability improvement goals

• Coordinate with adjacent architects to remove seams, duplication, and integration debt; pair by default on cross-slice initiatives

• Teach architectural patterns, engineering standards, and AI guidelines and measure adoption

• Provide technology/design input to Engineering Managers and teams; does not own delivery timelines, headcount, sprint planning, or on-call rotations

Requirements

• 8+ years hands-on software engineering experience, including 3+ years in architecture or principal engineering across multiple teams/systems

• Hands-on experience evolving legacy software at scale (refactoring, performance optimization, phased re-architecture)

• Track record owning end-to-end architecture for cross-cutting/platform domains

• Deep distributed systems experience at scale: service boundaries, integration patterns, event-driven architectures, and API design

• Ability to produce and maintain living architecture documentation and hold others to the same standard

• Experience defining and enforcing engineering standards with measurable adoption outcomes

• Ability to engage non-technical stakeholders and translate business intent into technical requirements and trade-offs

• Strong communication and influencing skills to drive architectural decisions without direct line authority

• Comfort working in a governed multi-team environment (Architecture Boards, escalation paths, ADR practices)

• Familiarity with modern frontend architecture patterns: React, SSR, Next.js, BFF

Benefits

• Remote working model with expectation to work from the office at least once per quarter

• Professional development opportunities aligned to business needs and career goals

• Benefits cafeteria platform (e.g., life insurance, sports card, lunch and shopping vouchers)

• International environment

• Access to Audioteka and Pilot WP

• AI-powered tools and openness to innovation

• Discounts on products for you and your family/friends

• Comfortable offices in Gdańsk, Warsaw, and Wrocław with a friendly, informal atmosphere

• Option to join international educational trips

• Culture of trust, open communication, feedback, and appreciation

• Team ethos: Explore, Engage, Enjoy