Chief Software Architect

Quick Facts

• Ultra-senior individual contributor role (no direct reports)
• Own modernization strategy and full-spectrum technical architecture
• Hybrid work: at least 2 days/week in-office (Karlín)

Description

Own the technical depth and architectural future of a large collaboration platform while the product continues shipping. Lead modernization of a 25-year legacy with a clear, evidence-based roadmap—either by systematic untangling of technical debt or a strategic rewrite—and raise engineering standards across teams. Drive adoption of technologies that solve real scalability problems, including practical AI integration, with a focus on long-term stability.

Role Description

• Lead modernization strategy to reduce technical debt while maintaining delivery
• Own full-spectrum architecture: backend first, plus frontend, mobile, and infrastructure/DevOps
• Raise engineering bar through design challenges, quality standards, and proof-based alignment (e.g., Architecture Decision Records)
• Drive strategic innovation by introducing new technologies that address scalability needs

Responsibilities

• Assess legacy state and set overarching technical direction
• Define and guide the roadmap
• Enable teams to ship faster by improving platform fitness
• Make architecture decisions that stand up over time

Requirements

• Demonstrated architectural ownership and leadership at a CTO/principal engineer/chief architect level
• Ability to think in trade-offs and base decisions on evidence
• Strong OOP and design skills; able to read and understand Delphi/Pascal and plan the transition to modern successors
• Broad understanding across backend, frontend, mobile, and DevOps/infrastructure to assess second-order effects
• Proven ability to raise engineering standards via architectural standards, prototypes, and ADRs
• Experience integrating AI into engineering workflows for code comprehension, refactoring, and automated testing while ensuring system safety
• Czech or Slovak plus English proficiency (team day-to-day in Czech/Slovak; documentation in English)

Benefits

• Rare technical mandate with leadership’s ear and no committee in between
• Hard, high-impact modernization of a platform used by tens of millions
• Freedom to propose new ideas and ship them quickly
• Hybrid schedule with flexible hours
• 20 days vacation (+4 via KPI system) and 5 personal days
• Daily snacks and office-paid lunches twice a week