Application Architect

About the Company

In July 2019, Fourth and HotSchedules merged to establish the global leader in comprehensive restaurant and hospitality management technology solutions. This combined entity is the largest provider offering end-to-end SaaS solutions encompassing scheduling, time and attendance, applicant tracking, training, procurement, HR, benefits, and payroll services. Serving over 120,000 locations worldwide, their unified teams operate across offices in the US, UK, Bulgaria, China, Australia, and UAE.

Position Summary

The role of Application Architect entails leading the architecture of pivotal strategic initiatives within Fourth. As a hands-on architectural leader embedded in delivery teams, you will guide engineers in designing, developing, and refining scalable, maintainable, and resilient software solutions. You will implement and evolve the company's architecture standards and collaborate with cross-disciplinary architects to address complex technical issues, driving engineering excellence and leveraging AI-powered engineering methodologies.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver scalable, maintainable, secure application architectures aligned to Fourth's strategic directives.
• Provide hands-on leadership and architectural guidance within development teams, steering complex problem-solving and decision-making from concept through delivery.
• Contribute to evolving application architecture standards, design patterns, and engineering principles through practical experience.
• Document architectural designs, decision records, and technical materials to ensure clarity and sustainable solutions.
• Conduct architecture, design, and code reviews, ensuring alignment with architectural standards and offering constructive feedback.
• Collaborate effectively with business, product, engineering teams, and architects to convert requirements into pragmatic and high-quality technical solutions.
• Maintain ownership of architectural decisions balancing business goals, technical quality, operational factors, and system maintainability.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks, architectural debt, and improvement opportunities by partnering with engineering teams.
• Design and advance AI-assisted software engineering practices, tools, and pipelines to enhance safe, efficient, and consistent software delivery.
• Utilize AI-based development tools to prototype, validate, and implement architectural solutions and production-grade software when appropriate.
• Research and recommend new technologies, frameworks, and architectural methodologies to improve effectiveness and deliver business value.
• Advocate for AI and emerging technologies adoption to boost application functionality, productivity, and software quality.
• Mentor engineers and technical leads, and actively contribute to the ongoing enhancement of Fourth's architecture and engineering communities.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience

• Proven practical experience in application or software architecture and engineering.
• Strong expertise in application design patterns and architectural styles including microservices, event-driven, and layered architectures.
• Hands-on experience with modern application frameworks and technology stacks.
• Familiarity with API design, microservices, and distributed systems architecture.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills to articulate complex technical solutions.
• Ability to lead projects and manage teams effectively in fast-paced environments.
• Proficiency in several programming or scripting languages.
• Comprehensive understanding of the full software development lifecycle.
• Experience with cloud platforms, preferably Microsoft Azure, and related application services.
• Knowledge of AI tools and technologies and their utilization in software development to enhance automation and productivity.

Benefits

• Starting with 25 days of holiday, with potential to increase to 30 days with tenure, plus your birthday off and bank holidays.
• Flexible working arrangements including hybrid environments and adjusting working hours.
• Well-being programs including wellness activities, pampering, and discounted gym memberships.
• Provision of laptop and necessary equipment.
• Healthcare expense reimbursement tools.
• Support for professional growth through certifications.
• Annual company meet-ups fostering team connection.
• Enhanced parenting support schemes.
• Cycle to work schemes and season ticket loans available.
• Choice of pension and life insurance plans.
• Access to on-demand salary payment tools for early access to earnings.

Additional Information

All personal data collected during application is handled exclusively by Fourth LTD for recruitment purposes, with adherence to privacy policies. Fourth is committed to equal opportunity and does not discriminate on grounds of sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, age, national origin, military status, religion, disability, or any other protected category.