Principal Software Architect

IONNA; United States; Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401(K)

Paid holidays

Job summary

A company in the EV sector is looking for a Principal Software Architect to lead the technical architecture of its EV charging platform. The role requires extensive experience in backend systems, microservices, and cloud technologies. Candidates should have a strong coding background and a track record of delivering high-quality software solutions. This position offers a base salary range of $130k to $140k, with a hybrid work model based in Durham, NC. The company values inclusivity and is committed to equitable compensation practices.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of software engineering experience with 3 years in architecture/technical leadership.
• Deep experience designing and building distributed backend systems.
• Strong coding expertise in modern backend stacks.

Responsibilities

• Architect and build platform services for charger to cloud communication.
• Own standards-based integrations in charging protocols.
• Absorb software execution responsibilities from Product.

Skills

Backend system design

Microservices architecture

API design

Cloud orchestration

Test automation

Performance engineering

Production observability

Security standards compliance

Education

BS in Computer Science or related discipline

Tools

Java

Spring

AWS

Kubernetes

Job description

Reports to: Director of Software Development

Location: Position requires a full-time presence in Durham, NC (Hybrid)

Base Salary Range: $130 - 140k

Please note: We are only able to consider candidates who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents (green card holders) and who do not require current or future visa sponsorship of any sort.

Job Summary

We are seeking a hands on Principal Software Architect (Architect, Charging platforms, & payments) to own the technical architecture and implementation of our EV charging platform capabilities, with emphasis on standards based interoperability (OCPP/OCPI/ISO 15118), authentication/payment-adjacent flows, and the software execution required for customer programs (e.g., loyalty/rewards and subscription like experiences).

This is a senior individual contributor role with deep accountability for system design and delivery. The role partners closely with Product leadership but is firmly within Software, focused on building, integrating, testing, and operating production-grade systems at scale (including reliability, observability, and automated quality controls).

Key Responsibilities

1) Architect and Build Core Platform Services (hands-on)

• Design and implement scalable backend services for charger to cloud communication, charging session lifecycle, pricing/entitlements enforcement, and integrations.
• Drive architecture patterns such as microservices, event-driven workflows, and domain-aligned service boundaries (e.g., payments/pricing, security, charging sessions, subscriptions/entitlements).

2) Own Standards-Based Integrations (Charging Protocols & Roaming)

• Lead protocol-facing services and integrations aligned to industry standards used in EV charging ecosystems, including:
• OCPI roaming/data exchange and command flows
• ISO 15118 (Plug & Charge) authentication enablement and conformance considerations

3) Absorb Execution Responsibilities Previously Held in Product (Software-led delivery)

This role will absorb the software execution portions of the eliminated PO scope—specifically, the build/test/operate responsibilities required to deliver customer program functionality:

• Implement and maintain program logic and system components for loyalty/rewards, entitlements, eligibility, and customer-facing charging program behaviors (including integration points into charging session flows).
• Build robust testing harnesses and release gates to ensure “program” features ship with high quality and measurable performance.
• Partner with Product for intent and outcomes, but own the software-level execution end-to-end (architecture → implementation → validation → rollout).

4) Authentication & Access Mechanisms (RFID / Plug & Charge / Auto‑Charge)

• Implement and harden authentication flows and device/service interactions for:
• RFID-based access support (where enabled)
• Plug & Charge via ISO 15118 (certificate-based auth patterns)
• Ensure feature alignment with roaming partner expectations and product readiness constraints reflected in partner agreements (e.g., optional RFID, future Plug & Charge enablement).

5) Reliability Engineering & Offline Behavior

• Build platform resilience features such as offline/poor-connectivity behavior, message caching, and reconciliation patterns that support session continuity and eventual settlement. (Examples of required behaviors appear in EVSE integration expectations such as storing OCPP messages and settling transactions after reconnection) .

6) Quality Engineering Partnership & Automated Testing

• Partner with QA/Quality teams to define and implement:
• Test catalogs that cover frequent and rare conditions (edge cases), including offline scenarios and payment terminal integrations
• Embed automated quality gates and secure SDLC practices (e.g., coverage thresholds, code quality scanning, dependency/security scanning, and runtime observability patterns), consistent with modern platform engineering best practices.

7) Observability, Incident Response, and Operational Excellence

• Implement production observability, performance monitoring, and reliability improvements; participate in incident response and root cause analysis; drive corrective actions through to production.

Key Interfaces (Cross-Functional)

• Software Engineering (services, platform, integration)
• Quality / Test teams (E2E validation, regression, release readiness)
• Hardware/OEM/EVSE integration stakeholders where software requirements interface with EVSE compliance (e.g., OCPP, ISO 15118 conformance expectations)
• Product leadership (outcomes and prioritization), while software owns implementation execution (this is a key structural distinction)

Required Qualifications

• BS in Computer Science, or a related discipline, and a minimum of 10 years software engineering experience with at least 3 years in an architecture/technical leadership capacity.
• Deep experience designing and building distributed backend systems (microservices and/or event-driven architectures).
• Strong coding expertise in modern backend stacks (e.g., Java/Spring ecosystems) and API design.
• Cloud and container orchestration experience (e.g., AWS, Kubernetes, CI/CD).
• Demonstrated strength in test automation, quality gates, performance engineering, and production observability.
• EV charging domain experience and familiarity with OCPP, OCPI, ISO 15118.

Preferred Qualifications

• EV charging domain experience and familiarity with OCPP, OCPI, ISO 15118.
• Experience with authentication/access flows in charging contexts (RFID, Plug & Charge) and roaming partner command flows.
• Experience integrating hardware + software ecosystems, including payment terminal integration testing and offline operation scenarios.

What Success Looks Like (Outcomes)

• Standards-compatible integrations ship reliably (protocol compliance and stability improvements).
• Customer program capabilities (loyalty/entitlements/subscription-like behaviors) are delivered through software with measurable quality, test coverage, and operational readiness.
• Reduced incident rates and faster detection/mitigation through improved observability and resilience.

IONNA is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices through a competitive base salary, as well as offering bonus programs, comprehensive benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, 401(K), and paid holidays. Actual base salaries are based on several factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, experience, certifications, and specific work location.

We are committed to an inclusive and diverse team. IONNA is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status, or any legally protected status.