Solutions Architect

CEC Entertainment; Irving (TX); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

CEC Entertainment is seeking a Solution Architect to design, build and guide the evolution of digital and store platforms. The role blends hands-on software development (Java/Spring Boot, C# .NET) with architecture leadership, focusing on POS, loyalty, guest-facing and enterprise integration domains in Microsoft Azure.

The candidate will prototype architectural approaches, lead technical product management, and collaborate with stakeholders to define requirements, KPIs and roadmaps.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Computer Engineering or similar degree.
• 10+ years of professional software engineering including 2+ years of solution architecture experience, with significant hands-on development in Java/Spring Boot, C# and the .NET ecosystem.
• 5+ years designing and delivering solutions on Microsoft Azure: App Service or Azure Functions, API Management, Key Vault, Storage, Azure SQL, messaging (Service Bus/Event Grid), Application Insights, and Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions CI/CD
• Proven retail industry experience in areas such as POS, e-commerce, omnichannel, order management, loyalty, inventory or store systems
• Expertise in microservices, REST and event-driven architecture, API design (authentication with OAuth 2.0 / JWT, versioning, resilience patterns, OpenAPI documentation) and system integration
• Demonstrated ability to translate ambiguous business needs into clear requirements and architecture, and experience acting as, or working closely with, a product owner or product manager
• Working knowledge of SQL Server / Azure SQL and NoSQL data platforms, and of secure coding practices for environments handling payment card and guest data (PCI DSS awareness; secrets never in code or logs; TLS in transit, encryption at rest)
• Experience in a fast-paced Agile / Scrum, continuous-integration environment using Jira, Confluence and Git-based workflows (GitHub)
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in and help lead high-performing, globally distributed development teams
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to present to both executives and engineers, and the ability to build relationships acro

Responsibilities

• Back-end APIs and Azure services (hands-on). Design, develop, deploy and operate Java/Spring Boot and C# .NET REST APIs, Azure Functions and background services in Microsoft Azure using App Service, API Management, Key Vault, Storage, Service Bus/Event Grid, Azure SQL and Application Insights; own infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD pipelines for the services you build.
• Microservices and integrations (hands-on). Build and maintain REST and event-driven integrations with third-party platforms and vendors - NCR Voyix, FreedomPay, Affi
• Proofs of concept and engineering quality (hands-on). Build proofs of concept to validate architectural approaches before full-scale delivery; lead code reviews and establish and enforce best practices for secure, scalable, resilient and efficient software.
• Production support (hands-on). Provide tier-3 support for critical POS and API incidents, perform root-cause analysis, and drive permanent fixes into the backlog.
• Business requirements and solution design. Work with business, operations, marketing and store stakeholders to turn business needs into clear technical requirements and solution designs; document and communicate them through solution designs, integration and data-flow diagrams, and architecture decision records.
• Enterprise architecture and governance. Own the architecture for assigned platforms and align it with enterprise architecture principles and the cloud roadmap.
• Delivery and outcomes. Define and track product and technical KPIs such as availability, latency, adoption and conversion; coordinate engineering, QA, DevOps, vendors and business teams to deliver on time.
• Collaboration and communication. Communicate technical options, risks and trade-offs clearly to executives, business stakeholders and engineers; mentor engineers and promote reusable patterns and standards across teams.

Skills

Java/Spring Boot

C#/.NET

Azure

REST APIs

Microservices

Agile/Scrum

Leadership/mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / related field

Tools

Azure DevOps

GitHub Actions CI/CD

API Management

Service Bus/Event Grid

SQL Server/Azure SQL

Job description

Job Description

At CEC Entertainment, we build careers around great food, family, and fun! Our purpose and our passion is to create the best place for kids and families to eat and play!

The Solution Architect is responsible for designing, building and guiding the evolution of business-critical digital and store platforms for CEC Entertainment. The role is a hybrid of hands-on engineering and architecture leadership, split roughly 50% hands-on software development and 50% architecture and technical product management. The Solution Architect translates business requirements into scalable solutions, writes production-quality code and acts as the technical product manager for assigned platforms across point-of-sale, loyalty, guest-facing and enterprise integration domains. Deep retail experience and a strong command of Microsoft Azure and its services are essential.

Role Split:

• Hands-on engineering (~50%). Design, build and review microservice/API, integration and Azure cloud solutions; prototype architectural approaches; resolve complex technical issues; and set engineering standards.
• Business requirements, architecture and technical product management (~50%). Partner with business stakeholders to define requirements and own the solution architecture.

Major Responsibilities:

• Back-end APIs and Azure services (hands-on). Design, develop, deploy and operate Java/Spring Boot and C# .NET REST APIs, Azure Functions and background services in Microsoft Azure using App Service, API Management, Key Vault, Storage, Service Bus/Event Grid, Azure SQL and Application Insights; own infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD pipelines for the services you build.
• Microservices and integrations (hands-on). Build and maintain REST and event-driven integrations with third-party platforms and vendors - NCR Voyix, FreedomPay, Affi
• Proofs of concept and engineering quality (hands-on). Build proofs of concept to validate architectural approaches before full-scale delivery; lead code reviews and establish and enforce best practices for secure, scalable, resilient and efficient software.
• Production support (hands-on). Provide tier-3 support for critical POS and API incidents, perform root-cause analysis, and drive permanent fixes into the backlog.
• Business requirements and solution design. Work with business, operations, marketing and store stakeholders to turn business needs into clear technical requirements and solution designs; document and communicate them through solution designs, integration and data-flow diagrams, and architecture decision records.
• Enterprise architecture and governance. Own the architecture for assigned platforms and align it with enterprise architecture principles and the cloud roadmap.
• Delivery and outcomes. Define and track product and technical KPIs such as availability, latency, adoption and conversion; coordinate engineering, QA, DevOps, vendors and business teams to deliver on time.
• Collaboration and communication. Communicate technical options, risks and trade-offs clearly to executives, business stakeholders and engineers; mentor engineers and promote reusable patterns and standards across teams.

Qualifications: Required

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Computer Engineering or similar degree
• 10+ years of professional software engineering including 2+ years of solution architecture experience, with significant hands-on development in Java/Spring Boot, C# and the .NET ecosystem
• 5+ years designing and delivering solutions on Microsoft Azure: App Service or Azure Functions, API Management, Key Vault, Storage, Azure SQL, messaging (Service Bus/Event Grid), Application Insights, and Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions CI/CD
• Proven retail industry experience in areas such as POS, e-commerce, omnichannel, order management, loyalty, inventory or store systems
• Expertise in microservices, REST and event-driven architecture, API design (authentication with OAuth 2.0 / JWT, versioning, resilience patterns, OpenAPI documentation) and system integration
• Demonstrated ability to translate ambiguous business needs into clear requirements and architecture, and experience acting as, or working closely with, a product owner or product manager
• Working knowledge of SQL Server / Azure SQL and NoSQL data platforms, and of secure coding practices for environments handling payment card and guest data (PCI DSS awareness; secrets never in code or logs; TLS in transit, encryption at rest)
• Experience in a fast-paced Agile / Scrum, continuous-integration environment using Jira, Confluence and Git-based workflows (GitHub)
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in and help lead high-performing, globally distributed development teams
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to present to both executives and engineers, and the ability to build relationships acro