Staff Architect II, Software Architecture

Bain & Company; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 165,000 - 198,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Bain & Company is seeking a Staff Architect II for its NextGen Software Solutions (NGSS) team in Illinois. You will lead software teams, shape technical direction, and ensure scalable, reliable products while balancing delivery speed and maintainability.

Responsibilities include architectural governance across multiple products, AI-enabled system design, and mentoring engineers. Expect collaboration with vendors and internal stakeholders in a fast-paced Agile environment.

Qualifications

• Associate's/Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and architectural direction to internal and external development teams on design, development, and deployment of scalable software.
• Participate in system coding and engineering alongside development teams, including code reviews and feedback on structure, maintainability and quality.
• Produce and maintain technical designs, architecture artifacts, and best practices for technical audiences.
• Engage in architectural leadership across multiple products and adapt to different tech stacks.
• Guide external vendors and internal teams to align with engineering standards and long-term direction.
• Drive responsible use of AI throughout the SDLC and design of AI-enabled systems.
• Support recruitment activities (resume scanning, interviews).

Skills

Python

AI/ML

Kubernetes

Docker

Java

C#/.NET

Node.js

React.js

Angular.js

Big Data

NoSQL

OLAP/OLTP

Education

Assoc/Bach degree or equivalent

Tools

Kubernetes

Docker

SQL

Job description

We are proud to be consistently recognized as one of the world’s best places to work. We are currently the top ranked consulting firm onGlassdoor’s Best Places to Work list and have earned the #1 overall spot a record seven times. Extraordinary teams are at the heart of our business strategy, but these don’t happen by chance. They require intentional focus on bringing together a broad set of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perspectives, and skills in a supportive and inclusive work environment. We hire people with exceptional talent and create an environment in which every individual can thrive professionally and personally.

WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

You’ll join Bain’sNextGen Software Solutions (NGSS) team, where we build and support software products that help power the firm’s work. You will partner closely with software engineers, architects, and business stakeholders to shape technical direction, guide delivery, and ensure our products are scalable, reliable, and high quality.

WHERE YOU’LL FIT WITHIN THE TEAM

As a Staff Architect II on Bain’s Next Generation Software Solutions (NGSS) team, you will lead software teams in the development and ongoing support and maintenance of Bain software products. Working under very minimal supervision, you will play a key role in supporting the execution and delivery of complex and strategic technical initiatives.

Your responsibilities span technical leadership and hands-on engineering, including understanding business requirements, writing technical requirements and documentation, leading on technical designs, executing coding tasks independently, performing code reviews for the team, and ensuring high-quality output and deliverables.

A critical part of this role is providing architectural leadership across multiple software products and influencing internal and external engineering teams. You will help ensure that vendor-led development aligns with Bain's engineering standards, technical direction, and long-term architectural requirements. This requires the ability to challenge technical decisions, influence teams, and drive accountability for engineering quality and delivery.

You will also be involved in support and operations, working to identify system defects, taking part in Level 1/2 troubleshooting, leading code deployments, and mentoring/training junior engineers.

You will bring a forward-looking perspective to architectural decisions, balancing delivery speed, engineering quality, maintainability, and the long-term consequences of technical choices. As software development continues to evolve through AI, you will also apply technical judgment to AI-assisted development and the design of AI-enabled systems.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Architecture and Technical Governance (80%)

• P rovide technical leadership, governance and architectural direction to internal and external development teams on the design, development, implementation, and deployment of highly usable and scalable software
• Participate in system coding and engineering alongside development teams, including performing formal code reviews and providing feedback on the structure, maintainability and quality of code
• Produce, communicate and maintain technical designs, architecture artifacts, best practice, and principles for technical and executive-level audiences
• Provide architectural leadership and technical governance across multiple software products, adapting to different technology stacks and engineering environments
• Influence and guide external vendors and internal engineering teams to ensure technical decisions, development practices, and deliverables align with Bain's engineering standards and long-term architectural direction
• Challenge technical approaches where necessary, driving alignment and accountability across teams to ensure engineering quality, delivery speed, and sustainable technical outcomes
• Evaluate architectural decisions with consideration for long-term maintainability, technical debt, scalability, and engineering quality
• Guide the responsible use of AI throughout the software development lifecycle, including AI-assisted development, code quality, and the design of AI-enabled and agentic systems
• Drive innovation through out-of-the-box thinking to solve critical business challenges and demands
• Participate in technical discovery, POCs, and innovation work streams to validate new tools, technologies, and designs
• Investigate and keep up-to-date on emerging and cutting-edge data technologies and trends, lead knowledge sharing
• Support team in recruiting activities (resume scanning, interviews, etc.)

ABOUT YOU

Education

• Associate's/Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience

Experience

8-10+ years of the following:

• Software/data architecture and engineering experience, with proven experience serving in a senior-level technology leadership role, including:
• Architecting, developing, and operationalizing highly scalable cloud-based B2B software products and services
• Leading, mentoring and growing multiple teams, working on multiple products, services and or projects
• Leading, mentoring, and inspiring development teams in a fast-paced Agile environment
• Developing software products and solutions
• Managing a team of engineers and providing technical leadership
• Managing conflict and dependencies to deliver results
• Demonstrated experience influencing internal and external engineering teams, including guiding vendor-led development and driving alignment on technical standards, architectural decisions, and delivery expectations
• Experience owning architectural decisions over the long term, including designing, maintaining, and evolving software systems while managing technical debt and ensuring sustainable engineering quality
• Experience working across multiple software products, projects, and technology stacks, with the ability to adapt technical approaches to different engineering environments
• Experience working in software product engineering environments with a focus on development speed, engineering rigor, maintainability, and long-term product quality
• Practical experience with AI-assisted software development and the design or development of AI-enabled architectures, including agentic systems and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong technical understanding of Python and familiarity with agentic systems, including their architecture, development, and practical applications
• Understanding of AI-enabled software development lifecycles, including the use of AI in requirements development, coding, code review, and software engineering workflows
• Ability to balance immediate delivery requirements with long-term architectural considerations, ensuring technical decisions support scalability, maintainability, and engineering quality
• Strong experience and understanding of a numbe r of the following: .NET Core/C#, Java (spring), Python, Kubernetes/Docker, micro-services, Node.js, React.js, Angular.js, Big Data (e.g. Spark, RedShift, Kafka), AI/ ML, NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra, DynamoDB, Cosmos DB), OLAP and OLTP relational databases
• Strong communication and presentation skills, documenting complex data flows and processes
• Results driven, analytical and creative thinker, self-motivated and proactive
• Results focused, keeping an eye on the overall outcome and desired impact
• Strong interpersonal skills, able to interface across many areas and levels of Bain
• Entrepreneurial spirit, willingness to think outside the box to try new things
• Demonstrated knowledge of Agile software development and processes
• Strong performance in prior software development positions
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated ability to manage communication among varied project stakeholders within the project and external vendors

U.S. COMPENSATION INFORMATION

Compensation for this role includes base salary, annual discretionary performance bonus, 401(k) plan with an annual employer contribution based on years of service and Bain’s best in class benefits package (details listed below).

Some local governments in the United States require a good-faith, reasonable salary range to be included in job postings for open roles.

The estimated annualized compensation for this role is as follows:

• In Illinois, the good-faith, reasonable annualized full-time salary range for this role is between $164,500 - $197,500
• Annual discretionary performance bonus
• This role may also be eligible for other elements of discretionary compensation
• 4.5% 401(k) company contribution, which increases after 3 years of service and is 100% vested upon start date

Bain & Company's comprehensive benefits and wellness program is designed to help employees achieve personal independence, protection and stability in the areas most important to you and your family.

• Bain pays 100% individual employee premiums for medical, dental and vision programs, offering one of the most comprehensive medical plans for employees without impacting your paycheck
• Generous paid time off, including parental leave, sick leave and paid holidays
• Fully vested 401(k) company contribution
• Paid Life and Long-Term Disability insurance