Vice President, Application Architecture

Harbourvest Partners (U.K.) Limited; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 225,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote workdays

Comprehensive benefits package

Discretionary annual bonus

Job summary

Harbourvest Partners (U.K.) Limited is looking for a Vice President of Application Architecture to provide enterprise-level technical leadership within the Platform Engineering team. This hybrid role includes setting the technical direction for architecture while leading modernization initiatives.

The successful candidate will have over 15 years of experience in enterprise architecture with strong skills in microservices, cloud-native architecture in Azure, and DevOps principles. The position offers an attractive salary range and additional benefits.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in enterprise architecture, software engineering, and technology modernization.
• Expertise in microservices and event-driven design patterns.
• Hands-on knowledge of cloud-native architecture in Azure.

Responsibilities

• Set technical direction for enterprise and platform architecture.
• Define target-state architectural vision and establish standards.
• Lead modernization projects for legacy applications.

Skills

Enterprise architecture strategy

Microservices

Cloud-native architecture in Azure

DevOps principles

Strong communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in a technology-related field

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Angular

React

Node.js

Kafka

Redis

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking a Vice President of Application Architecture to join our Platform Engineering team and provide enterprise‑level technical leadership across Enterprise Architecture and Platform Engineering. This role defines a cohesive platform architecture, sets long‑term technical direction, and leads modernization efforts across the firm to enable scale, agility, resilience, and growth.

Work Arrangement

This position is a hybrid role, offering 18 remote workdays per quarter at the employee’s discretion, subject to manager approval.

Responsibilities

• Set the technical direction for enterprise and platform architecture within the organization.
• Define the target‑state architectural vision and establish standards, patterns, and reference architectures for modernization.
• Evolve a unified platform architecture that spans application development, integration, cloud infrastructure, shared services, and enterprise engineering capabilities.
• Create enterprise architecture principles, modernization roadmaps, and alignment with business growth objectives.
• Guide architecture decisions across product, platform, and enterprise initiatives to ensure solutions are scalable, secure, interoperable, and aligned to long‑term strategy.
• Lead modernization projects that transition legacy applications toward modern architectures such as microservices, event‑driven systems, and micro‑frontend‑based user experiences.
• Establish architecture patterns and guardrails for cloud‑native engineering, DevOps practices, integration, observability, resilience, and secure software delivery.
• Drive standardization and reuse by defining shared frameworks, common services, and architectural building blocks that reduce redundancy and complexity.
• Partner with application, platform, data, security, and infrastructure teams to consider operational, regulatory, performance, and supportability requirements.
• Provide hands‑on technical mentorship for modern web system development involving Angular, React, TypeScript, Node.js, and API‑based service layers.
• Define standard methodologies for distributed system architecture, including messaging, caching, data access, and domain decomposition using platforms such as Kafka and Redis.
• Evaluate new technologies, frameworks, and architectural approaches, providing pragmatic recommendations that advance the organization’s technology strategy without unnecessary complexity.
• Influence governance and engineering review processes to improve architectural quality, reduce technical debt, and ensure consistent execution across initiatives.
• Mentor architects and senior engineers, elevate architectural thinking across teams, and foster a culture of engineering excellence, simplification, and continuous modernization.
• Support additional critical initiatives as needed.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in enterprise architecture, software engineering, cloud platforms, and large‑scale technology modernization.
• Strong proficiency in defining enterprise‑scale architecture strategy and influencing adoption across multiple teams and business domains.
• Expertise in microservices, micro‑frontend, event‑driven design patterns, and modern web application engineering.
• Hands‑on knowledge of cloud‑native architecture in Azure, including scalable application patterns, integration, identity, networking, observability, and resilience.
• Proven grasp of DevOps principles and software delivery practices: CI/CD, infrastructure automation, environment strategy, and release governance.
• Experience with distributed systems that use Redis for caching, Kafka for messaging, and robust data access layer patterns.
• Strong understanding of integration, interoperability, data flow, and domain boundaries across enterprise software and infrastructures.
• Outstanding communication skills, capable of translating architectural strategy and technical trade‑offs into clear recommendations for engineering leaders, executives, and non‑technical partners.
• Collaborative, influential leadership style with a demonstrated ability to support and develop architects and engineers, build alignment, and raise technical standards across the organization.

Nice to Have

• Experience with enterprise architecture frameworks and governance practices (e.g., TOGAF, capability modeling, architecture review processes, domain architecture methods).
• Experience with application portfolio modernization, platform rationalization, and defining transition states for legacy‑to‑modern architecture journeys.
• Familiarity with container platforms and orchestration technologies (e.g., Kubernetes, OpenShift).
• Experience with data architecture, analytics platforms, or integration ecosystems that support enterprise‑wide information flow and decision‑making.
• Bachelor’s degree in a technology‑related field, advanced degree preferred, or equivalent experience.

Benefits and Compensation

Base Salary Range: $225,000.00 – $240,000.00 (USD). The role is eligible for a discretionary annual bonus based on individual and firm performance. Additional total rewards may include long‑term reward programs and a comprehensive package covering retirement, health, insurance, paid time off, and wellness programs.

HarbourVest is an equal opportunity employer.