Principal Software Architect: Lead Cloud-Native Systems

Placements24; Gqeberha; Hybrid; ZAR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Executive compensation package with a)

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Retirement plan

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Placements24 in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, seeks a Principal Software Architect to define the architectural vision and technical roadmap for large-scale systems. You will design scalable, secure, and high-performance architectures and steer multiple engineering teams toward common goals.

This senior leadership role requires deep expertise in microservices, event-driven design, cloud-native technologies, and strong communication to translate business needs into technical solutions.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related discipline or equivalent extensive experience.
• 10+ years of software engineering experience with at least 5 years in a senior architect or principal engineer role.
• Proven ability to design and implement complex, distributed, and scalable software systems.
• Deep understanding of architectural styles (Microservices, Event-Driven Architecture, SOA).
• Proficiency in multiple programming languages (Java, C#, Python, functional programming).
• Extensive experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cloud-native technologies.
• Strong knowledge of SQL and NoSQL databases and data modeling.
• Excellent understanding of system security principles and practices.
• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the software architecture strategy and technical vision for enterprise-level applications.
• Design and document high-level software structures, components, and interfaces.
• Ensure architectures are scalable, reliable, secure, and performant.
• Provide technical leadership to software engineering teams throughout the lifecycle.
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies, frameworks, and architectural patterns.
• Collaborate with product management and stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Establish and enforce architectural standards, best practices, and coding guidelines.
• Conduct architectural reviews and provide mentorship to senior engineers.
• Identify and mitigate architectural risks and technical debt.
• Stay abreast of industry trends and emerging technologies in software architecture.
• Drive innovation and technical excellence within the engineering organization.

Skills

Java

C#

Python

Functional programming

Distributed systems

Education

Master's or PhD in Computer Science / Software Engineering or equivalent

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

SQL

NoSQL

Job description

Placements24 in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, seeks a Principal Software Architect to define the architectural vision and technical roadmap for large-scale systems. You will design scalable, secure, and high-performance architectures and steer multiple engineering teams toward common goals.

This senior leadership role requires deep expertise in microservices, event-driven design, cloud-native technologies, and strong communication to translate business needs into technical solutions.