Software Architect (Contractor) – Composable Commerce & Event-Driven Design

Cobbleweb - The Online Marketplace Experts; Johannesburg; Remote; ZAR 500 000 - 600 000; Part time

Job summary

A leading online marketplace company in Johannesburg is looking for a Software Architect contractor. This role focuses on shaping a modular and event-driven architecture for a marketplace framework. Responsibilities include auditing module isolation, enhancing flexibility in the platform, and supporting developers in extending features. A strong background in composable architecture and Node.js is essential. The position offers flexibility in hours and is remote compatible.

Qualifications

• Strong expertise in composable modular architecture.
• Experience with event-driven design.
• Mid-Senior level of seniority.

Responsibilities

• Audit and strengthen module isolation.
• Push toward a stronger event-driven architecture.
• Lay the foundation for customization.
• Make the platform easier to scale and maintain.

Skills

Composable modular architecture

Event-driven design

Node.js (TypeScript)

Fastify

Apollo

Tools

PostgreSQL

Redis

Next.js

React

Job description

Overview

We're looking for a Software Architect contractor with strong expertise in composable modular architecture and event-driven design to support the next evolution of Sharewise – our marketplace framework that helps entrepreneurs and small businesses launch world-class platforms faster.

This isn't a "keep the lights on" role.

You'll be shaping the backbone of a framework designed to democratise marketplace creation and empower communities.

Sharewise is built on 12+ years of CobbleWeb's experience delivering high-performance marketplaces, and we're now evolving it into a platform that is modular, event-driven, and future-ready.

Responsibilities

• Audit and strengthen module isolation (reduce hidden coupling).
• Push toward a stronger event-driven architecture (pub/sub over direct calls).
• Lay the foundation for customisation: moving from fragile inheritance overrides toward clear extension hooks, composition patterns, and well-documented integration points to enable developers to adapt and extend features without breaking core stability.
• Make the platform easier to scale, extend, and maintain for both internal teams and external developers.

Stack

Backend & Core: Node.js (TypeScript) – Fastify for REST, Apollo for GraphQL, TypeORM, Redis, PostgreSQL

Side dependencies: chalk, chokidar, commander, winston, class-transformer, class-validator

Frontend: Next.js v15 & React v19

Seniority level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

Contractor (remote, part‑time, flexible hours)