Associate Director Staff Engineer (GraphQL, Java, Kotlin, Nodejs)

1. Architecture Design & Domain-Aligned Solutions * Define and evolve scalable, resilient architectures for communication platforms supporting customer engagement (voice, messaging, digital channels) * Design solutions aligned to industry-specific requirements: + Financial Services: security, compliance, auditability + Communications: real-time processing, high availability + MarTech: personalization, event-driven engagement * Ensure alignment with enterprise target-state architecture and platform strategy

2. Hands-on Engineering ( 50%) * Design and implement backend services, APIs, and integration layers * Build and deploy applications using containerized environments and Kubernetes orchestration * Develop production-grade code, prototypes, and reference implementations

3. API, Data & Integration Architecture * Architect API-first ecosystems, including GraphQL and RESTful services * Design event-driven and streaming architectures to support real-time communication and marketing workflows * Integrate with enterprise platforms such as: + CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) + Contact center / CPaaS platforms + Marketing automation and customer data platforms

4. Cross-functional Leadership & Influence * Collaborate with engineering, product, and enterprise architecture teams to ensure solution alignment and execution * Act as a thought partner, introducing innovative approaches and improving system design quality * Influence decisions across teams without formal authority

5. Standards, Governance & Continuous Improvement * Establish and enforce architecture standards, reusable patterns, and engineering guardrails * Drive simplification, scalability, and reduction of technical debt * Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend pragmatic adoption aligned to business value

Technical Skills

• Strong expertise in backend architecture and distributed systems design
• Hands-on experience with:
• Kubernetes and containerization (Docker, orchestration patterns)
• GraphQL and modern API architectures (REST, event-driven systems)
• Microservices and cloud-native platforms
• Observability: Distributed tracing (X-Ray/OpenTelemetry), structured logging, metrics/alerting pipelines.
• Messaging & Orchestration: SQS/EventBridge or equivalents (Pub/Sub, Service Bus); DLQs; workflow engines.
• CI/CD: Automated pipelines with tools including Github Actions, Jenkins or equivalent experience
• Experience building or supporting real-time or high-throughput systems
• Proficiency in backend technologies (e.g., Java, Kotlin, Node.js, Go, or similar)
• Bachelor’s Degree in Information systems, Computer Science or a related field.

Domain Experience (Preferred)

Candidates should have experience in one or more of the following:

• Financial Services
• Secure, compliant systems (PII, PCI, regulatory constraints)
• Transactional platforms (payments, lending, servicing)
• Communications / MarTech / Contact Center
• Low-latency, high-availability distributed systems
• Personalization engines, campaign orchestration
• Voice, messaging, IVR, or omnichannel engagement platforms

Architecture & Engineering Capabilities

• Ability to operate across strategic architecture and hands-on implementation
• Strong grounding in:
• scalability, resiliency, and performance engineering
• API lifecycle and governance
• system integration and orchestration patterns
• Experience aligning solutions to enterprise target-state architecture

Personal Attributes

• Self-starter: Proactively drives outcomes with minimal oversight
• Thought provocateur: Challenges existing paradigms and elevates architectural thinking
• Collaborative: Builds alignment across engineering, product, and architecture teams
• Pragmatic: Balances long-term vision with near-term delivery needs
• Influential communicator: Clearly conveys complex technical concepts to varied stakeholders