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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Solution Architect - **Company:** Clockworks - **Location:** Rotterdam, Netherlands - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Microsoft Azure, Cloud Engineering, Cyber Security, Computer Programming, Data Infrastructure, DevOps, Python (Programming Language), Machine Learning, Zero Trust Network Access, Software Engineering, Data Streaming, Pulumi, Kubernetes, Production Code, Api Design, Terraform, Data Pipelines, Serverless Computing, Microservices - **Published:** September 29, 2026 - **Apply:** https://startup.jobs/solution-architect-clockworks-10212550 ## About the Role This is a senior role by definition: not the next step after senior engineer, but a distinct profile. You have: * 8+ years of software engineering experience, including several years designing and owning the architecture of systems that run in production. * Deep, breadth-first knowledge of architecture patterns (microservices, event-driven, serverless), cloud-native architecture (Azure preferred), Kubernetes and infrastructure-as-code such as Terraform or Pulumi, and the judgment to know which of these a specific problem actually needs. * A solid grasp of security architecture (zero-trust, data protection, GDPR, ideally ISO 27001) and of API design, integration patterns and data platform architecture, especially with systems that were never designed with AI in mind. * Strong programming skills in at least one modern language (most of our work is in Python) and the wish to keep using them: a substantial part of your week is building, and you want it that way. * The ability to explain complex trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders, to hold your ground constructively when your view contradicts what a team has already committed to, and to know when to hold a standard and when to accept a compromise, with its cost made explicit. It would be great if you also have experience architecting systems around machine learning or computer vision models (cloud and edge), with event streaming or high-volume data pipelines, with AI coding agents and an opinion on how they change the way teams build, or with working across several clients and codebases at a consultancy or agency. Fluent professional English is required; Dutch helps in client conversations. ## Description If the AI is the brain of a solution, our software engineers build the body around it. As Solution Architect you decide what that body looks like before a line of it is written, and then you help write it. You define how a vague AI idea becomes a system that meets real requirements for performance, scalability, security and maintainability, how it fits into whatever the client already has running, and you build the parts that matter most yourself. You are one of two architects and you sit across everything we build: client projects, products such as Blicker, and ClockworksOS underneath them. You see architectural risk before anyone else does and say so, whether to a junior engineer, a client CTO or Clockworks leadership; when a project's technical direction is contested, you cut through the noise with a clear, defensible recommendation. This is a coding architect role, not a slide-deck one. You combine everything a senior software engineer does, writing production code, reviewing pull requests, setting up infrastructure, with designing systems before implementation starts and reviewing all Clockworks solutions from an SE, DevOps and security perspective. At a team of our size there is no room for an architect who only draws boxes: the credibility of your designs comes from the fact that you can, and do, implement them. What you'll work on * Build production code on the critical parts of our systems, from ClockworksOS platform components to the integration layer of a client project, so your architectural judgment stays grounded in what it takes to implement it. * Design scalable, secure and maintainable architectures for AI-integrated systems, from cloud to edge, and turn AI solution concepts into concrete implementation plans. * Review all Clockworks solutions, products and client projects alike, from an SE, DevOps and security lens, and raise architectural risk before a project hits trouble. * Define and govern our technical standards and architectural guidelines, documented in architectural decision records, and lead technical due diligence on complex engagements. * Build alignment around architectural decisions: bring engineers, clients and stakeholders along through clear, objective argumentation, keeping the end user and operational reality in view. * Mentor senior and medior engineers, and stay current on the full SE landscape, from cloud and security to the role of AI coding agents in how we build. ## Related Videos - [Why segmenting your infrastructure into tiers makes your infrastructure design better](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1960-why-segmenting-your-infrastructure-into-tiers-makes-your-infrastructure-design-better) - [Infrastructure as Code: The Developer's Secret Weapon](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1221-infrastructure-as-code-the-developer-s-secret-weapon) - [Shifting Stress to Progress— Understanding DevOps to do DevOps Better](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/268-shifting-stress-to-progress-understanding-devops-to-do-devops-better) - [The Software Engineer 2030: From Coder To AI Orchestrator? - Patrick Schnell](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1825-the-software-engineer-2030-from-coder-to-ai-orchestrator-patrick-schnell) - [Terraform for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/3-terraform-for-developers) - [Implementing Feature Environments with AWS and Terraform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/531-implementing-feature-environments-with-aws-and-terraform) ## Related Articles - [The 12 Best Jobs for Software Engineers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/401-the-12-best-jobs-for-software-engineers) - [The Most Popular IT Jobs on the Market](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/376-the-most-popular-it-jobs-on-the-market) - [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift) - [How to Become an AI Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/331-how-to-become-an-ai-engineer) - [Why Upskilling And Reskilling is Important For Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/428-why-upskilling-and-reskilling-is-important-for-developers) - [Is Software Engineering Over-Saturated?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/418-is-software-engineering-over-saturated)