Chief Architect

We are seeking an Enterprise Architect to modernize our existing platform for the current and future demands of the Secondary Mortgage market. This role is both hands-on technical and involves leading a small team of developers and QA.

Responsibilities

• Platform Architecture Governance
  • Own and enforce the five-layer architectural blueprint across all systems, data, and integration layers.
  • Maintain the canonical data model as non-negotiable infrastructure.
  • Establish and enforce schema governance, ensuring every field has a defined source tier, business definition, and provenance record.
  • Complete and govern the DynamoDB-to-Postgres migration, including schema design, data validation, and deprecation sequencing for legacy DynamoDB tables.
  • Own the Silver data dictionary architecture, including field definitions, source lineage, tier classification (Tier 1, 2, 3), and target/consumer documentation.
  • Establish and chair the Architecture Review Council to review, document, and enforce pattern standards for all significant design decisions.
  • Enforce the Anti-Rube Goldberg principle: one governed way to solve each class of problem, prioritizing reuse over novelty.
• Rules Engine and BPM Deployment
  • Deploy and govern the componentized rules engine and BPM layer as the operational core of the certified loan process across Flow/Delegated, Non-Delegated/Mini-Corr, and Bulk/Institutional channels.
  • Complete the Camunda (or equivalent) rules engine evaluation, selection, and deployment, ensuring it is business-authorable, engineer-reviewed, and vendor-extractable.
  • Enforce the workflow/rules separation principle: workflow orchestrates, rules validate, with no logic embedded in workflow steps.
  • Build a componentized rules library in collaboration with credit risk and underwriting leadership, supporting channel-specific configurations without duplicating core logic.
  • Design the rules engine to support eight certified loan process gate validations across delegated, non-delegated, and bulk channels, with third-party data integration where applicable.
• AI Execution Layer and Prompt Engineering Governance
  • Establish and govern the AI execution layer as the fifth layer of the platform architecture, ensuring AI generates ETL mappings, rules components, test cases, and workflow artifacts within governed guardrails.
  • Establish the Center of Excellence (CoE) for AI-assisted development, including prompt libraries, pattern standards, testing/retraining protocols, and senior review gates for AI-generated artifacts.
  • Own prompt engineering governance centrally, ensuring one owner, one library, and one set of standards to prevent proliferation of ungoverned prompt sets.
  • Lead adoption of AWS Q for Developer, GitHub Copilot, and Anthropic Claude in engineering workflows, with measurable targets for code generation, test automation, and documentation quality.
  • Build and govern LLM-assisted rules generation capability, ingesting underwriting guidelines (e.g., Fannie Mae Seller Guide) and validating outputs against the canonical data model.
  • Design the AI co-pilot model for the non-delegated manufacturing process to review loan files, identify exceptions, and prepare clean handoffs to buyers.
• ETL, Integration, and Third-Party Data Architecture
  • Own the integration architecture connecting the canonical data model to third-party data sources for validating and elevating stated data across the loan manufacturing lifecycle.
  • Lead ETL platform selection and deployment (e.g., Adeptia, Boomi), ensuring normalized inbound data, validated structure, canonical model mapping, and auditable pipeline governance.
  • Architect and govern integrations with Tier 1 data sources: credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion), income verification (The Work Number, Experian Verify, Finicity), tax transcripts (4506-C), and property/title data (First American, Stewart Title, CoreLogic AVM).
  • Design the extensible API and integration layer for LOS/POS connectivity, Optimal Blue PPE integration, Tradeweb API/widget build, and future Loan Passport and Canton Network digital asset infrastructure.
  • Govern the MP1/MP2 security architecture resolution, evaluating options and driving to closure (estimated $150K cost implication).
• Digital Asset and Tokenization Infrastructure
  • Architect the digital certificate framework under UCC Article 8, including instrument design, registry architecture, transfer and verification protocols, and custodial integration with ComputerShare.
  • Design the Loan Passport MVP: a loan-level digital identity record that travels with collateral through the trading lifecycle, tamper-sealed at closing, supporting Canton Network distribution via Tradeweb.
  • Evaluate blockchain frameworks (e.g., Hyperledger, Canton Network) for smart contract deployment supporting servicing rights transfer and collateral control, in partnership with legal and capital markets leadership.
  • Ensure all digital asset designs maintain SOC 2 compliance, data privacy requirements, and regulatory alignment.
• Build Process, Quality, and Team Mentorship
  • Establish a disciplined, repeatable build process with quality designed in, including build health metrics, automated testing standards, release readiness gates, and post-mortem analysis loops.
  • Mentor senior engineers on architecture principles, design patterns, and AI-assisted development practices.
  • Partner with HR and leadership on talent assessment and development for key technical roles.
  • Ensure all AI-generated artifacts (ETL mappings, rules components, workflow steps, test cases) pass pattern check, test harness, and security review before production deployment.

Requirements

• 7+ years of mortgage experience, specializing in the secondary mortgage market where mortgages are sold and packaged for investment vehicles.
• 10+ years of software engineering and architecture experience, with at least 5 years leading enterprise-scale platform design and delivery.
• Demonstrated track record of building and shipping commercial enterprise software platforms in financial services or B2B SaaS (not advisory or architecture-only roles).
• Deep proficiency with relational database architecture: schema design, migration strategy, data governance, and provenance modeling (Postgres experience strongly preferred).
• Experience deploying rules engines and BPM platforms in production environments (e.g., Camunda, Drools), with a strong understanding of the rules/workflow separation principle.
• Hands-on experience with ETL pipeline design, integration architecture, and API governance in environments with multiple third-party data sources.
• Demonstrated experience leading AI-assisted development programs: prompt engineering governance, LLM integration into engineering workflows, and AI-generated artifact quality control.
• Proficiency with .NET Core, C#, React, and AWS cloud-native services (ECS, RDS, Redshift, Lambda, API Gateway).
• Experience with CI/CD automation, automated testing frameworks, and build process ownership, including measurable quality metrics.
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional or equivalent preferred.
• Startup mindset: proactive, self-driven, and able to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication skills and ability to set proper expectations.

Pay and Benefits

• Pay range: $225,000 – $300,000 per year.
• Benefits include 401k, paid time off (PTO), and private stock.

Schedule

This is a fully remote, permanent position based in New York, NY.