Software Architect
Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Ncontracts leads the industry in integrated risk management and compliance solutions, serving over 5,000 financial institutions nationwide. As a seven-time Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies honoree and consistent year-over-year recipient of "Best Places to Work" awards, we offer a thriving work environment where career growth and life-work balance go hand in hand. At Ncontracts, you'll join a team of industry experts dedicated to strengthening the financial services sector through innovation and thought leadership.
About The Role
We are seeking a Software Architect with a strong AI focus to work alongside engineering teams, helping implement architectural patterns and standards defined by our Enterprise Architect and Solution Architects. This role focuses on execution, translating architectural decisions—including those governing our AI and LLM-powered features—into working software while developing the skills and perspective needed to grow into broader architectural responsibilities. This is a highly hands-on role where you'll spend significant time in the codebase implementing patterns, reviewing code, pairing with developers, and ensuring day-to-day technical decisions align with architectural standards.
You'll float across teams with focused assignments, working on specific initiatives such as implementing a new integration pattern, supporting a modernization effort, standing up an LLM-powered capability, or ensuring consistency across related services. This role is designed for growth, offering close collaboration with our Enterprise Architect and Solution Architects to learn how strategic decisions—including AI adoption, model selection, and responsible AI practices—are made.
Responsibilities
- Architectural Implementation
- Implement architectural patterns and standards defined by the Enterprise Architect and Solution Architects, including patterns for integrating LLMs and other AI components into existing services.
- Work within engineering teams to ensure solutions, including AI-powered features, align with established architecture decisions.
- Translate high-level architectural guidance into concrete implementation approaches.
- Identify implementation challenges early and escalate to Solution Architects when decisions need to be revisited.
- Validate that completed implementations meet architectural requirements through hands-on review.
- AI & LLM Implementation
- Design and implement patterns for integrating LLMs into product features, including prompt design, context management, and retrieval-augmented approaches.
- Apply prompt engineering techniques to build reliable, maintainable AI-driven features, and iterate on prompts based on observed model behavior.
- Use LLM observability tooling such as Langfuse to trace, evaluate, and debug AI workflows in development and production.
- Help define and apply evaluation approaches for AI features, covering accuracy, latency, cost, and safety considerations.
- Partner with Solution Architects and Enterprise Architect on standards for responsible and secure use of AI across the platform.
- Hands-On Technical Work
- Write code regularly; this role requires significant time in the codebase implementing patterns and working alongside developers.
- Conduct detailed code reviews focused on architectural alignment, code quality, and maintainability.
- Pair with developers to work through complex implementation challenges, including those involving LLM integrations.
- Build and maintain reference implementations, including AI feature reference implementations, that teams can use as starting points.
- Prototype approaches to validate architectural decisions before broader rollout.
- Team Collaboration
- Embed with engineering teams on focused assignments based on architectural priorities.
- Build strong working relationships with developers and engineering leads.
- Participate in technical discussions, bringing architectural perspective to implementation decisions.
- Help teams understand the "why" behind architectural standards, not just the "what."
- Surface patterns and challenges observed in teams back to Solution Architects and Enterprise Architect.
- Learning & Development
- Work closely with the Enterprise Architect and Solution Architects to understand how strategic architectural decisions are made.
- Seek feedback on architectural thinking and implementation approaches.
- Study our existing architecture, understanding the rationale behind current patterns and the history of key decisions.
- Develop broader perspective across the platform by working with multiple teams over time.
- Grow technical breadth across domains, including integration, data, cloud infrastructure, and applied AI, through hands-on experience.
- Documentation & Communication
- Document implementation patterns and approaches that teams can follow, including AI implementation patterns.
- Contribute to architecture decision records (ADRs) by capturing implementation learnings.
- Communicate clearly with developers about architectural expectations and rationale.
- Raise questions and surface ambiguities in architectural guidance to improve clarity for all teams.
Requirements
- 4+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, with demonstrated technical leadership or senior developer experience.
- Strong hands-on coding skills; you're an experienced developer who writes production code regularly.
- Solid experience with at least one of our core languages/frameworks: .NET/C#, React, or Python.
- Hands-on experience building with large language models (LLMs) in production or near-production settings.
- Practical experience with prompt engineering, including designing, testing, and iterating on prompts for reliability and consistency.
- Experience with LLM observability or evaluation tooling such as Langfuse (or comparable platforms).
- Familiarity with cloud platforms, particularly Azure or AWS.
- Understanding of modern application architectures: microservices, API design, event-driven patterns.
- Experience with code review practices and ability to provide constructive, actionable feedback.
- Ability to work across different teams and adapt to varying codebases and contexts.
- Strong communication skills; you can explain technical concepts clearly to other developers.
- Curiosity about the "big picture"; you want to understand how systems fit together, not just your piece.
- Eagerness to learn and grow into broader architectural responsibilities.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with our tech stack: .NET/C#, React, Python, Snowflake, dbt.
- Experience integrating LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, or similar) into application code.
- Familiarity with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), vector databases, or agentic workflow patterns.
- Familiarity with our toolchain: TeamCity, Octopus Deploy, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions.
- Exposure to integration patterns: REST APIs, message queues, CDC.
- Experience with database design and data modeling concepts.
- Background in DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines.
- Experience working in multi-tenant SaaS environments.
- Prior experience in B2B SaaS or enterprise software development.
Benefits
- A fun, fast-paced work environment.
- Responsible PTO Plan that meets or exceeds state and local medical and family leave laws.
- 11 paid holidays.
- Community and social events to keep you connected and engaged.
- Mental Health Benefits.
- Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance.
- Company-paid Group Life Insurance, Short- and Long-Term Disability.
- Flexible Spending Account & Health Savings Account.
- Aflac Benefits – Critical Illness, Cancer Protection, & Hospital Choice.
- Pet Insurance.
- 401(k) with company match with eligibility on Day 1 of employment.
- 2 Paid Volunteer Time Off Days.
- And much more!
Part-Time, Temporary, Contractor, and Intern positions are not eligible for company benefits, including paid time off, health insurance, and other employee benefit programs.
Pay
Compensation Range: $135K - $155K