Software / System Architect - Position No. 1708

IBI R&D Labs | Full-Time | On-site (1 day remote)

About IBI R&D Labs

IBI R&D Labs is the internal software development shop of IBI - a large investment organization comprising ~50 companies across all financial markets. We build and maintain mobile apps, web platforms, cloud and hybrid financial systems, and complex integrations between internal and external finance systems. Our delivery involves both in-house developers and vendor teams contributing to shared platforms.

The Role

We're looking for a hands-on Software/System Architect to own the technical architecture of several finance-domain solutions, running mainly in the cloud with some hybrid setups. This is a deeply technical, individual-contributor role for an experienced builder ready to shape architecture end-to-end, from data model to mobile client to production security posture.

You'll own architectural decisions across our Node.js backends, native iOS/Android apps, and relational database layer, working closely with development, QA, security, and CISO teams to ensure every solution is scalable, maintainable, and secure. You're also expected to use modern AI tools fluently to work faster and smarter (this isn't an AI-focused role, but you should be able to show concretely how you use AI in your own engineering workflow).

What You'll Do

• Architecture & Design: Define and own end-to-end architecture for multiple finance-domain solutions (backend, mobile, relational data), mainly cloud with some hybrid deployments. Create clear architectural diagrams to convey your thinking.
• Hands-On Technical Leadership: Design and, where needed, build core components across the stack; guide iOS/Android development for architectural consistency.
• Data & Integration: Design relational schemas/data flows and architect complex integrations with internal systems and external financial/market data providers.
• Security by Design: Embed security best practices into every decision (secure APIs, authN/authZ, data protection, secure cloud config) in collaboration with our CISO team.
• Cross-Team Enablement: Partner with in-house developers and vendors to review designs, unblock decisions, and maintain consistency across shared platforms.
• Technical Standards: Set coding/API/integration standards; review key designs and critical code; mentor developers on architecture best practices.
• Continuous Improvement: Bring a pragmatic engineering mindset, including effective use of AI-assisted tools, to improve speed and quality across the SDLC.

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years as a Software/System Architect, plus 10+ years overall hands-on development experience.
• Strong architectural thinking - designing for scale, reliability, and security simultaneously, with clear communication of trade-offs to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven ability to create clear architectural diagrams (logical, physical, network, cloud, flow, context, ERD, sequence, swimlane, state).
• Strong expertise in backend/server-side architecture (Node.js); solid understanding of containerization/orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes) and event-driven/microservices architectures.
• Experience designing data layers across relational, document, graph, and other database models, on-prem and cloud; ability to choose the right database and design schema, performance, transactions, scalability, and access patterns.
• Hands-on experience with cloud (Azure and/or AWS), including hybrid architectures, FinOps, and cloud automation.
• Solid grasp of cyber security principles in application/cloud architecture (secure design, authN/authZ, data protection, network/cloud config).
• Experience in finance/fintech or other complex, regulated, integration-heavy environments — advantage.
• Experience architecting or developing native iOS and Android apps — advantage.
• Demonstrated use of AI tools (coding assistants, review copilots, spec/test generation) to speed up your own engineering work — be ready to discuss concrete examples.

Nice to Have

• Experience with financial systems, trading platforms, or banking/investment software.
• Relevant cloud or security certifications (AWS/Azure Architect, CISSP, or similar).
• Experience driving architectural modernization or cloud-migration initiatives.