Cloud Architect - AI Platform (m/f/d)

Cloud Architect — AI Platform

Location: Portugal (Hybrid / Remote-friendly)

Type: Full-time

About the Opportunity

We are supporting a fast-growing European technology company that develops large-scale, cloud-native platforms powering digital communication and collaboration experiences for millions of users.

As part of a highly experienced architecture team, you will play a key role in shaping the next generation of an AI-driven platform that integrates data, services, and user experiences into a unified ecosystem.

The Role

As a Cloud Architect, you will own the end-to-end architectural vision of a complex, distributed platform. You will define how services are designed, scaled, secured, and evolved — working closely with engineering, product, and operations teams to turn architecture into reality.

This is a senior individual contributor role with broad influence across teams, where impact comes from technical leadership, decision-making, and architectural excellence rather than people management.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the platform architecture end-to-end (services, APIs, data, runtime, and integrations)
• Define the target architecture and roadmap aligned with long-term business and technical goals
• Drive architectural decisions through RFCs, design reviews, and technical alignment
• Partner with engineering teams to break down initiatives into scalable, deliverable increments
• Establish and improve standards for cloud-native systems (Kubernetes, APIs, observability, security, multi-tenancy)
• Lead cross-cutting initiatives such as performance, reliability, scalability, and cost optimization
• Collaborate with multiple technical stakeholders to ensure alignment across the platform ecosystem
• Contribute hands-on when necessary and mentor senior engineers

What We’re Looking For

Experience

• 10+ years in software engineering, with strong experience designing and operating distributed systems at scale
• Previous experience as a Staff, Principal, or Architect-level individual contributor
• Proven track record of influencing technical direction across multiple teams

Technical Skills

• Strong expertise in distributed systems architecture (APIs, messaging, scalability, resilience)
• Experience with Kubernetes-based platforms and cloud-native architectures
• Solid understanding of backend development across modern programming languages
• Knowledge of networking and security fundamentals (HTTP, TLS, OAuth/OIDC, etc.)
• Experience with data architecture (relational, NoSQL, event streaming)
• Strong focus on observability, reliability, and system performance

Soft Skills

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to clearly articulate complex technical decisions and trade-offs
• Strong mentoring mindset and ability to raise engineering standards

Languages

• Fluent English (mandatory)
• Additional European languages are a plus

Nice to Have

• Experience with real-time communication or large-scale SaaS platforms
• Exposure to multi-tenant architectures serving millions of users
• Background in security or regulated environments
• Contributions to open source or technical communities

What’s Offered

• A high-impact architecture role shaping a platform used at scale across Europe
• Competitive compensation package aligned with senior individual contributor roles
• Flexible working model (remote-friendly with hybrid options)
• Investment in learning, training, and conferences
• Collaborative, engineering-driven culture with strong technical leadership