Senior Software Architect & Technical Lead

Senior Software Architect & Technical Lead Location: UAE Employment Type: Full-time Work Mode: On-site / Hybrid About the Role We are seeking a hands-on Senior Software Architect & Technical Lead to oversee the architecture, modernization, integration, and technical quality of a growing portfolio of business platforms. The company operates an existing ERP and e-commerce ecosystem while developing new shared platforms and digital services. The successful candidate will work directly with the Founder to transform business requirements into secure, scalable, and well-documented technical solutions. This is not a feature-development-only position. The role combines software architecture, technical leadership, code and database review, integration planning, delivery governance, and engineering quality assurance. Key Responsibilities • Assess and document existing applications, infrastructure, databases, integrations, and technical dependencies. • Design scalable architecture for existing and future platforms. • Translate business requirements into technical specifications, system designs, and structured work packages. • Define clear boundaries between frontend, backend, databases, shared services, and external providers. • Review source code, database migrations, APIs, integrations, and deployment changes. • Establish engineering standards for Git, branching, Pull Requests, testing, documentation, and release management. • Oversee modernization of existing Laravel, Vue, MySQL, and cloud-based applications. • Guide development of Next.js, React, API-based, and event-driven services. • Evaluate build-versus-buy decisions and third-party technology providers. • Introduce safe engineering automation and modern AI-assisted development practices. • Ensure proper staging environments, backups, rollback procedures, observability, and incident handling. • Establish security controls for authentication, authorization, secrets, production access, and data protection. • Monitor cloud, software provider, and development costs. • Coordinate internal developers, external providers, and specialized technical consultants. • Provide clear technical reports and explain complex decisions to non-technical leadership. • Ensure all important architecture and operational knowledge is documented and owned by the company. Required Qualifications • 8+ years of professional software engineering experience. • 3+ years in software architecture, technical leadership, or principal engineering. • Strong hands-on experience with backend architecture, APIs, databases, integrations, and distributed systems. • Ability to read, review, debug, and improve production code. • Strong experience with GitHub, CI/CD, code reviews, testing, and deployment workflows. • Experience with Laravel/PHP, MySQL, Redis, queues, and legacy-system modernization. • Experience with JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Next.js, and modern web architecture. • Understanding of cloud infrastructure, containers, observability, backups, and disaster recovery. • Strong knowledge of application security, access control, secrets management, and safe database migrations. • Experience evaluating SaaS platforms, third-party providers, and build-versus-buy decisions. • Familiarity with modern engineering automation and AI-assisted software-development tools. • Strong English communication and technical documentation skills. Preferred Qualifications • Experience with ERP, e-commerce, logistics, CRM, payments, or accounting systems. • Experience managing multiple applications or repositories simultaneously. • Familiarity with OpenAPI, event-driven architecture, webhooks, message queues, and integration platforms. • Awareness of OWASP, ISO 27001 readiness, privacy, audit evidence, and software supply-chain security. • Experience with FinOps, cloud-cost attribution, or technology-vendor management. • Arabic language is an advantage. What Success Looks Like Within the first 90 days, the candidate should: • Produce an accurate technical inventory of the current ecosystem. • Identify critical risks and undocumented dependencies. • Establish safe development, staging, testing, and deployment standards. • Create a practical architecture roadmap for the ERP and future platforms. • Improve delivery speed without compromising security or reliability. • Demonstrate the ability to supervise multiple engineering workstreams with measurable evidence. • Show more Show less

8+ years of professional software engineering experience. 3+ years in software architecture, technical leadership, or principal engineering. Strong hands-on experience with backend architecture, APIs, databases, integrations, and distributed systems. Ability to read, review, debug, and improve production code. Strong experience with GitHub, CI/CD, code reviews, testing, and deployment workflows. Experience with Laravel/PHP, MySQL, Redis, queues, and legacy-system modernization. Experience with JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Next.js, and modern web architecture. Understanding of cloud infrastructure, containers, observability, backups, and disaster recovery. Strong knowledge of application security, access control, secrets management, and safe database migrations. Experience evaluating SaaS platforms, third-party providers, and build-versus-buy decisions. Familiarity with modern engineering automation and AI-assisted software-development tools. Strong English communication and technical documentation skills.

Assess and document existing applications, infrastructure, databases, integrations, and technical dependencies. Design scalable architecture for existing and future platforms. Translate business requirements into technical specifications, system designs, and structured work packages. Define clear boundaries between frontend, backend, databases, shared services, and external providers. Review source code, database migrations, APIs, integrations, and deployment changes. Establish engineering standards for Git, branching, Pull Requests, testing, documentation, and release management. Oversee modernization of existing Laravel, Vue, MySQL, and cloud-based applications. Guide development of Next.js, React, API-based, and event-driven services. Evaluate build-versus-buy decisions and third-party technology providers. Introduce safe engineering automation and modern AI-assisted development practices. Ensure proper staging environments, backups, rollback procedures, observability, and incident handling. Establish security controls for authentication, authorization, secrets, production access, and data protection. Monitor cloud, software provider, and development costs. Coordinate internal developers, external providers, and specialized technical consultants. Provide clear technical reports and explain complex decisions to non-technical leadership. Ensure all important architecture and operational knowledge is documented and owned by the company.