Job Description

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

This is a Principal-level architecture role with real organisational weight — not an advisory seat, not a governance committee. You'll define and own the end-to-end technical architecture across data, AI, and platform domains at a company operating at global scale. Your decisions will shape engineering strategy across multiple product teams, influence long-term infrastructure investments, and set the standards that hundreds of engineers build against.

If you've earned your credibility in the trenches of software and data engineering and you're ready to operate at the intersection of technical vision and business strategy, this is the scope you've been waiting for.

PROJECT & CONTEXT

You'll work across a multi-squad, multi-domain engineering organisation, defining Architecture Decision Records, leading cross-functional technical forums, and translating business goals into coherent, long-term engineering roadmaps. The scope spans cloud-native infrastructure, data platform architecture, AI/ML system design, API governance, and security and compliance including GDPR.

This is an environment where architectural coherence is treated as a product in itself — and where the person in this role has genuine influence over how it evolves. Full remote, consulting engagement, based in Portugal

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• 8–15 years of experience in software or data engineering, with 3+ years in a formal architecture role (Principal, Staff, or Enterprise Architect level)
• Demonstrated architecture leadership across multiple squads or domains — not just technical depth in one area
• Enterprise or solution architecture practice — TOGAF or equivalent formal methodology
• Deep hands-on experience with cloud-native architecture on at least one major provider: AWS, GCP, or Azure
• Strong knowledge of data architecture patterns: Data Mesh, Lakehouse, Data Warehouse — and the trade-offs between them
• API design and governance REST, GraphQL, and event-driven architecture at platform scale
• Microservices and distributed systems design in production environments
• Experience defining and maintaining Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) across multi-team environments
• Security and compliance architecture including GDPR and data privacy frameworks
• Ability to produce and communicate technical roadmaps and strategy documentation to both engineering and business audiences
• Strong trade-off analysis skills — knowing when to standardise and when to allow divergence
• Proven ability to mentor and align engineering teams around architectural principles without direct authority
• Credible stakeholder influence at CTO and product director level
• English: C1 (Advanced) — mandatory
• Based in Portugal — mandatory. Portuguese nationals or residents strongly preferred.

NICE TO HAVE

• Hands-on experience with Data Mesh and Domain-Driven Design at organisational scale
• AI/ML system architecture — training infrastructure, model serving, and feature platform design
• Background in HRTech, SaaS, or marketplace platforms with complex data and matching requirements
• Experience building or governing Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs)
• FinOps and cloud cost architecture — designing for economic efficiency at scale
• Experience operating in engineering organisations of 500+ engineers

Compensation: €2,925 – €3,900/month net, depending on experience and seniority level.

Why HumanIT people stay (4.4 Glassdoor, 89% recommend)

• 15th month salary
• Health insurance covering your family
• Birthday off
• Mobility program for digital nomads
• Real work-life balance

Full benefits https://www.humanit.pt/careers/#perks
What it's really like https://www.humanit.pt/careers/#work-at