WHO ARE YOU? You are a talented Software Architect that is looking to bring expertise and leadership to a growing educational technology organization. Your adaptable and flexible work style means you can easily shift from focused and independent tasks to working with team members on a project or to solve a problem. You’re an active listener that understands the importance of also being able to communicate effectively and in terms that are easy to understand.
WHO ARE WE? We are passionate, innovative, lifelong learners, and creative thinkers working to develop culturally authentic language learning products for K-12 schools and universities.
WHAT IS THIS ROLE ABOUT? In the hands-on role of Software Architect, you will utilize your technical expertise, leadership skills, and passion for solving complex problems to ensure the overall architecture and systems of our educational language learning technology products are designed with performance, security, extensibility and maintainability in mind.

YOU MUST HAVE (MINIMUM REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE)

• Bachelor’s degree minimum
• 10+ years of experience in software development, software architecture or systems design role, including but not limited to, extensive hands-on experience in the following:
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• Designing and delivering large-scale, distributed systems or enterprise applications.

• End-to-end project ownership, from architecture through deployment.
• Defining architecture blueprints, technical standards, and governance models.
• Assessing system performance and design for scale.
• Leading design reviews, risk assessments, and technical planning sessions.
• Strong communication, listening and interpersonal skills to be able to actively listen to needs and respond to audience appropriately
• Strong proficiency and experience in:
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• Integration patterns, APIs, messaging systems, and middleware.

• Software architecture patterns (e.g., microservices, event-driven, layered, serverless, etc.).
• Relational (PostgreSQL, MySQL) and NoSQL (MongoDB, Cassandra) databases.
  IDEAL IF YOU HAVE or ARE (PREFERRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE):
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• Master’s and certifications

• Experience working in ed-tech, educational publishing or similar industry; Familiarity with VHL products
• Hands-on experience in:
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• Modeling tools (e.g., UML, ArchiMate) and documentation frameworks.

• Making trade-off decisions (e.g., between performance, cost, scalability, and maintainability) that lead to successful development and implementation.
• Utilizing security best practices for secure coding, application security, and data protection.
• Proficiency and experience in:
• At least one, more preferred, language (e.g., Java, C#, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go).
• AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud (including IaC, cost optimization, etc.).
• DevOps and CI/CD tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes.
• Modeling tools (e.g., UML, ArchiMate) and documentation frameworks.
  LOCATION: Hybrid Remote/Boston office
  Position requires current residence within the United States of America. Ideal candidates will be located within close commutable proximity to our Boston, MA office location and be willing to work a minimum of 2-day in-office/3-day remote schedule. Relocation assistance is not available.

• Collaborate with senior architects, taking the lead when necessary, to design and implement scalable, maintainable, secure software solutions while ensuring alignment with overall architectural goals.
• Ensure that architectural decisions follow security best practices and industry-specific compliance standards.
• Work with product managers, content teams, and other engineers to gather requirements, understand educational needs, and translate them into technical solutions.
• Work to optimize system performance and identify bottlenecks or areas for improvement.
• Provide guidance to junior engineers and help lead technical decision-making within the team.
• Assist in driving technical best practices, design principles, and development standards.
• Advocate for and implement continuous improvement practices in both architecture and development workflows.
• Participate in code reviews to ensure high-quality, maintainable, and consistent code.
• Maintain up-to-date technical documentation related to system architecture, design decisions, and implementation details to ensure clear communication across teams.
• Help identify technical issues, resolve performance bottlenecks, and troubleshoot complex problems in collaboration with engineering teams.
• Stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies in software architecture and educational technology.