Technical Architect (L4)

Technical Architect (Level 4) – Degree Planning Application 

Location: Canada  (Remote-Friendly) 
Employment Type: Full-Time 

Robots & Pencils is seeking a Technical Architect (Level 4) to provide technical leadership and architectural guidance for a degree planning application designed to help learners understand how their existing academic credits may apply toward different degree programs. This tool enables students to map a personalized path to graduation. 

The client has been developing this application internally and is preparing for an upcoming Beta release, with continued enhancements and new feature development planned. The Technical Architect will help shape the overall technical direction, mentor developers, and ensure that strong engineering practices are in place across the team. 

This role combines hands-on system architecture with coaching responsibilities. The Technical Architect will guide development teams on estimation, release planning, and scalable technical design, ensuring alignment between business goals and implementation. 

Key Responsibilities 

Architecture and Design 

• Define and document the technical architecture, design patterns, and integration approach for the degree planning platform. 

• Review and refine existing architecture to improve scalability, maintainability, and performance. 

• Create and maintain architecture diagrams, technical documentation, and coding standards. 

• Collaborate with developers, DevOps, and product teams to ensure cohesive, high-quality delivery. 

• Support system observability, security, and CI/CD best practices. 

Technical Strategy and Delivery 

• Support the team through estimation, release planning, and sprint execution. 

• Oversee code reviews, integration processes, and release readiness to maintain technical quality. 

• Lead risk assessments and propose mitigation strategies. 

• Ensure development aligns with accessibility, security, and performance standards. 

• Evaluate and recommend tools, frameworks, and platforms that support ongoing scalability. 

Coaching and Mentorship 

• Mentor and coach developers on engineering best practices, software design, and maintainability. 

• Foster a culture of quality, collaboration, and continuous improvement. 

• Lead by example in code reviews, technical planning, and peer learning sessions. 

• Help team members strengthen their technical and problem-solving skills. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Work closely with product managers, designers, and QA to ensure technical decisions support user and business needs. 

• Communicate architecture and trade-offs clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. 

• Support the client’s internal engineering team through Beta release and post-launch improvements. 

Required Skills and Qualifications 

• 8 or more years of experience in software development, with at least 3 years in a technical or solutions architecture role. 

• Experience designing and implementing web-based applications with complex business logic. 

• Strong understanding of frontend and backend technologies such as React, Angular, Node.js, .NET, or equivalent. 

• Proficiency with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and modern CI/CD workflows. 

• Experience designing and integrating RESTful and GraphQL APIs. 

• Knowledge of relational and non-relational databases, data modeling, and optimization. 

• Familiarity with software design principles such as SOLID, DDD, and modular architecture. 

• Proven experience mentoring teams and leading technical discussions. 

• Strong communication and collaboration skills. 

• Upper-intermediate English proficiency, written and spoken. 

Nice to Have 

• Experience working on education or student-facing applications. 

• Understanding of data visualization or academic planning tools. 

• Experience with micro frontends or domain-driven design. 

• Knowledge of automated testing frameworks and continuous integration practices. 

• Prior experience in consulting or contributing to open-source projects. 

Personal Competencies 

• Technical leadership – guides and supports teams through complex technical challenges. 

• Mentorship – helps team members develop their technical and architectural skills. 

• System thinking – considers long-term maintainability and scalability in every decision. 

• Collaboration – works effectively across disciplines and with client teams. 

• Strategic execution – translates high-level goals into practical, well-structured solutions. 

• Adaptability – thrives in evolving, fast-paced environments. 

• Quality mindset – consistently aims for reliability, performance, and clean design.