2. WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS

We need a hands-on technical leader who will:

• Own complete product architecture and technical delivery

• Lead a team of 5-10 engineers

3. ROLE SUMMARY

Primary Focus: System architecture + Development leadership

Team Size: 5-10 engineers (direct reports)

Coding Expectation: 15-20% hands-on (architectural components)

Key Delivery: New product modules

Decision Authority: Full authority on technical decisions

4. RESPONSIBILITIES

4.1 Architecture Ownership (40% of time)

What You’ll Do

• Create and maintain architecture documents, component diagrams, API contracts
• Select tech stack, evaluate build vs buy, assess vendors
• Design for 10x growth, define performance benchmarks
• Threat modeling, secure design patterns, compliance alignment
• Maintain debt register, plan refactoring, enforce quality gates

Expected Deliverables

• Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) for all major decisions
• System design documents with diagrams
• API specifications (OpenAPI/Swagger)
• Data models and database schemas
• Integration architecture for third-party systems
• Capacity planning documents

4.2 Development Leadership (35% of time)

What You’ll Do

• Plan 2-week sprints, break down stories, manage capacity
• Establish review process, coding standards, PR guidelines
• Conduct 1:1s, create growth plans, build team capability
• Unblock team quickly, make decisive technical calls
• Track velocity, manage burndown, report on milestones

Team You’ll Lead

• Senior Backend Developer (2) — Architecture guidance, code review
• Full Stack Developer (5) — Feature delivery oversight
• DevOps Engineer (2) — Infrastructure decisions
• QA Engineer (1) — Quality process, test strategy

Expected Deliverables

• Sprint plans and velocity reports
• Team skill matrix and development plans
• Code review guidelines and checklist
• Definition of Done for all work items
• Weekly status updates to CTO

4.3 Hands-On Development (15% of time)

What You’ll Do

• Code complex algorithms, core services, integration layers
• Evaluate new technologies, build spike solutions
• Lead P1 incident response, conduct root cause analysis
• Write patterns and examples for team to follow

Expectation

• You are not a full-time coder, but you CAN code
• You write code for the hardest 15% of problems
• You set technical standards by example
• You can debug production issues at 2 AM if needed

4.4 Stakeholder Management

• CTO -Weekly 1:1, architecture reviews, escalations
• Product/Business -Sprint demos, feasibility input, timeline commitments
• Customers (Technical) -Deep-dive sessions, POC support, integration discussions
• Vendors -Technical evaluation, integration planning

5. AUTHORITY & BOUNDARIES

Full Decision Authority

• Technical Architecture -Design patterns, component structure, tech choices
• Development Process- Sprint cadence, branching strategy, deployment process
• Code Standards- Review process, quality gates, documentation requirements

Team Execution Authority

• Task assignment, daily priorities, standup format
• Infrastructure Design - Cloud architecture, scaling approach, monitoring tools
• Technical Hiring - Interview, evaluate, recommend candidates

Collaborative Decisions

• Product Roadmap - Provide estimates, flag risks, suggest trade-offs (CTO/Product)
• Budget -Project technical costs, justify investments (CTO/Finance)
• Vendor Contracts -Technical evaluation, requirements (CTO)
• Compliance Scope- Define technical implementation approach (CTO)

Outside Your Scope

• Business Strategy -CEO/CTO
• Sales & Partnerships- CEO
• Pricing & Packaging -Business Team
• HR & Admin -HR

6. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Must Have (Non-Negotiable)

• Proven experience designing distributed systems at scale
• Expert in Python (FastAPI/Django), Node.js, Go
• PostgreSQL, Redis, schema design, query optimization
• RESTful APIs, OpenAPI specs, versioning strategies
• AWS (EC2, RDS, S3, Lambda) — hands-on experience
• Docker, CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code basics
• OWASP awareness, secure coding practices, threat modeling

Good to Have (Strong Preference)

• Cybersecurity Domain
• Multi-tenant SaaS
• Event-Driven Architecture
• Message Queues
• Compliance Knowledge
• SIEM/SOAR Integration

7. EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Experience

• Total IT Experience: 8 years
• System Design/Architecture: 3 years
• Team Leadership: 2 years
• Hands-on Coding: 5 years

Ideal Background

• Senior Engineer → Tech Lead → Architect progression
• Built and shipped products (not just maintained)
• Led teams of 4-8 engineers
• Worked in product companies (not just services)
• Experience with B2B SaaS preferred

Red Flags (What We Don’t Want)

• Pure management, no recent coding
• Only large company experience (needs startup adaptability)
• Only services/consulting background
• Cannot whiteboard system design
• Needs hand-holding on decisions

8. SOFT SKILLS & TRAITS

Must Have

• Ownership Mentality- You own outcomes, not just tasks
• Decision Making -Can make calls with incomplete information
• Communication - Explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Pragmatism - Balance perfection with delivery
• Resilience -Startup pace, ambiguity, changing priorities

Leadership Style We Need

• Leading by Example - You code, you review, you debug
• Servant Leadership -Unblock team, remove obstacles
• Direct Feedback -Honest, constructive, timely
• Accountability -Own failures, share credit for success
• Bias for Action - Move fast, iterate, don’t over-analyze

Aaizel Technologies - Building India’s Cybersecurity Future

Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity and inclusion.

#Hiring #SystemArchitect #SoftwareArchitecture #CyberSecurity #EnterpriseSaaS

#TechLeadership #CloudArchitecture #AWS #ProductEngineering