Introduction

A career in IBM Consulting is built on long-term client relationships and close collaboration worldwide. You’ll work with leading companies across industries, helping them shape their hybrid cloud and AI journeys. With support from our strategic partners, robust IBM technology, and Red Hat, you’ll have the tools to drive meaningful change and accelerate client impact. At IBM Consulting, curiosity fuels success. You’ll be encouraged to challenge the norm, explore new ideas, and create innovative solutions that deliver real results. Our culture of growth and empathy focuses on your long-term career development while valuing your unique skills and experiences.

Your role and responsibilities

As an Application Architect, you will be responsible for designing and architecting robust, scalable, and secure backend systems that power our enterprise applications. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to translate business requirements into technical solutions while ensuring adherence to architectural best practices and industry standards.
### Key Responsibilities:
- **System Design & Architecture**: Design end-to-end system architecture for backend services that interact seamlessly with Backend-for-Frontend (BFF) layers, ensuring optimal performance, scalability, and maintainability- **Technical Leadership**: Provide architectural guidance and technical direction to development teams, conducting design reviews and ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture standards- **Database Architecture**: Design and optimize data models for both relational (SQL) and NoSQL databases, ensuring data integrity, performance, and scalability across diverse data storage solutions- **Performance Engineering**: Lead performance testing initiatives, define and monitor Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs), and implement optimization strategies to meet SLAs and performance benchmarks- **Security Architecture**: Implement security-by-design principles, conduct security assessments, and ensure applications are built with robust security controls including authentication, authorization, encryption, and vulnerability management- **Cloud Architecture**: Design and implement cloud-native solutions on major cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP), leveraging cloud services for scalability, reliability, and cost optimization- **Technical Documentation**: Create comprehensive architectural documentation, including system diagrams, API specifications, data flow diagrams, and technical design documents- **Stakeholder Collaboration**: Work with product managers, business analysts, and engineering teams to understand requirements and translate them into scalable technical solutions- **Technology Evaluation**: Research and evaluate emerging technologies, frameworks, and tools to drive innovation and maintain competitive advantage

Required education

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred education

Bachelor's Degree

Required technical and professional expertise

### Professional Experience:- **11-17 years** of hands-on experience in software development and architecture- **3-5 years** of proven experience in an Application Architect or similar role- Strong track record of designing and delivering large-scale, distributed backend systems- Experience leading technical teams and mentoring developers

### Technical Expertise:

#### System Design & Architecture:- Expert-level knowledge of designing end-to-end backend architectures- Deep understanding of Backend-for-Frontend (BFF) patterns and microservices architecture- Proficiency in designing RESTful APIs, GraphQL, and event-driven architectures- Strong knowledge of design patterns, SOLID principles, and architectural patterns (MVC, MVVM, Hexagonal, etc.)

#### Database Technologies:- **Relational Databases**: Strong hands-on experience with SQL databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server)- **NoSQL Databases**: Proven experience with NoSQL solutions (MongoDB, Cassandra, DynamoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch)- Expertise in database design, normalization, indexing, query optimization, and data modeling- Experience with database migration strategies and data replication techniques

#### Performance & NFRs:- Demonstrated experience in planning and executing performance testing using tools like JMeter, Gatling, or LoadRunner- Strong understanding of Non-Functional Requirements including scalability, availability, reliability, and maintainability- Experience with performance monitoring and APM tools (New Relic, Dynatrace, AppDynamics)- Ability to identify performance bottlenecks and implement optimization strategies

#### Security:- Strong knowledge of application security principles (OWASP Top 10)- Experience implementing secure coding practices and security-by-design principles- Understanding of authentication and authorization mechanisms (OAuth 2.0, JWT, SAML, SSO)- Knowledge of encryption standards, secure communication protocols (TLS/SSL), and data protection- Experience with security testing tools and vulnerability assessment

#### Cloud Platforms:- **Hands-on experience** with at least one major cloud platform: **AWS, Azure, or GCP**- Understanding of cloud-native services (compute, storage, networking, databases, messaging)- Experience with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, ARM templates)- Knowledge of containerization (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes, ECS, AKS)

#### Additional Technical Skills:- Proficiency in at least one backend programming language (Java, Python, Node.js, C#, Go)- Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices- Understanding of message queuing systems (Kafka, RabbitMQ, SQS)- Knowledge of caching strategies and distributed caching solutions

### Soft Skills:- Excellent communication and presentation skills- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities- Ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional teams- Leadership and mentoring capabilities

Preferred technical and professional experience

### Advanced Technical Skills:- **Multi-cloud experience**: Hands-on experience with two or more cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)- Experience with serverless architectures and Function-as-a-Service (Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Functions)- Knowledge of service mesh technologies (Istio, Linkerd)- Experience with distributed tracing and observability tools (Jaeger, Zipkin, OpenTelemetry)

### Specialized Knowledge:- Experience with Domain-Driven Design (DDD) and Event Sourcing patterns- Knowledge of CQRS (Command Query Responsibility Segregation) architecture- Experience with API Gateway solutions (Kong, Apigee, AWS API Gateway)- Understanding of reactive programming and asynchronous processing

### Performance & Scalability:- Experience with chaos engineering and resilience testing- Knowledge of auto-scaling strategies and capacity planning- Experience with CDN configuration and edge computing- Understanding of database sharding and partitioning strategies

### Security Certifications & Knowledge:- Security certifications (CISSP, CEH, Security+, or cloud security certifications)- Experience with DevSecOps practices and security automation- Knowledge of compliance standards (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC 2)- Experience with secrets management solutions (HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager)

### Cloud Expertise:- Cloud architecture certifications (AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect, GCP Professional Architect)- Experience with cloud cost optimization and FinOps practices- Knowledge of multi-region deployment strategies and disaster recovery planning- Experience with cloud migration and modernization projects

### Development Practices:- Experience with Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)- Knowledge of trunk-based development and GitOps practices- Experience with feature flags and progressive delivery- Understanding of site reliability engineering (SRE) principles

### Industry Experience:- Experience in specific domains (FinTech, Healthcare, E-commerce, etc.)- Track record of successful digital transformation initiatives- Experience with legacy system modernization- Contribution to open-source projects or technical communities

### Leadership & Communication:- Experience presenting to C-level executives and stakeholders- Published technical articles, blogs, or conference presentations- Experience conducting technical workshops and training sessions- Strong vendor management and negotiation skills

Years of Experience:
11 - 17