Principal Engineer (Architecture)

TL;DR

Principal Engineer (Architecture): Shaping hirify.global’s platform architecture and designing scalable, robust services with an accent on distributed systems, microservices, and data architecture. Focus on solving complex scalability and performance challenges while ensuring system reliability and cost efficiency.

Location: Must be based in Romania

Company

hirify.global drives the fare payment revolution, powering public transport journeys globally via its Justride platform.

What you will do

• Define platform blueprints, standards, and best practices for hirify.global's architecture.
• Design and deliver scalable, robust, and cost-efficient services aligned with the platform blueprint.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership through code contributions, design, and technical reviews.
• Identify and resolve complex platform challenges related to scalability, performance, and resilience.
• Act as a senior technical advisor across engineering teams to influence technical decisions.
• Contribute to technical roadmap planning, RFP estimation, and technical scoping for complex initiatives.

Requirements

• Proven experience at Principal or Staff level shaping technical direction across multiple teams.
• Deep expertise in designing and evolving distributed systems and microservices architectures.
• Strong experience with cloud platforms, preferably AWS, and modern infrastructure practices.
• Proven experience in data architecture, including data platforms, pipelines, or data lakes.
• Ability to translate loosely defined business problems into clear, actionable technical approaches.
• English: Proficiency required to communicate complex ideas and produce structured documentation.

Nice to have

• Experience with Kotlin and Java.
• Proficiency with DynamoDB, MySQL, Terraform, and GitLab CI/CD.
• Experience with event-driven architectures and Kafka.
• Exposure to AI-enabled systems and their architectural implications in production.
• Experience breaking monolithic applications into microservices.

Culture & Benefits

• 25 days holiday per year plus Christmas shutdown.
• Premium medical care via Regina Maria and mental health support.
• Annual training budget of up to €1000.
• €200 home office allowance and choice of workstation.
• Ability to work from any country in the world for up to 3 months per year.
• Regular social gatherings with a monthly employee allowance.