Chief Architect

Sugar CRM•Denver, CO

61d•$180,000 - $240,000•Hybrid

About The Position

From the very beginning, SugarCRM had a unique vision: to offer a different kind of customer relationship management (CRM) software. We pioneered a solution that easily adapts to customer needs, and now, more than two decades later, we're on a mission to help sales teams reach their highest potential. Our diverse team around the world shares a passion for helping customers succeed. Together, we're building a culture that values personal and professional growth-and we're proud to be recognized as a Great Place to Work. We care about work/life balance and flexibility for our employees, and we're proud of how we show up for our customers every day. If you're looking to level up your career and help businesses grow better and faster, you're in the right place. Learn more about SugarCRM careers and how you can be part of our journey. This role operates on a hybrid model, with a mix of remote work and in-office collaboration at our Denver, CO location, specifically, working in-office a minimum of 3 days per week. Where You Fit In: SugarCRM is seeking a strategic, technically fluent, and business-minded transformation focused leader to serve as our Chief Architect. This role is ideal for a systems thinker who can translate business strategy into actionable technology strategy shaping the architecture that powers SugarCRM's next decade of innovation. SugarCRM is in the midst of a multi-year platform modernization, transitioning from a monolithic application architecture to a cloud-native, microservices-based platform on AWS. This role will lead the architectural strategy for this transformation, including: Parallel operation of legacy and modern systems during migration Gradual migration of customers and capabilities while maintaining business continuity Defining the target state architecture while pragmatically managing the transition path Balancing technical debt reduction with new capability development This is a transformation role, not a steady-state architecture position. The Chief Architect will lead the architecture function, define the north star for our platform evolution, and ensure that technology decisions accelerate our business objectives. The ideal candidate brings a rare blend of strategic clarity, deep technical judgment, and leadership presence capable of influencing across the executive team and inspiring a global team of architects and engineers.

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent experience.
12+ years in software architecture or engineering leadership
5+ years managing teams of architects or senior engineers, with at least one major platform modernization (monolith to microservices) successfully completed.
Proven experience shaping architecture for large-scale SaaS or enterprise software products.
Proven track record leading large-scale platform modernizations (e.g., monolith to microservices, legacy to cloud-native).
Experience with enterprise PHP applications or similar legacy platforms requiring modernization.
Demonstrated ability to architect parallel operations strategies during major migrations.
Success balancing innovation with legacy system maintenance.
Deep understanding of distributed systems, cloud-native design, data modeling, and integration architectures.
Strong grasp of AWS ecosystem (primary platform) including EKS, Lambda, RDS, DynamoDB, EventBridge, and core infrastructure services and modern infrastructure practices (e.g., Kubernetes, CI/CD, infrastructure as code).
Experience guiding system evolution toward modular, scalable, API-first, and service-oriented design patterns.
Demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Track record of delivering architectural transformations that improved scalability, reliability, and developer velocity.
Experience building or governing architecture frameworks and design review processes.
Experience leading distributed and offshore engineering teams.
Success establishing architectural standards across multiple development locations.
A balanced mindset that allows you to think strategically but act pragmatically.

Responsibilities

Lead architectural governance including approval authority for major design decisions.
Partner with executives and functional leaders to understand business goals and translate them into a coherent, prioritized, and executable technology roadmap.
Establish and evolve a clear architectural blueprint that aligns with business priorities, product direction, and operational realities, including defining the migration path from legacy monolithic architecture to cloud-native microservices.
Provide architectural guidance and financial rationale for key technology bets, ensuring scalability and long-term return on investment.
Build, mentor, and empower a team of domain architects across application, data, integration, and infrastructure disciplines, growing from 1 to approximately 5 architects within the first year.
Implement frameworks for decision-making, technical standards, and measurable architectural health indicators.
Establish and lead architectural standards, principles, and review processes that balance agility with long-term maintainability and scalability.
Partner closely with engineering and cloud leadership to ensure architecture decisions accelerate product development and drive operational excellence.
Guide modernization efforts including cloud-native design, microservices evolution, event-driven architectures, and API strategy, with specific focus on managing parallel operations of legacy and modern systems during the transition.
Ensure consistency across systems, from customer-facing applications to internal services, data pipelines, and analytics platforms.
Work with Product Management, Security, Product Support, and Cloud Operations to ensure platform evolution aligns with business needs, compliance, and customer expectations.
Translate complex technical strategies into clear narratives for executives, engineers, partners, and customers.
Contribute architectural guidance to major initiatives such as platform convergence, and AI-driven product capabilities.
Define key metrics for architecture effectiveness and ensure continuous improvement through feedback loops and technology assessments.

Benefits

Excellent healthcare package for you and your family
Savings and Investment - 401(k) match
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Paid Parental Leave
Online Legal Services (Rocket Lawyer)
Financial Planning Services (Origin)
Discounted Pet Insurance (Embrace Pet Insurance)
Corporate Benefit Program (Working Advantage). This benefit offers you exclusive travel and entertainment offers and special discounts that are not available to the general public
Health and Wellness Reimbursement Program
Travel Discounts
Educational Resources - Career & Personal Development Program
Employee Referral Bonus Program
We are a merit-based company - many opportunities to learn, excel and grow your career!