Distinguished Software Architect (Head of Water Architecture)

Autodesk•Los Angeles, CA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Autodesk Water is reimagining how water infrastructure is planned, designed, and operated. We are evolving a portfolio of trusted desktop and cloud products — including InfoWorks ICM, InfoDrainage, Info360 Asset, and our hydraulic simulation engines — into a connected, platform-native system of intelligence that helps utilities and engineering firms move from modeling water systems to operating them with confidence. We are looking for a Distinguished Software Architect to set the technical vision and target architecture for the Autodesk Water product portfolio. This is a senior individual contributor role with broad influence: you will be the lead architectural voice across every Water product, partnering directly with the development leads of our product teams and with architects across AEC and the Autodesk Platform. You will own the architectural strategy that takes us from today’s mix of desktop and cloud applications to a coherent, AI-enabled, decision-grade system spanning simulation, asset intelligence, and operations. You will be a member of the Water Leadership Team, working directly with Product Management, Engineering, and UX leaders, and representing Water architecture across Autodesk’s broader platform and AI initiatives.

Requirements

15+ years of experience as a software engineer / architect, including hands-on development
5+ years in a senior architecture role in a SaaS business pursuing a platform strategy
A track record of delivering desktop and cloud software at scale, spanning products and industries
Demonstrated ability to organize and drive the design and execution of systems larger than a single team — through influence rather than direct authority
Self-directed, with an ability to identify points of leverage, set strategy, and work efficiently amid ambiguity in complex, global, matrixed environments
BS or MS in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent experience
Sought out by other teams, leaders, and customers for architectural expertise
Recognized for innovative work, such as via patents, publications, or conference presentations
Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills, across global technical and non-technical audiences
Demonstrated success working across cultures and time zones

Nice To Haves

An advanced degree in Computer Science or related field
Experience transforming enterprise-level desktop applications to cloud and hybrid desktop-cloud architectures
Deep understanding of modern software design patterns, cloud best practices, DevOps and DevSecOps, and the AWS Well-Architected Framework
Experience designing systems for global deployment with regionalization, data residency, and compliance considerations
Hands-on experience applying AI/ML in product workflows, particularly where domain knowledge and trust matter
Industry expert in and contributor to software architecture practice
Experience in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry; familiarity with water, infrastructure, geospatial, or simulation domains is a plus
Familiarity with concept-based software design

Responsibilities

Set and communicate a compelling technical vision for the Water portfolio that spans desktop evolution, cloud-native services, hybrid desktop-cloud workflows, data strategy, and the application of AI — with pragmatic, incremental plans to get there
Take direct accountability for portfolio-level architectural decisions, and drive decision-making in partnership with product development leads, engineering leadership, and stakeholders
Apply architectural and systems thinking to influence product strategy, planning, and execution across simulation, asset intelligence, and operational workflows
Identify Water’s opportunities to reuse and contribute to Autodesk platform capabilities — Forma and Forma Data Management, AI Accelerator, CloudOS, regional infrastructure, identity, and observability
Drive the design of secure, reliable, performant systems that respect customer data and meet operational goals appropriate to mission-critical water infrastructure
Define and evolve the components, relationships, and governing principles that shape Water’s architecture across cloud, desktop, and hybrid environments
Establish strong interface and data modeling design across hydraulic simulation, asset records, geospatial data, and operational telemetry — applying coupling and cohesion to make a portfolio of products feel like one system
Govern interoperability with Autodesk Civil 3D and other AEC products, ensuring shared object models and bidirectional design-to-modeling workflows hold up at scale
Establish and enforce standards and practices for software design; define views, diagrams, and other formalisms used to articulate and review designs.
Lead architecture reviews and forums to promote best practices, align on architecture decisions, and ensure non-functional qualities (performance, reliability, security, privacy) hold up across the portfolio
Maintain and apply expert-level, current knowledge of architectural patterns, distributed systems, and emerging technologies, including AI/ML and hybrid desktop-cloud computing
Partner closely with the development leads across each Water product team, providing architectural direction without direct authority — building the trust and clarity that makes alignment durable
Collaborate with software architects across AEC, the Autodesk Platform, and other divisions to ensure cohesive system-level design that supports cross-product workflows
Work with Product Management, UX, and Engineering leaders to translate complex problems — hydraulic modeling fidelity, ingestion of legacy and partner data, operational scale — into pragmatic architectural direction
Demonstrate sound technical judgment by soliciting feedback from stakeholders, weighing trade-offs, and anticipating long-term impact
Lead or participate in Autodesk-wide technical working groups; build durable peer relationships across the Chief Architect organization and divisional architecture teams
Communicate effectively and proactively on technical topics to varied audiences — from engineering teams to executive leadership and customers
Take complex ideas and convey them concisely, using diagrams and written narratives that hold up under scrutiny
Foster a culture of architectural rigor and knowledge sharing across the Water development teams and broader Autodesk technical community
Mentor senior engineers and emerging architects across the Water organization.
Play a leading role in Autodesk technical conferences and forums, with the option to publish or present externally