Senior Backend Software Architect

ImmunityBio•El Segundo, CA

About The Position

The Senior Backend Software Architect combines hands-on software development with system architecture and strategic technical leadership. The role leads the design and evolution of scalable, reliable, secure, high-performing, and maintainable backend systems; translates business objectives into architecture and implementation plans; and provides technical direction, mentorship, and communication across engineering and business teams. The architect defines system boundaries, interfaces, data flows, and standards for distributed systems, APIs, event-driven services, and enterprise integrations. The position also contributes production code, prototypes, reviews, and incident investigations while setting expectations for security, data architecture, testing, deployment, observability, and operational readiness. The role collaborates across product, frontend, QA, data engineering, DevOps, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and business functions. This position works on-site or remotely depending on the candidate’s geographic location, as specified in the offer letter. The regular schedule is Monday through Friday during standard business hours, with flexibility subject to manager approval. The position requires working in a standard office setting and using standard office equipment, including a computer. It involves extensive use of computer keyboards and monitors and lifting and carrying materials weighing up to 20 pounds.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a computer science field and 10 or more years of relevant experience.
10 or more years of professional software engineering experience.
3 or more years of experience in an architecture or technical lead capacity.
Advanced proficiency designing, developing, and supporting production backend applications, including substantial responsibility for enterprise architecture or senior technical leadership.
Advanced proficiency in one or more backend programming languages, such as Java, C#, Python, Go, or TypeScript, and ability to review code and guide implementation.
Deep understanding of distributed systems, concurrency, asynchronous processing, fault tolerance, idempotency, retries, caching, and consistency trade-offs.
Strong knowledge of architectural approaches, including modular monoliths, microservices, service-oriented architecture, event-driven architecture, and domain-driven design.
Ability to select appropriate architecture without introducing unnecessary complexity.
Expertise in RESTful APIs and enterprise integration patterns, with familiarity with GraphQL, gRPC, webhooks, and message-based interfaces as applicable.
Strong knowledge of relational and nonrelational databases, including schema design, indexing, query optimization, transactions, replication, and data migration.
Experience with message brokers, event-streaming platforms, background processing, and durable workflow orchestration.
Proficiency with at least one major cloud platform—Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud—and familiarity with hybrid deployment considerations.
Experience with containers, orchestration, serverless computing, infrastructure as code, source control, and CI/CD pipelines.
Strong understanding of secure software design, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, role-based access control, least privilege, and protection of sensitive data.
Experience implementing automated testing strategies, including unit, integration, contract, end-to-end, performance, and security testing.
Ability to define and assess availability, latency, throughput, recovery, and capacity requirements and translate them into practical system designs.
Familiarity with operational monitoring, centralized logging, distributed tracing, incident management, and root-cause analysis.
Ability to assess technology costs, licensing implications, vendor dependencies, and total cost of ownership.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, documentation, and communication skills, including the ability to explain architectural trade-offs to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority, mentor engineers, resolve technical disagreements, and maintain alignment across multiple teams.
Ability to balance delivery commitments with security, reliability, maintainability, and technical-debt priorities.
Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
Outstanding analytical, mathematical, and creative problem-solving skills.
Ability to work on-site or remotely depending on geographic location and the offer letter.
Ability to work in a standard office setting, use standard office equipment, and lift and carry materials weighing up to 20 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Experience with microservices architecture, API design (REST, gRPC, GraphQL), and service mesh technologies.
Experience with event-driven architecture (Kafka, RabbitMQ, SQS, EventBridge) and stream processing.
Previous industry experience in FinTech, Healthcare, or SaaS.
Experience working in regulated or security-sensitive environments.

Responsibilities

Evaluate and select technologies, frameworks, and infrastructure based on scalability, security, and cost efficiency.
Create and maintain architectural decision records, technical roadmaps, and system design documentation.
Lead the architecture, design, and evolution of backend software systems, ensuring scalability, reliability, security, performance, and maintainability.
Translate business objectives and technical requirements into architectural designs, implementation roadmaps, integration patterns, technical specifications, and measurable acceptance criteria.
Define system boundaries, service interfaces, data flows, and architectural standards for distributed systems, APIs, event-driven services, and enterprise integrations.
Provide hands-on technical leadership through prototyping, development of critical components, code and design reviews, and resolution of complex engineering challenges.
Establish standards for API design, authentication, authorization, input validation, error handling, versioning, and backward compatibility.
Design data architectures that support transactional integrity, efficient retrieval, appropriate consistency, data protection, retention, and recovery.
Incorporate security and privacy requirements throughout the software development lifecycle, including threat modeling, secrets management, encryption, access controls, and dependency management.
Partner with DevOps, infrastructure, and security teams to establish automated build and deployment pipelines, infrastructure as code, environment controls, and secure release practices.
Define observability and operational-readiness requirements, including logging, metrics, tracing, alerting, service-level objectives, runbooks, and disaster recovery.
Collaborate with product management, frontend engineering, quality assurance, data engineering, cybersecurity, and business stakeholders to deliver cohesive solutions.
Mentor engineers and technical leads, promote consistent engineering practices, and document architectural decisions, standards, and reference designs.
Support major production incidents through technical investigation, identification of systemic causes, and recommendations for corrective actions.
Review proposed exceptions to architectural standards and communicate risks, trade-offs, and mitigation plans to leadership.
Drive innovation initiatives, R&D projects, and adoption of emerging technologies.
Create, edit, and adhere to Standard Operating Procedures; support process improvements and standardization of templates.
Perform ad-hoc and cross-functional duties or projects assigned to support business needs and provide developmental opportunities.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision plan options.
Health and financial wellness programs.
Employer Assistance Program (EAP).
Company-paid and voluntary life/AD&D insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability.
Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts.
401(k) retirement plan with company match.
529 education savings program.
Voluntary legal services, identity theft protection, pet insurance, employee discounts, rewards, and perks.
Paid time off, including 11 holidays.
Exempt employees are eligible for unlimited PTO.
Non-exempt employees are eligible for 10 vacation days, 56 hours of health pay, 2 personal days, and 1 cultural day.