Software Architect

Brightly is an experience design (XD) and digital transformation (DX) studio focused on turning complex business challenges into elegant, simple software. Brightly is design-led, research-driven, user-focused, and deep on technology. Brightly delivers world-class business software design, product strategy and development expertise to complex custom software projects. Projects we work on include digital products, B2B and B2C e-commerce, SaaS solutions, enterprise web and mobile, as well as proof of concept, prototype and innovative applications in IoT, AR/VR, AI, machine learning and more.

The Brightly team faces unique and complex business issues, therefore we seek team members passionate about their craft with a love for problem-solving, continuous learning, and collaboration. With a geographically diverse team throughout the US, we work best with self-motivated people with strong communication skills. Brightly offers flexibility in work/life schedule, paid training opportunities, and a growing list of benefits.

Brightly is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Software Architect to lead the technical design and oversight of a scalable, microservices-based application platform. This senior technical leadership role requires deep experience in distributed systems, modern web technologies, and cloud infrastructure, particularly Kubernetes on AWS. The platform will be built primarily with React (frontend) and NestJS (backend) using TypeScript across the stack. The Software Architect will be critical in shaping the architecture, development practices, and strategic integration of third-party systems, ensuring the platform’s robustness, extensibility, and performance.

Some of our benefits include:

• Four-day work week (optional based on preference)
• Remote work
• Flexible schedule
• Health insurance
• 401K
• Paid PTO
• Paid holidays
• Parental leave
• Mobile phone stipend
• Paid training opportunities
• Memberships/discounts

What you’ll do

• Architect and design scalable, maintainable, and secure solutions for a platform composed of multiple microservices.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance across multiple teams using React and NestJS in a TypeScript environment.
• Define and enforce best practices in code quality, testing, CI/CD, and observability.
• Oversee the deployment, scaling, and maintenance of services on Kubernetes (EKS) in AWS.
• Develop patterns and tools for consistent, efficient inter-service communication and data interchange with third-party systems (e.g., REST APIs, GraphQL, webhooks).
• Design for extensibility, enabling easy integration of new features and services without impacting system stability.
• Evaluate and recommend technology choices for backend and frontend components, data storage, messaging, and DevOps.
• Collaborate closely with product, security, DevOps, and QA to ensure solutions meet business, performance, and compliance requirements.
• Lead architecture reviews, technical roadmap planning, and internal documentation initiatives.
• Work with a team that loves learning and teaching.

What we’d like to see

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Comfortable working in a distributed team environment.
• Knowledge of front-end architecture, React, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, JavaScript and web standards.
• Experience implementing TypeScript / Javascript server side components and APIs.
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Rush, SST.dev, and Nest.js is highly desirable.
• Proven experience working with AWS or Azure Cloud platforms.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with a diverse group of people.
• Compassion and empathy for our clients and their customers’ needs.
• Loves logic and problem solving.
• Possesses working knowledge of developing for accessibility.
• Knowledge of responsive and adaptive design principles and translating into fluid and responsive templates.
• Strong working knowledge of developing cross platform/browser compatibility (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Opera, etc.) for dynamic web applications.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot complex issues.
• Experience with using source/version control software to collaborate with fellow team members.
• Experience with containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) is a plus.

Nice to have

• Experience with project management tools like Jira, Azure DevOps, and GitLab.
• Database experience with NoSQL and SQL.
• Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines especially BitBucket Cloud and Github Actions.

Schedule, location, and travel

• Full-time salaried, but open to contract-to-hire.
• Fully remote, partially remote, or on-site in either our Grand Rapids office or Traverse City location depending on applicant’s location and preference.
• Brightly has national clients so some occasional travel may be required.