Platform Architect

At Instructure, we believe in the power of people to grow and succeed throughout their lives. Our goal is to amplify that power by creating intuitive products that simplify learning and personal development, facilitate meaningful relationships, and inspire people to go further in their education and careers.

Job Summary

As a Platform Architect at Instructure, Inc., you will be a technical leader and key contributor to the design, development, and delivery of our developer portal and Platform as a Service products and services. You will drive architectural decisions, mentor engineering teams, and ensure the scalability, reliability, and performance of our platforms, directly impacting the Instructure developer experience, and the learning experiences of millions worldwide.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead the architectural design and technical direction for our PaaS product features, services, and platform components, ensuring alignment with overall company strategy and technical vision.
• Drive the development of complex software solutions, writing high-quality, maintainable, and well-tested code across various technologies and platforms.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to multiple engineering teams, fostering best practices in software development, code quality, and system design.
• Collaborate closely with Engineering managers, SRE, and other stakeholders to understand requirements, translate them into technical specifications, and deliver innovative solutions.
• Identify and evaluate new technologies, tools, and methodologies to improve development processes, system performance, and product capabilities.
• Conduct thorough code reviews, provide constructive feedback, and ensure adherence to coding standards and architectural principles.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues, performing root cause analysis and implementing preventative measures.
• Act as a subject matter expert in relevant technical domains, sharing knowledge and expertise across the organization.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of engineering processes, tools, and infrastructure.

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in software development, with at least 3 years in a lead or principal engineering role.
• Deep expertise in designing, building, and scaling complex, highly available, and distributed systems.
• Proficiency in multiple programming languages (e.g., Ruby, Python, Java, JavaScript, Go) and familiarity with modern web frameworks.
• Extensive experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Strong understanding of database systems (relational and NoSQL) and data modeling principles.
• Demonstrated ability to drive technical initiatives from conception to deployment and maintenance.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Proven track record of mentoring and coaching engineers and fostering a collaborative team environment.
• Experience with Agile development methodologies and DevOps practices.