Staff Software Architect

Who you are

• 8+ years of professional experience in software development, with a primary focus on building and scaling backend systems
• Demonstrated experience with distributed systems and event-driven architecture
• TypeScript/Node.js experience preferred; candidates with a background in another strongly typed language (e.g., Java, .NET) will also be considered
• Experience with containerization and containerized application deployment
• An enthusiast for AI tooling and AI-assisted development practices, with a proven track record of applying them professionally
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to build consensus and keep technical design discussions professional and productive, even when opinions differ strongly
• Willingness to lead, speak up, and be visible and vocal in Architecture and team design meetings
• Comfort pairing directly with engineers and technical leadership, not just producing documentation or recommendations
• Experience with Kubernetes (K8s)
• Experience with the NestJS framework
• Experience designing or using Helm charts
• Experience with Spec-Driven Development tools such as SpecKit, OpenSpec, Intent, Kiro, or similar
• Experience with ArgoCD
• Experience with Datadog
• Experience with contract-first design using OpenAPI and AsyncAPI

What the job involves

• The Architecture Team drives Taskrabbit's Platform Modernization efforts, guiding engineering teams toward our Target State Architecture (TSA). As a Staff Software Architect, you'll serve as an embedded representative of the Architecture team, partnering with engineering teams across the platform to accelerate their modernization work
• You'll operate as a subject matter expert on platform modernization within a small team of architects, applying AI-assisted and Spec-Driven Development (SDD) practices to help teams build new components using our Target State Architecture stack of technologies. This role is hands-on and results-oriented: pairing directly with engineers and technical leads, not just advising from the sidelines
• Acting as the Architecture team's representative to assigned engineering teams, driving platform modernization projects in accordance with the TSA
• Applying AI tooling and Spec-Driven Development practices to help teams modernize the parts of the platform they own
• Pairing with engineers and technical leadership to unblock modernization work and transfer architectural patterns directly into team practice
• Serving as a subject matter expert on platform modernization, advising on migration approach, sequencing, and risk
• Advocating for TSA-aligned solutions in technical discussions, including working through design discussions with engineering leads and other stakeholders
• Collaborating with a small team of architects to maintain consistency across modernization efforts platform-wide
• Writing and reviewing Technical Design Documents (TDDs) and RFCs, and coaching authors to strengthen their proposals
• Defining standards for tooling, coding, processes, AI usage, and documentation strategies that make modernization repeatable across teams
• This is not a purely consultative role. You're expected to engage directly with projects and drive results forward — TDDs, code, and outcomes

Benefits

• Remote first and highly connected
• Employee-covered health care
• 401k with match
• Flexible PTO
• Paid holidays & recharge weeks
• Wellbeing allowance and free access to HeadSpace and Spring Health
• Paid parental leave, adoption assistance, and reproductive health assistance
• Speaker series, career paths, and an annual education allowance
• IKEA discount, Taskrabbit credit, and productivity stipend