Dunnhumby - Application Architect - .Net Core

About the Role :

We are looking for an Application Architect to join our engineering organization and help shape the future of our SaaS platform. Our platform powers retail media solutions for global retailers and CPGs, enabling end-to-end advertisement campaigns across e-commerce sites, in-store channels, and social media platforms.

This role is pivotal in defining architectural guardrails, frameworks, and patterns that enable multiple squads to deliver scalable, reliable, and secure solutions. You will combine hands-on technical depth with the ability to influence and align engineering managers, lead engineers, and product leaders. This is not an ivory-tower role you will actively partner with teams, ensuring architecture decisions are practical, business-aligned, and execution ready.

What Youll Do :

- Set Guardrails : Establish repeatable patterns for microservices, APIs, identity/auth, observability, and data flows.

- NFR Ownership : Ensure non-functional requirements (scalability, reliability, resiliency, observability, security, maintainability) are embedded into design decisions.

- Cross-Squad Influence : Collaborate with multiple squads (frontend, backend, BFF, platform services) to align on architectural choices.

- Tech Evaluations : Lead structured assessments of new tools and frameworks (e.g., OPA, SpiceDB, caching, API gateways) and guide adoption.

- Decision Frameworks : Move teams away from ad-hoc debates by creating clear frameworks for architectural decision-making.

- Mentorship : Partner with engineering managers and lead engineers to strengthen design level thinking and technical maturity.

What Were Looking For :

- Event-driven architectures (Pub/Sub, Kafka, or similar).

- Databases (Postgres, SQL Server, caching strategies with Redis or Couchbase).

- Identity & authorization frameworks (Auth0, OPA, SpiceDB, OpenFGA).

- Observability platforms (New Relic, Prometheus, Grafana).

- Cloud-native experience (GCP preferred; AWS/Azure acceptable).

- Proven ability to architect SaaS or large-scale product platforms with multi-squad or multi-tenant complexity.

- Strong track record of embedding NFRs into platform and product design.

- Excellent communicator can simplify trade-offs for both engineers and business stakeholders.

- Experience influencing without authority and driving closure across multiple teams.

What Will Make You Stand Out :

- Exposure to API gateway solutions (Apigee, Kong, Ocelot).

- Knowledge of micro-frontend architectures or Backend-for-Frontend (BFF) patterns.

- Passion for balancing innovation with pragmatism.

- A track record of mentoring engineers on design and architecture.