Software Architect- BuyWander

Software Architect – BuyWander Help Us Build the Future of Retail Returns Location: Ideally Spokane, WA but open to hybrid, and remote Type: Full-Time | Salaried Salary Range: $100,000 – $175,000 DOE + Equity  About BuyWander BuyWander is a fast-growing startup reimagining the $800B retail returns industry. We launched in 2024 to help Americans GET AHEAD by offering new and like-new returned items through online auctions and a falling-price bin store. Think: Black Friday meets a treasure hunt—powered by AI and built for everyday people. We’re backed by top investors and are expanding to our second location in the Seattle Metro (just minutes from IKEA and Southcenter Mall). Our mission is simple: Help people win—shoppers, resellers, and retailers alike. Oh, and the Planet. The Opportunity We’re looking for a Software Architect who can guide the design of both our software systems and the Azure cloud infrastructure that supports them. As a key technical leader in our startup, you will define the architecture for a high-volume, low-latency platform, ensuring it is scalable, secure, maintainable, and future-proof. This role requires a blend of application architecture, cloud architecture, and technical leadership. You will work closely with engineering teams to make foundational decisions about how our system is structured, how services communicate, how we scale, and how we deliver world-class performance. Key Responsibilities Application & System Architecture Define the overall architecture for the platform, including service boundaries, APIs, data flow, integration patterns, and system interactions. Provide guidance on application design patterns, modularity, and code-level best practices. Ensure the platform supports high performance, low latency, and future scalability as features evolve. Evaluate and recommend technologies, frameworks, and tools aligned with long-term product strategy. Cloud & Infrastructure Architecture (Azure) Architect scalable Azure infrastructure to support web, API, and data workloads. Select the appropriate compute models (App Services, AKS, Functions, VMs) based on application design and performance goals. Implement high availability, resiliency, and regional strategies to reduce latency and ensure continuity. Performance, Reliability & Scalability Define caching, database access patterns, and distributed system strategies to optimize throughput. Address system bottlenecks at both the application and infrastructure layers. Partner with engineering to implement patterns like CQRS, event-driven systems, or microservices, when appropriate. Deployment & Operational Readiness (Light-weight, Non-DevOps Heavy) Provide architectural input into CI/CD, monitoring, and release strategies (execution handled by DevOps/engineering). Ensure solutions are operationally sound, observable, and easy to maintain. Governance & Technical Leadership Establish architectural standards, coding guidelines, and review processes. Collaborate with engineering leads to guide implementation and ensure alignment with architecture. Promote security best practices across application and infrastructure design. You Are: 6+ years in software architecture or senior engineering roles with responsibility for system design. Strong experience designing scalable, high-performance, low-latency applications. Hands-on knowledge of Azure services for compute, networking, storage, and databases. Strong understanding of distributed systems, API design, and application performance tuning. Experience with relational and NoSQL databases, caching strategies, and asynchronous processing. Ability to communicate architecture clearly through diagrams, documentation, and technical discussions. Azure certifications are a plus but not required. Why Join? You’ll be the architectural backbone of a rapidly growing startup, shaping the technology stack and foundational systems that power our entire platform. You’ll influence high-impact decisions across product, infrastructure, and engineering — ensuring our platform remains fast, scalable, and built for long-term success.