Lead Solution Architect (all genders)

Your creative field:
We are looking for a full-time, permanent Lead Solution Architect (all genders) in Germany to start as soon as possible. We live remote-first, but you have the freedom to choose whether you want to work hybrid or completely on-site due to your proximity to one of our locations.

Your mission with us is to establish Architecture Governance for our products, shape a robust and future-proof software architecture, and introduce effective engineering practices that enable our teams to deliver faster, safer, and more reliably.

You lead primarily through influence rather than hierarchy: by creating clarity, defining standards, facilitating alignment, and enabling teams to succeed. In this role, you work closely with our COO and act as a key sparring partner for Product and Engineering Leads.

Three major areas will define your impact:

Architecture Governance (Product & Software Architecture)• Design and operate a pragmatic governance model (e.g., Architecture Council, Design/Architecture Reviews, ADR/RFC processes)
• Define and maintain architecture principles, standards, and guardrails (patterns, integration standards, NFRs)
• Establish clear boundaries within which teams can make autonomous decisions (decision rights), while ensuring structured escalation and resolution of cross-cutting topics
• Guide target architectures and modernization paths (legacy/monolith to modular or service-based architectures, strangler pattern, stabilization and decoupling)
• Create architectural transparency through clear communication and visualization, enabling Product, Engineering, and Operations to speak the same language (C4 models and ADRs instead of “PowerPoint archaeology”)

Practice Management (Engineering Effectiveness)• Establish and evolve shared engineering practices (Definition of Done, QA gates, release and rollback standards, observability basics, incident and post-mortem standards)
• Focus on enablement rather than control: introduce templates, “golden paths,” practical guidelines, mentoring, and communities of practice
• Build a repeatable improvement cycle based on measurement, feedback loops, and continuous adaptation

Security & Compliance by Design• Embed security and compliance considerations directly into architecture and delivery standards (e.g., OSS/license hygiene, SBOM approaches, audit requirements in software delivery)
• Collaborate closely with Security, Legal, and Compliance teams without becoming the formal audit owner

How will we measure the success of your role?
• Architectural decisions are transparent and traceable (e.g., through ADRs), conflicts are resolved more quickly, and defined standards are actively applied across teams
• Teams deliver with less rework and fewer production incidents 
• Clear release and rollback processes are established and consistently followed
• Modernization and product development follow defined architectural paths, with technical debt actively managed rather than merely documented
• Practice Management is perceived as enablement and support — not as gatekeeping

What convinces us:
Your personality, combined with:

Must-Haves• Several years of experience (5+ years) in Software or Solution Architecture within complex, distributed systems (experience in cloud, hosting, internet-scale or IoT environments is a plus)
• Proven ability to drive impact without formal authority — leading laterally, moderating trade-offs, preparing decisions, and managing stakeholders effectively
• Experience in establishing and operating architecture governance frameworks (reviews, ADRs, standards, decision processes) — pragmatic and outcome-focused rather than bureaucratic
• Strong communication skills: you can explain architecture in a way that enables teams to implement it and allows Product and Business stakeholders to understand it
• Deep understanding of non-functional requirements (reliability, security, performance, cost) and the ability to operationalize them through standards, reviews, and measurable criteria
• Experience with AI-supported development (guidelines, secure usage, quality standards, rollout strategies)
• Excellent English skills and professional fluency in German

Should-Haves• Experience in modernization and decoupling of legacy systems (monolith to modular services), including migration strategies and risk management
• Experience in Developer Experience and enablement initiatives (tooling, templates, standards, platform “golden paths”)
• Solid understanding of common cloud and container ecosystems, Infrastructure-as-Code, and automation (at least at a contextual level)

Awesome Prospects:
At Contabo, we are in a constant state of change. Even through our strong growth, we always remain flexible, and everyone gets the opportunity to actively shape the future of Contabo and of our customers. With us, everyone can develop their full potential in an environment with flat hierarchies, freedom to organize their work and time, direct communication, an open feedback culture, and leave a footprint through creative co-design. 

Plus, we offer further advantages:
• great freedom for your creative ideas
• ongoing professional and personal development opportunities in an innovative and technological environment
• a comprehensive induction with your colleagues by your side
• modern and conveniently located workplaces at our European locations
• Remote or hybrid working opportunities with the same technical equipment at home as in the office
• flexible working hours for a healthy work-life balance
• 30-day vacation by default
• the possibility of working in our summer office in Mallorca, as well as from any EU country
• an extra day off to get involved in social activities as part of our Volunteer Day
• attractive conditions on many products and services through our corporate benefits program
• unforgettable moments at our company events and team events

How to reach us:
You can reach Alina by phone at +49 (0) 89 244 106 7714 or by email at [email protected].