Software Architect

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Software Architect with a strong SaaS background to lead architecture within the Assets (DAM) domain.

This role combines deep domain ownership with organization-wide architectural responsibility. You will be part of the Assets R&D group, reporting directly to the group manager, working closely with product and engineering teams, and at the same time a member of the Architecture Team, collaborating with other domain architects under the leadership of the Chief Architect.

You will define and drive the architectural vision of the Assets domain while ensuring alignment with Cloudinary’s broader system architecture, platform standards, and long-term technical strategy.

What You’ll Do - Domain Architecture:
• Own and evolve the architectural vision and long-term roadmap for the Assets domain.
• Define domain boundaries, core services, and major technical decisions.
• Ensure the system supports scale, availability, multi-tenancy, security, compliance, and operational excellence.
• Establish architectural standards and guardrails across teams.

Cross-Organization Leadership:
• Represent the Assets domain in the Architecture Team and contribute to company-wide architectural decisions.
• Ensure alignment and interoperability with other domains.
• Contribute to cross-cutting concerns such as reliability, security, observability, and cost efficiency.
• Mentor senior engineers and elevate architectural practices within the group.

How You’ll Work:
• Be embedded in the Assets group while aligned with the Architecture Team.
• Engage early in strategic and planning discussions to shape direction.
• Promote clear documentation of trade-offs and rationale.
• Act as an enabler who helps teams move fast with strong architectural foundations.

You Should Have:
• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including hands-on system design in large-scale SaaS environments.
• Proven experience designing distributed systems with strong focus on scalability, availability, resiliency, security, and multi-tenancy.
• Experience defining architectural vision and guiding multiple teams.
• Strong knowledge of cloud-native architectures (AWS or equivalent) and modern distributed system patterns.
• Strong communication skills and experience working across domains.

Nice to Have:
• Experience in DAM, media management, CDN, or content platforms.
• Experience integrating AI/ML capabilities into production SaaS systems.
• Familiarity with modern backend stacks such as Go, Ruby, or Node.