Application Architect

Company Background

In July 2019, Fourth merged with HotSchedules to establish a global leadership position in end-to-end restaurant and hospitality management technology solutions. The combined entity provides comprehensive software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings including scheduling, time and attendance, applicant tracking, training, inventory management, procurement, HR, benefits, and payroll services. Their solutions support over 120,000 global locations and are backed by teams located in the US, UK, Bulgaria, China, Australia, and the UAE.

Role Summary

We are recruiting an Application Architect to play a vital role in shaping architectural designs for key strategic initiatives. Embedded within delivery teams, the successful candidate will lead by example, offering architectural guidance to engineers to develop scalable, secure, and maintainable software systems aligned with Fourth's standards. You will collaborate closely with software engineers, technical leads, and other architects to deliver pragmatic solutions that balance short-term needs with long-term platform goals.

Core Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee application architecture for strategic projects ensuring scalability, maintainability, security, and compliance with Fourth’s architectural direction.
• Provide hands-on architectural leadership within delivery teams, addressing complex technical challenges and guiding architectural decisions from inception through delivery.
• Apply and help evolve Fourth’s architecture standards, patterns, and engineering principles based on real-world project experiences.
• Create architectural designs, decision records, and technical documentation to communicate design intent and facilitate maintainability.
• Engage in architecture, design, and code reviews to ensure adherence to architectural principles and provide constructive feedback.
• Work collaboratively with business stakeholders, product teams, engineers, and architects to translate requirements into practical, high-quality technical solutions.
• Steer the architectural vision for assigned initiatives balancing business objectives, technical quality, operations, and future-proofing.
• Identify technical risks and architectural debt, partnering with engineering teams to implement necessary mitigation and improvements.
• Design and advance AI-assisted software engineering practices, tools, and pipelines to foster safe, efficient, and consistent software delivery.
• Utilize AI-driven development tools for prototyping, validating, and delivering architectural solutions and reference implementations.
• Research and recommend innovative technologies, frameworks, and architectural approaches that enhance engineering productivity and business value.
• Promote adoption of AI and emerging technologies to improve application features, engineering efficiency, and software quality.
• Mentor engineers and technical leads, sharing knowledge to continuously enhance Fourth’s architectural and engineering practices.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience

• Demonstrated practical experience in application or software architecture and engineering roles.
• Strong familiarity with application design patterns and architectural styles such as microservices, event-driven, and layered architectures.
• Experience working with contemporary application frameworks and technologies.
• Competence in API design, microservices, and distributed systems architectures.
• Excellent collaboration and analytical problem-solving abilities with effective communication of complex solutions.
• Capability to lead projects and teams effectively in dynamic, fast-paced environments.
• Proficiency in one or more programming or scripting languages.
• Comprehensive understanding of the full software development lifecycle.
• Experience or knowledge of cloud platforms, ideally Microsoft Azure, and their application services.
• Awareness or hands-on experience with AI technologies and their integration into software development and productivity enhancement.

Benefits

• Generous holiday entitlement starting at 25 days, increasing up to 30 with service, plus your birthday off and bank holidays.
• Flexible working arrangements including flexible hours and hybrid work options.
• Well-being and pampering activities, plus discounts on gym memberships.
• Provision of necessary IT equipment such as laptops.
• Healthcare expense reimbursement tools.
• Support for professional development including certifications.
• Annual company meetups.
• Enhanced parenting support programs.
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan options.
• Comprehensive pension and life insurance plans with multiple choices.
• On-demand pay facilities enabling early access to earned salary.

Additional Information

All personal data submitted during the application process is handled solely for recruitment purposes following Fourth Ltd's privacy policies. Fourth is committed to equal opportunity employment, ensuring fair consideration free from discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, race, age, marital status, disability, or other protected characteristics.