.NET Microservices Principal Architect

Job Title: .NET Microservices Principal Architect Job Type :|| Full time/Contract ||Location: Houston, TX(Onsite) The client is seeking a highly experienced architect with 12-18 years of software engineering experience, including strong expertise in.NET, Microservices, Cloud Architecture, Distributed Systems, Security, Performance Engineering, Cloud (AWS/Azure), AND AI Exposer.Key Requirements10+ years of C#/.NET enterprise development.7+ years working with microservices and distributed systems.5+ years in architecture, cloud platforms (AWS/Azure), technical leadership, security, and production operations.Deep hands-on experience with:.NET 8, ASP.NET Core, C# 12Microservices, DDD, CQRS, Event Sourcing, Saga patternsKafka, SQS, SNS, Event Bridge, RabbitMQAWS services including EKS/ECS, Lambda, API Gateway, DynamoDB, RDS, CloudWatch, IAMKubernetes, Docker, Terraform/CloudFormation, CI/CDOAuth2, OIDC, JWT, IAM, secure SDLC practicesExposure to AI/LLM integration, including OpenAI APIs, AWS Bedrock, RAG architectures, embeddings, and vector databases is Mandatory.Primary ResponsibilitiesLead enterprise-scale architecture and modernization initiatives.Design and govern cloud-native microservices platforms.Remain hands-on with coding, code reviews, and critical implementations.Drive reliability, observability, security, performance, and scalability improvements.Mentor engineering teams and establish architecture standards and best practices.Preferred Qualifications and CompetenciesAWS Solutions Architect Professional, AWS Security Specialty, TOGAF, CKA/CKAD, or comparable advanced certification.Experience with high-volume platforms, complex modernization, multi-team architecture governance, and AI-powered enterprise solutions.Exceptional architecture judgment, hands-on coding depth, analytical troubleshooting, performance mindset, security ownership, communication, and stakeholder influence.