Software Architect

Backend Architect (AI-Native Enterprise Platform)Harrison Clarke is partnering with an exceptional founding team to build the engineering core of a new category-defining company: an AI-native, agentic system of record for enterprise operations.This is not an incremental SaaS product. It’s a ground-up reimagining of how complex enterprise systems are built, operated, and experienced - replacing brittle workflows, heavy implementation layers, and admin overhead with self-managing, agent-driven infrastructure.The company is backed by leading venture firms and founded by a rare combination of former enterprise platform leaders and deeply technical architects who have built and scaled mission-critical systems from first principles.We are hiring the Founding Backend Architect, a true peer to the CTO, to help design and build the system from 0→1.The Opportunity:Be one of the first senior technical hires, working directly with an experienced technical founder to architect a high-scale, enterprise-grade system from scratch.This is a role for someone who wants to:Design systems that will underpin core operational infrastructure for modern companiesBuild at the intersection of distributed systems, data integrity, and AI-native workflowsDefine the architecture for a platform that must be secure, auditable, highly configurable, and globally scalableOperate as a hands-on architect, not a distant reviewerKey challenges include:Designing transactional, strongly consistent systems with complex domain models (e.g. effective dating, auditability)Building configurable enterprise-grade security models (RBAC, delegated authority, fine-grained access)Architecting for high throughput + low latency in workflow-heavy environmentsCreating self-healing, observable systems that can operate with minimal human interventionDefining guardrails for AI-assisted development and executionDesigning APIs and extensibility layers that are open by designExperience Requirements:Has built and scaled large, complex backend systems (not just maintained them)Is deeply fluent in:Distributed systems designData consistency & transactional integrityFailure modes & resilience engineeringSecurity & privacy in enterprise systemsCan think in multi-year architectural horizons, not just sprint cyclesIs still hands-on and enjoys buildingCan operate as a technical peer to an experienced CTOSaw a system evolve through scale, not just after it stabilisedHave experience in high-scale infrastructure or enterprise platformsUnderstand the tradeoffs of configurability vs. complexity in enterprise productsWhy This Role Is DifferentYou are not inheriting legacy - you are defining the systemYou will help build a product in a category with deep structural pain and no clear winnerThe company is addressing not just software, but the broader implementation and services burden around enterprise systemsYou’ll work with founders who have built and scaled globally-used platformsValidated before build - multiple design partners already committed, with clear signals & high anticipation to adopt earlyThis is the formative build phase - the decisions made here will define the system for years.