Tech Lead / Solution Architect – Backend, Workflow Engine, SSO, Observability, QA

Team: IT

Location: UK

Commitment: Full-time

Workplace Type: remote

Accountabilities

• Own backend architecture and technical direction, translating product goals into scalable and maintainable production solutions.
• Define the architecture boundaries and minimal service contracts, including APIs and event-driven interfaces required for the MVP.
• Design the core data model, including Matter IDs, mapping rules, and idempotency keys to ensure reliable and consistent processing.
• Build and define the workflow layer with retry and backoff strategies, dead-letter handling, replay capabilities, deduplication, and resilient failure recovery.
• Establish security architecture covering SSO, role-based permissions, access controls, and secure secrets management.
• Implement comprehensive audit trails that clearly capture who performed an action, what occurred, when it happened, and why, supported by correlation IDs and distributed tracing.
• Design and implement observability practices covering structured logging, metrics, tracing, system health, and operational troubleshooting.
• Establish robust QA gates covering integration, end-to-end, and regression testing for critical workflows such as document delivery, deadlines, and audit functionality.
• Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to make pragmatic architectural decisions and ensure solutions are ready for production.
• Contribute hands-on code and technical implementation while maintaining a strong focus on reliability, security, maintainability, and operational excellence.

Requirements

• Senior-level experience in backend engineering and solution architecture, with a proven track record of shipping production systems.
• Strong understanding of distributed systems and failure modes, including retries, idempotency, consistency, race conditions, deduplication, and recovery strategies.
• Hands-on experience designing and implementing backend services, ideally using Python and frameworks such as FastAPI.
• Strong knowledge of relational databases, particularly PostgreSQL.
• Experience with queues and event-driven architectures using technologies such as NATS, RabbitMQ, Kafka, or comparable platforms.
• Strong understanding of APIs and integrations with external platforms and services.
• Experience implementing OIDC, SSO, authentication, authorization, roles, permissions, and secrets management.
• Practical knowledge of observability and monitoring technologies such as OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, ELK, or similar platforms.
• Strong experience with integration, end-to-end, and regression testing, including integrating automated QA into CI pipelines.
• Familiarity with Docker and modern software delivery practices.
• Ability to independently make architecture decisions, define technical contracts, and translate ambiguous requirements into actionable solutions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proactive approach to identifying reliability, security, and scalability risks.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to explain technical decisions clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Comfortable working autonomously in a project-based environment and taking ownership from architecture through implementation and delivery.

Benefits

• 100% remote working arrangement, with a preference for candidates working within European/CET time zones.
• Full-time or part-time engagement options.
• Freelance/project-based working arrangement.
• Opportunity to shape the architecture of a new Legal OS MVP from the ground up.
• High level of technical ownership and autonomy.
• Hands-on work across backend engineering, workflow automation, security, observability, and QA.
• Opportunity to build reliable, security-focused systems designed for real-world legal workflows.
• Start as soon as possible, with workload and engagement level agreed upon based on project needs.