System Architect

Description

Overview

SKF is looking for an experienced Senior System Architect to play a key role in shaping the architecture and technical direction of our digital platforms and strategic initiatives. The architect will work closely with development teams, product stakeholders, business leaders, and solution architects to design scalable, secure, and future-ready products that support SKF's strategy.

This role requires a unique combination of deep technical expertise, strategic thinking, and exceptional interpersonal skills. The successful candidate will be able to influence without direct authority, align diverse stakeholders around a common vision, and guide development teams toward high-quality architectural outcomes.

Architecture & Technical Leadership

• Define and drive architecture solutions for complex business and technology initiatives.
• Design scalable, secure, and maintainable cloud products aligned with SKF standards and business objectives.
• Lead architecture reviews, technical design discussions, and technology evaluations.
• Establish and communicate architecture roadmaps, standards, and best practices.
• Ensure alignment with cybersecurity, data governance, compliance, quality assurance, and operational requirements.
• Guide teams in applying modern architectural principles including microservices, event-driven architectures, API-first design, and cloud-native development.
• Lead technical investigations, proof-of-concepts, and technology assessments.

Development & Engineering Partnership

• Work closely with software engineers, QA engineers, DevOps engineers, product teams, and business stakeholders throughout the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle).
• Mentor and guide developers on architecture, design patterns, coding practices, scalability, and performance considerations.
• Balance long-term architectural vision with practical delivery needs.
• Drive engineering excellence through architecture governance and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support modernization efforts and migration strategies across applications, platforms, and data ecosystems.

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

• Translate complex technical concepts into clear business language for stakeholders and senior management.
• Present architectural recommendations, trade-offs, risks, and investment proposals to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Facilitate collaboration between business teams, product management, development teams, operations, and leadership.
• Build consensus around architecture decisions while encouraging open discussion and constructive challenges.

Leadership Without Authority

• Lead through influence, credibility, and professional expertise rather than formal authority.
• Drive adoption of architectural standards, best practices, and strategic initiatives across multiple teams.
• Create engagement and ownership by actively listening to different perspectives and incorporating valuable feedback.
• Motivate teams through collaboration, coaching, and technical leadership.
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning, transparency, and excellence.

Main Technologies & Domains

The ideal candidate should have strong experience in several of the following technologies and domains:

Software Development

• React
• Go (Golang)
• Python
• REST APIs
• Microservices
• Event-Driven Architectures
• Container Technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)

Cloud & Infrastructure

• AWS Cloud Services
• Cloud Security
• IaC (Infrastructure as Code)
• CI/CD Pipelines
• DevOps Practices
• Distributed Systems

Data & Analytics

• Snowflake
• Big Data Platforms
• Data Engineering
• Data Modelling
• Data Warehousing
• Data Integration
• Analytics Platforms

Critical Success Factors

Interpersonal Excellence

Success in this role depends as much on people skills as technical expertise.

The ideal candidate will:

• Build strong and trusted relationships across all levels of the organization.
• Be approachable, collaborative, and highly effective in cross-functional environments.
• Understand how to influence decisions through expertise, communication, and trust.
• Listen actively and value diverse viewpoints.
• Navigate disagreement constructively and build alignment across stakeholders.
• Create an environment where developers feel supported, challenged, and empowered.

Communication & Executive Presence

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to explain architectural concepts to developers, business stakeholders, and executive leadership.
• Comfortable facilitating workshops, architecture reviews, and strategic discussions.
• Ability to present technical strategies, investment recommendations, risks, and roadmaps to senior management.

Strategic Thinking

• Ability to connect business objectives with technology decisions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Focus on long-term scalability, maintainability, and business value.
• Ability to identify emerging technologies and evaluate their potential impact on SKF's future platforms and products.

What Success Looks Like

• Development teams are aligned around a clear technical vision.
• Architectural decisions support both near-term delivery and long-term business goals.
• Stakeholders understand and support architectural recommendations.
• Solutions are scalable, secure, maintainable, and cost-effective.
• Teams adopt best practices through influence, mentorship, and collaboration.
• The architect becomes a trusted advisor to both engineering teams and business leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, system architecture, or technical leadership roles.
• Proven experience designing large-scale, distributed, cloud-based systems.
• Strong background in modern software development methodologies and SDLC processes.
• Deep understanding of data platforms, APIs, integrations, and modern engineering practices.
• Experience working in Agile environments and collaborating across multiple development teams.