Software Architect / Platform Architect

We are looking for a senior Software Architect / Platform Architect to lead the architectural restructuring, stabilization, and next-stage development of an existing B2B platform for commerce, procurement, and supplier management in the UAV / Drone / Aerospace sector.

The platform already includes a working product with many features: supplier marketplace, product catalog, RFQ flows, supplier intelligence, AI product research, logistics compliance, Firebase / Cloud Run deployment, FastAPI backend, React frontend, PostgreSQL / Cloud SQL, and future integrations for AI, maps, suppliers, products, and sales processes.

The goal now is to take a system that grew quickly as an MVP and turn it into a stable, modular, secure, and scalable platform.

## Responsibilities

* Conduct a full technical audit of the codebase, data, APIs, frontend, deployment, and security.
* Define the target architecture for the platform for the next two years.
* Properly divide the platform into modules and domains: Catalog, Suppliers, RFQ, CRM, Logistics, AI Intelligence, Users/Roles, Payments/Funding, and more.
* Redesign API boundaries, data contracts, DTOs, schemas, and service layers.
* Build a gradual migration plan from the current state to an optimal architecture without stopping business development.
* Improve the database structure: PostgreSQL schema, indexes, migrations, JSON fields vs. relational tables.
* Define backend development standards for FastAPI / Python.
* Define frontend development standards for React / TypeScript.
* Design RBAC and permissions for roles such as buyer, seller, supplier, admin, trade partner, and others.
* Improve observability: logs, metrics, tracing, alerts, and health checks.
* Establish a testing strategy: unit tests, API tests, integration tests, smoke tests, and frontend build checks.
* Define a clean CI/CD process for Firebase Hosting and Cloud Run deployments.
* Design the security architecture: secrets, API keys, JWT, rate limits, input validation, and audit logs.
* Plan a future-ready architecture for AI integrations, geocoding, Google Drive/search, supplier matching, and recommendation engines.
* Provide hands-on guidance to the development team and define coding conventions.
* Write architecture documents, ADRs, migration plans, and a technical roadmap.

## What We Need From You

* Significant experience as a Software Architect, Principal Engineer, or Tech Lead in SaaS systems or marketplaces.
* Strong experience in backend architecture, preferably with Python/FastAPI or similar API-based systems.
* Strong experience with React, TypeScript, and modern frontend architecture.
* Experience with PostgreSQL, schema design, migrations, query performance, and data modeling.
* Experience with cloud deployments, preferably Google Cloud, Cloud Run, Firebase Hosting, Secret Manager, and Cloud SQL.
* Ability to enter an existing codebase, understand it quickly, and build a practical improvement plan rather than a theoretical one.
* Experience separating MVP code into a production-grade structure.
* Strong understanding of authentication, authorization, RBAC, and security best practices.
* Ability to decide when to improve, when to leave things as they are, and when to rebuild.
* Excellent communication skills with founders, product leads, and developers.

## Significant Advantage

* Experience with B2B platforms, e-commerce, procurement, or marketplaces.
* Experience with supplier management, RFQ, catalog, CRM, or logistics systems.
* Experience with AI/LLM integrations, search, document extraction, or recommendation systems.
* Experience with Firebase, Firestore, Cloud Run, and GCP.
* Experience leading a major refactor of an existing system.
* Understanding of UAV, aerospace, defense supply chain, or international trade. First Mission in the Role

During the first 30 days, we would like to receive: 1. A full mapping of the existing system.
2. A prioritized list of architectural issues by risk and importance.
3. A target architecture diagram.
4. A 90-day migration plan.
5. Recommendations for database, API, and frontend structure.
6. A unified development standard for the team.
7. A list of quick wins that can be implemented immediately without breaking the product.

## Ideal Profile

We are not looking only for a strong developer. We are looking for someone who knows how to look at the entire system: product, data, code, infrastructure, security, scale, and future development.

The right person will know how to enter an existing and complex system, create order, reduce technical debt, and build a foundation that allows the platform to grow quickly and reliably.

## Current Stack

* Frontend: React, TypeScript, Vite, Tailwind
* Backend: Python, FastAPI
* Database: PostgreSQL / Cloud SQL, local SQLite
* Hosting: Firebase Hosting
* Infrastructure: Google Cloud Run, Secret Manager
* Integrations: AI/LLM, supplier data, product intelligence, Firestore, geocoding, CSV/import flows