What we are looking for
We are looking for a Staff Infrastructure Architect to own the infrastructure of our growing Reconciliation platform. You'll set the direction, architecture and design for our platform, focusing on performance, stability, security and how to integrate newer technologies. You will also be setting the technical direction and standards for our team while working alongside senior infrastructure engineers who own day-to-day execution and operational work.
This is a hands-on architecture role, not a pure strategy or management position. You'll write core foundational code and build reference implementations, but the bulk of routine implementation work belongs to the team. Your value is in judgment: knowing where to invest based on business direction, designing for scalability and lower long-term maintenance burden, and raising the technical ceiling of the team.
What you'll do
Set and own infrastructure architecture direction. Drive architecture, scalability, and performance decisions across the platform.
Provide technical leadership and mentorship to senior infrastructure engineers by reviewing designs, unblocking hard problems, and playing a key role in deepening the team's expertise.
Establish infrastructure standards and patterns for the team to create a high benchline for quality, performance and maintenance of the system.
Stay hands-on: prototype, build critical-path components, and get into the code where it matters while routine implementation and day-to-day operational work is owned by the senior engineers.
Make and be accountable for infrastructure tradeoff decisions with long-term cost, scalability, or maintainability implications.
What you'll bring
BS in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience.
8+ years of hands-on experience designing and owning large-scale distributed infrastructure, including a track record of owning architecture decisions yourself, with 4+ years serving as a technical lead and mentoring engineers.
Deep expertise with AWS & Kubernetes. Minimum 5+ years experience with each.
Expertise in Linux and Windows server environments, with strong experience building and maintaining cloud infrastructure on AWS and Azure.
Proficiency with infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform and ArgoCD, and scripting languages including Bash and Python.
Experience with data infrastructure and processing technologies such as Spark and MSSQL. Experience building the systems that power high-volume transactional workloads, ideally in finance space. Cybersecurity experience is a plus.
A track record of building infrastructure that scales, stays available, and remains secure, using Agile practices to ship reliably.
About you
You work openly and collaboratively with diverse teams, and you're energized by driving engineering excellence through better standards, processes, and shared knowledge.
You welcome constructive feedback, actively inviting debate and rigorous discussion around your architectural ideas to deliver optimal outcomes.
This role is architecture-led, not implementation-led — we're looking for someone who has owned and been accountable for infrastructure design decisions, not someone whose primary experience is executing infrastructure designed by others. This is also a technical leadership role, not a people-management position.
WHO WE ARE
Do Your Best Work
The opportunity to build in a fast-paced start-up environment with experienced industry leaders
A learning environment where you can dive deep into the latest technologies and make an impact. A professional development budget to support other modes of learning.
Thrive in an environment where no matter what race, ethnicity, gender, origin, or culture they identify with, every employee is a respected, valued, and empowered part of the team.
In-office collaboration for moments that matter is important to our culture, and we give managers and teams the flexibility to decide which 10+ days a month they come in.
Bi-weekly all-company meeting - business updates and ask me anything style discussion with our Leadership Team
We come together for moments that matter which include team offsites, team bonding activities, happy hours and more!
Take Control of Your Finances
Competitive salary, bonuses, and equity
Competitive benefits that cover physical and mental healthcare, retirement, family forming, and family support
Employee giving match
Mobile phone stipend
Take Care of Yourself
R&R days so you can rest and recharge
Generous wellness reimbursement and weekly onsite & virtual programming
Generous vacation policy - work with your manager to take time off when you need it
Industry-leading parental leave policies. Family planning benefits.
Catered lunches, fully-stocked kitchens with premium snacks/beverages, and plenty of fun events
Benefits listed above are for full-time employees.
Ripple is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We do not discriminate against qualified employees or applicants because of race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, military status, or any other characteristic protected by local law or ordinance.
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