Software Architect

Role Purpose

To define and own the technical architecture strategy for Coats Digital’s SaaS applications, driving convergence onto a unified technology stack of .NET backend with React/Vue.js frontend, hosted on Azure. This role is responsible for designing and evolving a microservices architecture that enables independent deployment, scalability and resilience across our product portfolio.

The Software Architect selects technologies, sets architectural standards and oversees their implementation across product teams. This role bridges strategic vision with hands-on technical leadership, ensuring consistency, scalability and quality across all Coats Digital products whilst guiding the decomposition of monolithic applications into well-defined microservices.

Principal Accountabilities and Key Activities

• Define and evolve the target architecture for all Coats Digital SaaS applications, centred on .NET backend and React/Vue.js frontend.
• Design and champion a microservices architecture, defining service boundaries, communication patterns, data ownership and deployment strategies.
• Own the technology stack strategy, evaluating and selecting frameworks, libraries and tools.
• Oversee the implementation of architectural decisions across product teams, working closely with Tech Leads and developers.
• Guide the decomposition of existing monolithic applications into microservices, establishing a clear migration roadmap.
• Define standards for inter-service communication (e.g. REST APIs, message queues, event-driven patterns) and ensure consistent adoption.
• Create and maintain architectural standards, patterns and guidelines that teams follow.
• Evaluate and recommend Azure services and hosting strategies (Web Apps, Azure Service Bus, Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, API Management, etc.).
• Conduct architecture reviews and provide technical governance across projects.
• Communicate architectural vision and trade-offs to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Stay current with industry trends and assess their applicability to Coats Digital products.
• Champion best practices in security, performance, scalability and maintainability.

People Management Responsibility
(direct / indirect reports)

Key Relationships

(For new roles or where reporting relationships have change, please attach an organisation chart)

Internal
(excluding direct team and manager)

External

• Tech Leads
• Development Teams
• Product Managers
• Scrum Masters
• Quality Assurance Team
• DevOps

Security Auditors

Education, Qualifications and Experience

(Include skills and competencies required to perform the role competently)

Essential

Desirable

• 10+ years of software development experience with significant architecture responsibility.
• Deep expertise in .NET / C# and modern web application architecture.
• Strong experience with React and/or Vue.js frontend frameworks.
• Proven experience designing and implementing microservices architectures, including service decomposition, API gateway patterns, and inter-service communication.
• Strong knowledge of Azure PaaS services (Web Apps, Azure SQL, Service Bus, API Management, Cosmos DB, etc.).
• Experience with API design (RESTful, GraphQL) and event-driven messaging patterns.
• Understanding of containerisation and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes) in the context of microservices deployment.
• Proven experience defining and driving technology strategy across multiple products or teams.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Experience producing architectural documentation (Architecture Decision Records, diagrams, standards).

• Azure architecture certifications (e.g. Azure Solutions Architect Expert).
• Experience migrating monolithic applications to microservices.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps.
• Familiarity with domain-driven design (DDD) principles.
• Experience with observability and distributed tracing in microservices environments (e.g. Application Insights, Azure Monitor).
• Fashion industry or manufacturing experience.