Software Architect.

The Software Architect at Nihdi ICT designs the interaction between systems, imposes restrictions on the use of platforms and tools. What is more, he sets global standards shared between supervised systems. This ensures that all solutions, usually composed of many infrastructure elements and software, works well with each other. 

🔑 Key Responsibilities of a Software Architect

The Software Architect's role is a blend of high-level technical oversight , assistance and communication. This multipart responsibility ensures that the Architect remains connected to the technical details and challenges of all the projects under his care  while providing technical leadership,  collaboration  and technical design direction.
The Key responsibilities of an Architect are:

1. Architectural Design & Planning
   
   1. Define software architecture and high-level design for applications and systems.
      
   2. Select appropriate technology stacks, frameworks, and tools.
      
   3. Create architectural blueprints and documentation.
2. Technical Leadership
   
   1. Provide guidance to development teams during implementation.
      
   2. Ensure adherence to best practices, coding standards, and architectural principles.
      
   3. Conduct code reviews and architectural reviews.
3. Requirement Analysis
   
   1. Collaborate with stakeholders to understand business and technical requirements.
      
   2. Translate requirements into scalable, secure, and maintainable solutions.
4. System Integration
   
   1. Design integration strategies for third-party services, APIs, and legacy systems.
      
   2. Ensure compatibility and seamless communication between components.
5. Guard Quality Attributes, non-functional requirements
   
   1. Ensure systems meet non-functional requirements like performance, availability, and security.
      
   2. Identify and address architectural risks, bottlenecks, and scalability concerns.
6. Prototyping & Proof of Concepts (PoCs)
   
   1. Develop PoCs to validate technical approaches and new technologies.
      
   2. Test and demonstrate feasibility of solutions.
7. Stakeholder Communication
   
   1. Act as a bridge between technical teams and non-technical stakeholders.
      
   2. Explain architectural decisions and trade-offs clearly.
8. Technology Evaluation & Innovation
   
   1. Stay updated with emerging technologies and industry trends.
      
   2. Recommend adoption of new tools or practices where appropriate.
9. Governance & Compliance
   
   1. Ensure architectural decisions comply with organizational standards and regulations.
      
   2. Define and enforce software quality and security guidelines.
10. Mentorship & Collaboration
    
    1. Mentor junior engineers and promote knowledge sharing.
       
    2. Foster collaboration across development, operations, QA, and product teams.  

🧠 Key Technical Expertise for a Software Architect

An Software Architect should possess a comprehensive set of technical skills and expertise, including but not limited to the following areas:

1. Software Design & Architecture
   
   1. Deep knowledge of architectural patterns (e.g., layered, microservices, event-driven, serverless).
      
   2. Strong grasp of SOLID principles, design patterns, and modular design.
      
   3. Experience with enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF, Zachman).
      
   4. Experience in using Sparx’s Enterprise Architect
2. Programming & Development
   
   1. Proficiency in at C# , the major programming languages at Nihdi
      
   2. Full-stack development experience (front-end, back-end, APIs).
      
   3. Understanding of software development methodologies (Agile, DevOps, CI/CD).
3. Cloud & Infrastructure
   
   1. Expertise in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
      
   2. Familiarity with cloud-native architectures and services (e.g., serverless, containers, Kubernetes).
      
   3. Infrastructure-as-Code (e.g., Terraform, Azure Bicep).
4. DevOps & Automation
   
   1. CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps).
      
   2. Configuration management and orchestration (Ansible, Docker, Kubernetes).
      
   3. Monitoring, logging, and observability tools (Dynatrace, Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, Azure Monitor).
5. Security & Compliance
   
   1. Knowledge of secure coding practices and application security (OWASP Top 10).
      
   2. Familiarity with identity and access management (OAuth2, JWT, SSO).
      
   3. Understanding of compliance standards (GDPR, NIS2, ISO 27001).
6. Databases & Data Architecture
   
   1. Proficiency with relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server).
      
   2. Experience with NoSQL databases (DocumentDB, MongoDB, Redis).
      
   3. Understanding of data modeling, caching strategies, and data pipelines.
7. API Design & Integration
   
   1. RESTful and GraphQL API design and management.
      
   2. API gateways, service meshes (e.g. Azure Api Gateway, Istio, Envoy).
      
   3. Experience with messaging systems integrations (Azure Service Bus, NServicebus).
8. Scalability & Performance Tuning
   
   1. Load balancing, caching, horizontal scaling techniques.
      
   2. Performance profiling and optimization.
      
   3. Understanding of distributed systems and concurrency.​
      
9. Testing & Quality Assurance
   
   1. Automated testing frameworks (unit, integration, E2E).
      
   2. Test-driven development (TDD), behavior-driven development (BDD).
      
   3. Quality assurance best practices in architecture.​
      
10. Tools & Technologies Ecosystem
    
    1. Proficiency with version control (Git, GitFlow).
       
    2. Experience with project management and documentation tools (Azure Devops, Draw.io).
       
    3. UML, ER diagrams, architecture modeling tools.

🧠 Key Soft Skills for a Software Architect

These soft skills are critical as they enable a Software Architect to coach other developers effectively, interact with other parts of the organization, and ensure that technical strategies align with business objectives.
For an software architect, especially in a .Net environment, key soft skills would typically include:

1. Strategic Thinking
   
   1. Ability to see the big picture and align technical decisions with business goals.
2. Effective Communication
   
   1. Translate complex technical concepts into simple terms for stakeholders, clients, and non-technical teams.
3. Leadership & Mentorship
   
   1. Guide and inspire development teams, promote best practices, and mentor junior engineers.
4. Collaboration
   
   1. Work cross-functionally with product managers, designers, QA, and DevOps to ensure architectural alignment.
5. Problem-Solving
   
   1. Analyze complex technical challenges and design scalable, elegant solutions.
6. Decision-Making
   
   1. Make timely, informed decisions on architecture, tools, and trade-offs under pressure or uncertainty.
7. Adaptability
   
   1. Quickly adjust to new technologies, project requirements, and organizational changes.
8. Negotiation & Influence
   
   1. Defend architectural choices while being open to feedback and alternative ideas from peers and leadership.
9. Time Management
   
   1. Balance long-term architectural vision with short-term development needs and deadlines.
10. Attention to Detail
    
    1. Ensure technical accuracy in architectural plans, documentation, and implementations.
11. Conflict Resolution
    
    1. Address technical disagreements constructively and maintain team cohesion.
12. Customer/Stakeholder Focus
    
    1. Understand user needs and business impact, keeping customer value at the core of architectural decisions.
13. Language Proficiency:
    
    1. ​Mastery of either French or Dutch and English is a must. A passive understanding of the second national language (French or Dutch) is a nice-to-have.