Lead Software Architect $200,000 USD/year Pay is set based on global value, not the local market.
Most roles = hourly rate x 40 hrs x 50 weeks
Description
We're expanding platforms relied upon by thousands of students and teams:
- TimeBack: An educational platform driving Alpha School's 2-hour learning framework (99th percentile test outcomes).
- Incept: A content generation platform producing all customized educational materials for multiple learning applications deployed at Alpha School.
- Crossover: An AI-driven hiring platform managing tens of thousands of applicants monthly, staffing schools and organizations worldwide.
You'll take ownership of one platform and dedicate the majority of your time to constructing the most complex components of the codebase with a small team (3-5 experienced engineers, no junior members). The architecture choices you make will dictate whether other teams can ship new applications quickly, integrate seamlessly, and deliver value to students. Correct decisions unlock exponential leverage. Poor choices generate integration chaos and destroy momentum across multiple teams.
You design what you build and operate. You define quality standards and establish patterns for your platform. We operate on a spec-driven approach: design precedes implementation, planning comes before building. You'll have significant autonomy, no committees, no approval boards. This is a small, high-performing team where you're directly accountable for what you deliver.
What you will be doing
- Technical Leadership: Drive strategic architectural choices and define technical patterns your team will adopt.
- AI Leadership: Champion new AI workflows and develop high-impact playbooks.
- Implementation: Construct the complex, mission-critical portions of the codebase with your team.
- Quality Reviews: Verify your team adheres to established patterns and upholds quality benchmarks.
What you will NOT be doing
- Serving as an architect who doesn't write code
- Spending excessive time in meetings
- Managing personnel (this role focuses on technical leadership, not people management)
- Maintaining legacy systems or working on internal IT infrastructure
Candidate requirements
- A minimum of 5 years of professional software development experience delivering software products
- A minimum of 3 years in a lead engineer capacity (conducting code reviews) or architect role (driving key technical decisions)
- Experience building platform-level products where your APIs were consumed by other teams
- Active, deep involvement with AI tools, consistently experimenting and exploring new frontiers
Meet the hiring manager
Applying for a role? Here’s what to expect.
Crossover's skill assessment process combines innovative AI power with decades of human research, to take the guesswork, human bias, and pointless filters out of recruiting high-performing teams.
Chat-style
screening interview.
Cognitive 
aptitude test.
Prove real-world 
job skills.
Interview with the hiring manager.
Accept job offer.
Pass
proctored test.
Frequently asked questions
About the role
Reviews
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Recruitment sucks. So we’re fixing it.
The Olympics of work
It’s super hard to qualify—extreme quality standards ensure every single team member is at the top of their game.
Premium pay for premium talent
Over 50% of new hires double or triple their previous pay. Why? Because that’s what the best person in the world is worth.
Shortlist by skills, not bias
We don’t care where you went to school, what color your hair is, or whether we can pronounce your name. Just prove you’ve got the skills.
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