Principal Software Architect

Principal Software Architect & Lead Engineer

Location: Remote, US (Portland or SF preferred)

Compensation: $170k–$200k + Equity

Reports to: CTO

Banking integrations are traditionally rigid, brittle, and human-heavy. At Zelody
, we aren’t just "mapping APIs"—we are building an agentic orchestration backbone that treats financial data as a living, self-correcting ecosystem.

We are looking for a visionary Architect who codes. You aren’t here to maintain a roadmap; you are here to challenge the very premise of how money moves. You will design the "AI-First" patterns that replace legacy middleware, moving us from static ETL to autonomous, intent-driven data flows.

This is a high-leverage position combining system design, hands‑on execution, and technical mentorship. As our first Principal-level hire, you will:

• Design the "AI-Native" Blueprint: Move beyond wrappers. You will architect a system where LLMs and Agentic frameworks aren't just features, but the core logic of the orchestration layer.
• Code the Foundation: Spend 60–70% of your time in the IDE, building the high‑stakes components of our event‑driven architecture (Type Script/Node/Python).
• Lead & Scale: Act as a player‑coach. You will oversee a lean team of engineers, conducting deep code reviews and setting the standard for "Zelody-grade" engineering.
• Deconstruct Legacy Constraints: Analyze how core banking systems (FIS, Fiserv, Jack Henry) communicate and design "agentic bridges" that make integration feel like magic to the end user.

• Architecture over Implementation: You don't just know how to build; you know what to build to make traditional workflows obsolete.
• 7+ Years of Engineering Excellence: You’ve scaled distributed systems in high‑stakes environments (Fintech, Payments, or Defense).
• AI as a First Principle: You have a track record of building with LLMs/Agents where the AI handles the "uncertainty" of data mapping and decisioning.
• The "0 to 1" Scar Tissue: You’ve been in the trenches of a pre‑seed/seed startup and know when to build for "right now" vs. "forever."
• Leadership Maturity: Experience managing or supervising small, high‑output teams. You know how to unblock others without micro‑managing.

• Languages: Deep expertise in Type Script/Node.js and Python (for AI/Data orchestration).
• Infrastructure: AWS‑native, event‑driven architectures, and modern workflow engines (Temporal, etc.).
• Compliance: You treat SOC2, PCI, and GDPR as architectural constraints, not afterthoughts.
• Data: Familiarity with the "alphabet soup" of finance (ISO 20022, NACHA) is a plus, but the ability to automate their translation is the requirement.

We are backed by Counterpart Ventures and The Fintech Fund
, we have revenue, and we have a massive problem to solve. We’re turning "data noise" into a symphony. If you’re tired of building incremental CRUD apps and want to design the autonomous future of finance, let’s talk.