Together we make breakthroughs possible.
At OCLC, we build technology with a purpose: to connect libraries and make knowledge accessible worldwide, because we believe that what is known must be shared. Our teams work with complex global datasets, AI and machine learning, hybrid cloud solutions, and other technologies that connect people and organizations to the information they need. We value the power of unique perspectives and experiences to unlock innovation. At OCLC, your ideas matter, whether you have two years of experience or 20. You’ll learn, create, and problem-solve with technologists, product developers, librarians, researchers, marketing pros, and support teams around the world.
Why join OCLC?
OCLC is consistently recognized as a best place to work by several independent programs. We recognize and reward people and results with a comprehensive Total Rewards package. This means competitive compensation that reflects your unique contributions—performance, experience, and skills—along with exceptional benefits, including best-in-class health coverage, retirement plans with generous company contributions, and a commitment to your overall well-being.
We know the best ideas don’t always happen at a desk. Take a walking meeting around our 100-acre campus or enjoy lunch on the patio. We’re committed to your success—both personally and professionally. Hybrid work environment: For many roles, three days a week on-site, with occasional additional days based on business needs.
Join us in transforming how people everywhere access information and be part of a mission-driven team that makes a global impact.
The job details are as follows:
The Senior Software Architect is responsible for defining and evolving the long-term technical architecture of OCLC’s Resource Sharing platform. This role partners with Engineering, Product, and Technology leadership to create scalable, secure, and resilient solutions that enable innovation while ensuring operational excellence for mission-critical services used by libraries around the world.
As the organization’s senior technical leader, the architect provides vision, establishes architectural direction, and guides engineering teams through complex modernization initiatives. They balance strategic thinking with hands-on technical leadership, evaluate emerging technologies—including AI-enabled engineering practices—and help teams make pragmatic technical decisions that accelerate delivery without sacrificing quality, reliability, or maintainability.
The successful candidate is an influential technical leader who builds alignment across organizations, mentors engineers and technical leads, and drives continuous improvement in architecture, engineering practices, and platform capabilities.
Responsibilities
- Develop and communicate a multi-year architectural roadmap that aligns technology investments with product strategy and business objectives.
- Define and evolve architectural direction that supports long-term product, platform, and business goals.
- Translate business and product requirements into scalable, maintainable, and secure technical solutions.
- Lead modernization efforts involving cloud-native architectures, APIs, distributed systems, and data platforms.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to engineering leadership on complex technical challenges, system design decisions, modernization strategies, and technology investments.
- Evaluate emerging technologies, including AI-assisted software engineering and autonomous development workflows, determining where they create measurable value and improve business outcomes.
- Partner with engineering leadership to improve developer productivity, platform capabilities, and engineering effectiveness through architectural improvements and automation.
- Drive architectural governance through influence and collaboration rather than process, enabling teams to move quickly while maintaining consistency.
- Champion secure, resilient, observable, and highly available system designs.
- Identify and help address technical debt, architectural risks, and cross-team dependencies through pragmatic, business-focused solutions.
- Create lightweight architecture documentation, decision records, standards, and reference patterns that accelerate delivery and promote consistency.
- Mentor engineers and technical leaders, fostering architectural thinking and engineering excellence across the organization.
- Participate in architecture reviews, technology planning, and strategic technical initiatives.
Current Technology Environment
Experience with many of the following technologies is desirable. Candidates are not expected to have experience with every technology listed. The primary qualification for this role is the ability to evaluate technologies, understand architectural tradeoffs, and apply technical expertise to business and product strategy.
Languages
- Java
- TypeScript
- JavaScript
- SQL
Backend & APIs
- Spring Boot
- Spring WebFlux
- REST APIs
- OpenAPI
- OAuth 2.0
- JWT
Cloud & Infrastructure
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- Terraform
- CI/CD Pipelines
- GitHub Actions or Jenkins
Data Platforms
- PostgreSQL
- SQL Server
- MySQL
- Oracle
- Redis
- Event Streaming Platforms
- Search Technologies
Observability
- New Relic
- OpenTelemetry
- Distributed Tracing
- Metrics and Logging Platforms
Engineering Practices
- Agile Development
- Domain-Driven Design
- Test Automation
- Continuous Delivery
- Infrastructure as Code
- AI-Assisted Software Development (GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, etc.)
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required, with 8–10 years of experience demonstrating a high level of technical knowledge and expertise.
- Proven experience designing and evolving large-scale, distributed, cloud-based software systems.
- Strong understanding of modern software architecture, APIs, integration patterns, cloud platforms, and data technologies.
- Experience translating business and product strategy into technical architecture and implementation plans.
- Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across teams without direct authority.
- Experience leading modernization efforts and driving architectural improvements in complex environments.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to balance strategic thinking and practical execution.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Experience mentoring engineers and technical leaders.
- Familiarity with AI-assisted software development tools and emerging engineering practices.
Preferred Characteristics
- Ability to see technology through a business and product lens, balancing innovation, risk, cost, and long-term maintainability.
- Technical breadth across multiple platforms, technologies, and architectural styles.
- Curiosity and adaptability when evaluating new technologies and approaches.
- Collaborative leadership style with the ability to build alignment across teams and stakeholders.
Working Conditions: Normal office environment.
ADA/EAA: The above statements cover what are generally believed to be the principal and essential functions of this job. Specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties.