Banyan Software provides the best permanent home for successful enterprise software companies, their employees, and customers. We are on a mission to acquire, build and grow great enterprise software businesses all over the world that have dominant positions in niche vertical markets. In recent years, Banyan was named the #1 fastest-growing private software company in the US on the Inc. 5000 and amongst the top 10 fastest-growing companies by the Deloitte Technology Fast 500. Founded in 2016 with a permanent capital base setup to preserve the legacy of founders, Banyan focuses on a buy and hold for life strategy for growing software companies that serve specialized vertical markets.
Location: Chennai, India
Squad Alignment: Product Innovation Squad – Chennai
Type: Full-Time
POSITION SUMMARY
We are seeking a Principal Engineer / Software Architect to lead technical design and execution within a cross-functional, high-velocity product development squad. This role combines deep technical expertise, hands-on implementation, and strategic partnership with product leadership to deliver scalable, cloud-native web and mobile applications.
The ideal candidate will anchor architecture, mentor engineers, drive engineering quality, and serve as a co-lead (alongside the Product Owner) in executing the roadmap set by the US-based Chief Product Officer. You will also contribute to organizational DevSecOps maturity, ensure production-grade standards, and champion long-term system sustainability.
This role is central to shaping both the product and platform architecture and requires an individual who thrives on autonomy, takes full ownership of engineering outcomes, and sets a high bar for quality and execution.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Architecture & System Design
- Design and evolve full-stack architecture (frontend, backend, APIs, infrastructure) for high-availability SaaS platforms.
- Translate product roadmap into scalable, secure, and extensible technical solutions.
- Define and maintain architecture artifacts, system documentation, and technology standards.
- Guide trade-off decisions (build vs. buy, tech debt vs. speed) based on product, business, and team realities.
Technical Leadership & Mentorship
- Serve as the technical authority and mentor for a 5–6 member engineering squad.
- Conduct code and architecture reviews, enforce coding standards, and support secure coding practices.
- Lead incident resolution, performance optimization, and root cause analysis as needed.
- Champion continuous learning and advocate for engineering excellence across squads.
DevSecOps, Quality, and Automation
- Collaborate with the SET to enforce CI/CD, test automation, infrastructure-as-code, and observability best practices.
- Ensure system reliability, maintainability, and deployability across development and production environments.
- Support implementation of runtime quality gates (e.g., performance thresholds, logging standards, automated rollbacks).
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner closely with the India-based Product Owner and US-based CPO to align on roadmap feasibility and delivery sequencing.
- Work collaboratively with QA, designers, and DevOps teams to ensure holistic solution design.
- Participate in sprint planning, backlog grooming, and estimation efforts.
Organizational Influence
- Contribute to the development of scalable engineering frameworks and shared tooling for future squads.
- Participate in “Tribe Syncs” to align architecture and delivery across teams and regions.
- Help define and enforce best practices through Engineering Chapters and playbooks.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required Experience & Skills
- 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, including 3+ years in a senior/principal/architect-level capacity.
- Expertise in TypeScript, Node.js, React, and PHP frameworks (Laravel, Moodle).
- Experience with Agentic AI tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor) to enhance productivity and code quality is required
- Strong track record building SaaS applications in cloud environments (AWS preferred).
- Deep experience with containerization (Docker), orchestration (Kubernetes), and Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform).
- Familiarity with observability tools (Datadog, Prometheus, Sentry, etc.) and logging frameworks.
- Proficient in CI/CD platform design (e.g., GitHub Actions, GitLab CI).
- Fluent in secure architecture practices and capable of implementing DevSecOps pipelines.
Desired Attributes
- Experience designing for both web and mobile (React Native or equivalent cross-platform frameworks).
- Solid understanding of relational and NoSQL databases and distributed system principles.
- Exceptional problem-solving, communication, and documentation skills.
- Bias for action, clarity, and accountability in distributed team environments.
- Passion for mentoring and growing engineering talent.
WORKING MODEL & CULTURE
- Embedded within a Spotify-style Product Innovation Squad.
- Expected to work cross-functionally with a Product Owner, Software Engineers, SET, and Scrum Master.
- Autonomous in delivery but aligned through structured rituals (planning, demos, retrospectives) and regular CPO syncs.
- Engineering culture that values documentation, continuous delivery, and test-first development.
WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS
This role defines the technical backbone of a high-stakes, modern SaaS platform and sets the tone for future architectural scalability across the organization. As the squad’s Principal Engineer, you will play a foundational role in shaping systems, growing engineering capabilities, and ensuring that delivery aligns with long-term business and product goals.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Equal Employment Opportunity at Banyan: Banyan affirms that inequality is detrimental to our Global Teams, associates, our Operating Companies, and the communities we serve. As a collective, our goal is to impact lasting change through our actions. Together, we unite for equality and equity. Banyan is committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of any protected characteristic, including race, color, genetic information, creed, national origin, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, lawful alien status, ancestry, age, marital status, or protected veteran status and will not discriminate against anyone on the basis of a disability. We support an inclusive workplace where associates excel based on personal merit, qualifications, experience, ability, and job performance.
