Java Application Architect

NOTE: THIS POSITION IS TO JOIN AS W2 ONLY.

Senior Java Application Architect

Location: Burbank, CA (Hybrid – 3 days on-site)

Duration: 10 Months

The Role: The Senior Application Architect plays a critical role in shaping the technical foundation of Studio Economics applications—ensuring consistency, scalability, and architectural integrity across the front-end, back-end, and integration layers. Embedded within the Platform Pod, this role collaborates with Engineering Leads, Technical Product Owners, Cloud and Data Architects, and Full-Stack Developers across both product pods and shared platform teams to drive alignment in application design, technology choices, and system integration. The Application Architect enables delivery teams to move quickly without compromising quality, performance, or future extensibility.

Job Responsibilities:

Lead Application Architecture and Integration Strategy

• Define and uphold application architecture patterns across product pods, including principles for modularity, component reuse, scalability, and system layering.
• Design interaction models and integration strategies between applications and platform services (e.g., APIs, orchestration layers, shared data services).
• Drive the evolution toward service-oriented and event-driven architectures that support continuous delivery and platform interoperability.
• Partner with Data Science teams to support the embedding of AI/ML capabilities (e.g., predictive forecasts, scenario recommendations) into user-facing tools.

Provide Technology Leadership Across Pods

• Evaluate and recommend front-end and back-end technologies (e.g., Angular, React, Spring Boot, Python, Java), frameworks, and design patterns that align with the program’s goals.
• Establish shared conventions for critical concerns such as authentication, authorization, state management, error handling, and performance tuning.
• Integrate security-by-design into the application stack, ensuring compliance with WBD standards and data privacy requirements.

Enablement, Mentorship, and Collaboration

• Serve as a trusted advisor and technical mentor to Full-Stack Engineers and Engineering Leads across pods.
• Lead architecture syncs and design reviews to align on shared services, API contracts, and UI integration touchpoints.
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve technical cohesion across pods through common libraries, reusable services, and design templates.

Documentation and Governance

• Create and maintain clear, accessible architecture documentation, including system diagrams, interface contracts, component maps, and decision logs.
• Actively participate in architecture review boards and program-level design sessions—ensuring decisions scale across Studio Economics.
• Support the intake and evaluation of new technical requirements, including prototyping and feasibility assessments when needed.

Must Have Skills:

• Strong hands-on proficiency in Java, Angular, Spring Boot, and RESTful API design, with working knowledge of Python and asynchronous messaging patterns.
• 7-10+ years of experience.
• Experience working within microservices and full-stack architectures, including containerization and integration with CI/CD pipelines.
• 7-10+ years of experience.
• Deep understanding of multi-tier application patterns, domain-driven design, and UI-to-data integration strategies.
• 7-10+ years of experience.

Soft Skills:

• You’ll thrive in this role if you:
• Think in Layers and Interfaces
• You understand how to design software that is modular, extensible, and easy to evolve—balancing separation of concerns with end-to-end usability.
• Bridge Strategy with Execution
• You can translate abstract architectural direction into concrete technical designs that development teams can deliver on, iteratively and reliably.
• Lead Through Enablement
• You empower engineers by providing frameworks, guidance, and guardrails—rather than control—so teams can move fast and build responsibly.
• Value Consistency Without Rigidity
• You know when to enforce standards and when to allow for flexibility to meet specialized product needs.
• Communicate with Clarity
• You’re able to translate architectural trade-offs to stakeholders across engineering, product, platform, and business domains.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to influence technical direction and drive consensus across pods and stakeholder groups.

Technology Requirements:

• Strong hands-on proficiency in Java, Angular, Spring Boot, and RESTful API design, with working knowledge of Python and asynchronous messaging patterns.
• Experience working within microservices and full-stack architectures, including containerization and integration with CI/CD pipelines.
• Proven ability to guide architecture decisions across multiple product teams, balancing platform constraints with delivery velocity.
• Deep understanding of multi-tier application patterns, domain-driven design, and UI-to-data integration strategies.
• Familiarity with security, performance, and compliance best practices, especially in systems handling financial data and predictive analytics.