Chief Architect

Introducing Masabi 

// At Masabi, we’re driving the fare payment revolution, powering the journeys of millions all over the world. We build fare collection platforms that allow riders to seamlessly buy and present tickets for public transport either on their mobile phones, from a ticket machine, or even by tapping their bank card to travel. 

Our Justride platform is used in over 250 locations globally, including some of the largest cities in the world. With our industry-first mobile ticketing SDK, we’ve partnered with large players in the transport space, including Uber, Moovit and Transit. 

Your own journey is important to us too. Choosing a role here means joining a network of innovators from all walks of life; a group of passionate individuals who consistently deliver. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to build the career you want. Whether you’re taking the direct route or trying a new path, we’ll support you no matter what. 

The Role_

// Masabi is hiring a Chief Architect, a collaborative, deeply technical and hands-on leader to shape our technology strategy, embed architectural standards and lead our Data and AI vision for our multi-tenant SaaS platform.

You’ll be Masabi’s key architectural partner, trusted for your clarity, technical insight, and ability to bring people with you. You’ll work across all levels of the organisation to ensure that our architecture supports scalability, resilience, security, and developer experience as we grow.

You’ll partner closely with the CPO and VP of Engineering to co-own strategic implementation, switching easily between 10,000-foot architecture and working in the codebase. You’ll lead our team of four Principal Engineers, supporting their growth, aligning them on technical direction, and fostering collaboration across squads and domains.

You’ll also champion thoughtful, responsible adoption of AI/ML capabilities, both as product features and to enhance developer workflows, embedding AI in ways that deliver meaningful value and long-term impact.

Location_ // This is a remote-first leadership role, open to candidates in the UK. Some occasional travel may be required for planning sessions, strategic customer engagement, or team events.

Responsibilities_

Architectural Leadership

• Partner with the VP of Engineering to define and evolve our long-term architectural vision, acting as the ultimate design authority while aligning with delivery priorities

• Own the architectural direction of Masabi’s multi-tenant SaaS platform, with a strategic focus on AI and Data as innovation streams

• Integrate and balance architectural direction, performance, compliance, and security into a single, outcome-oriented plan

• Establish and embed architectural principles and participate in key design decisions to support alignment across teams

• Promote best practices in system design, infrastructure design, reliability, observability, and performance

• Stay actively engaged with code, tools, and infrastructure, leading through shared standards, not gatekeeping

• Collaborate with product, engineering, and platform teams to de-risk decisions and enable confident delivery

AI Enablement & Technical Innovation

• Identify and nurture opportunities to embed AI/ML into our platform and engineering processes, ensuring value to customers and teams

• Act as a supportive expert in Data and AI development, guiding standards, contributing to code, and enabling scalable, responsible implementation

• Evaluate and recommend emerging tools and practices that improve scalability, reliability, and developer experience

• Partner with Product and Engineering to develop a team that identifies and pilots AI-enabled capabilities that can be commercialised and scaled into the Masabi platform

Technical Influence & Team Alignment

• Collaborate with Product and Engineering leadership to align platform strategy with technical sustainability and scale

• Mentor and coach Principal Engineers and other senior ICs, investing in technical leadership development

• Partner with the VP of Engineering to ensure teams deliver against a coherent architecture, while maintaining agility and shared ownership

• Foster a culture of inclusion, technical excellence, and sustainable delivery practices

Security, Resilience & Compliance

• Collaborate with platform and security teams to ensure alignment with compliance standards (SOC2, ISO27001, PCI)

• Embed secure-by-design and fail-safe patterns across the platform

• Strengthen operational awareness through instrumentation and observability tooling

Our Stack_ // At Masabi, we take a modern, pragmatic approach to technology, optimising for scalability, resilience, and developer experience.

• Kotlin (Backend & Mobile), TypeScript (Web), Python

• KrakenD & Ktor (APIs), Vue/Nuxt (Frontend), Capacitor (Hybrid Mobile)

• Fully cloud-hosted on AWS - Fargate, Lambda, DynamoDB, S3, SSM, KMS, etc.

• Kafka / Kafka Streams, DynamoDB as the primary store, limited use of Aurora

• GitLab CI/CD, Terraform & Terragrunt (IaC), Renovate (Dependencies)

• Grafana Cloud for metrics, logs, traces and SLOs; OpenTelemetry as our instrumentation standard

• Strong emphasis on meaningful tests at all levels of the testing pyramid

• AI tooling: JetBrains Junie, Amazon Q, Kiro, GitLab Duo, CodeRabbit, ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot

We’re intentional about our tooling and open to better ways of doing things; this role will shape where we go next.

About You_

• Hands-on, empathetic technical leader, experienced in distributed systems, platform-scale SaaS, and architectural ownership

• Someone who thrives in cross-functional environments and can communicate clearly with engineers, product managers, and commercial stakeholders alike

• Experience working in high-availability, regulated, or security-conscious environments

• Passionate about AI/ML and data-driven engineering, whether in product, tooling, or ops

• Mentored senior engineers and driven technical alignment in growing orgs

• Someone who leads with empathy, humility, and pragmatism

Bonus Points_

• Experience in fare payments, mobility, fintech, or embedded systems

• Exposure to M&A or platform re-architecture in scaling environments

• Contributions to open-source, architecture communities, or thought leadership

Some of Our Benefits_

• 25 days of holiday per year plus the option to buy another 5 days pro-rated

• Private Healthcare via AXA, including pre-existing conditions and mental health

• Life Insurance

• Menopause support

• Ability to work for up to 3 months per year from any country in the world (certain limitations)

• Pension scheme

• Training allowance of up to £1000 per year

• £200 annual allowance for any home office needs or improvements

• Enhanced family leave pay

Careers at Masabi are for people going places - driven by a mission to make transit fair and accessible for all.

We are a network of innovators from all walks of life, passionate about making a difference. At Masabi, we operate with openness and trust, creating an environment where everyone feels empowered to bring their whole, authentic selves to work.

Whoever you are, just be yourself. We welcome applications from underrepresented backgrounds and encourage you to share your pronouns at any stage. Together, we simplify journeys, remove barriers, and improve daily life for millions.

Why Join Masabi?

• Driven by Purpose – We believe in journeys made simple. The work isn’t always easy, but the best things never are.

• Encouraged to Accelerate – Masabi is going places and our people are in the driving seat. Whether you’re taking the direct route or exploring new paths, we support your journey.

• Advancing with Empathy – We put people first and foster a culture of learning, not blame. No matter your cargo, we share the load.

We’re already powering journeys - are you ready to join us?