Staff Software Architect (aka Head Problem Solver)

Job Description

Job DescriptionSalary: 180,000+

At Zonos we provide scalable technology to simplify the complexities of international commerce, making it accessible to everyone. We create products that allow businesses to take complete control of their cross-border trade experience. Our SaaS solutions alleviate the headaches of cross-border trade with APIs and software that provide businesses with the tools and data they need to scale globally, including the only true landed cost solution on the market. If youre looking to join a company with a strong mission and vision that puts people first, we want to meet you.

About the Role Were looking for an engineer who loves solving hard problems and building systems that work. This role blends software architecture, hands-on engineering, and data design not as separate disciplines, but as parts of a single craft: building reliable, scalable software.
Youll architect backend systems and data platforms, write code that processes millions of transactions, ensure data quality and consistency, and design solutions that balance immediate needs with long-term maintainability. Youll build what you design and own what you ship.
What Were Looking For Attention to detail is everything. When millions of daily transactions depend on accuracy and compliance, small details separate good from great. We need someone who spots edge cases, anticipates failure modes, and builds for resilience.
Were not looking for people who know all the answers, but for engineers who know how to find them. Youve debugged cascading failures, optimized billion-row queries, and architected around constraints that seemed impossible. You love the challenge more than the comfort.
What Youll Work On Youll operate across the full stack of data and application architecture. Some days youll be optimizing SQL queries or designing systems for real-time analytics. Other days, youll be building APIs that scale gracefully under heavy load and designing data quality directly into the architecture.
Youll make key decisions on how we structure and secure data, separate OLTP and OLAP workloads, and ensure compliance with standards like SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR. Youll write real production code and design for scalability, reliability, and maintainability.
Technical Skills That Matter We care more about how you think than about your tool list, but you should bring deep experience in:

• Database systems and data modeling:normalization, indexing, and query optimization
• Backend engineering at scale:concurrency, failure modes, and debugging production systems
• Data architecture and pipelines:ensuring consistency and handling schema evolution
• System design:balancing tradeoffs, anticipating scale, and designing for reliability

Experience with relational databases, distributed systems, and cloud infrastructure is valuable, but clear thinking and sound judgment matter more.
What Sets You Apart Youve shipped solutions to genuinely hard problems. Youve optimized under pressure, debugged in production, and made architectural calls youd still defend today. You balance pragmatism and precision.
You think about second-order effects, including how systems will be monitored, maintained, and evolved. You communicate clearly, collaborate effectively, and document the why, not just the what.
Why This Role Is Different You wont be boxed into one specialty. If you thrive on variety, complexity, and real impact, this is your playground. Youll work with a small, capable team on the technical challenges that come with the real-world scale of powering global commerce.

What we offer:

• $180k+ Actual salaries will vary based on various factors such as education, experience, training, scope, etc. The salary noted is just one component of our total compensation package.
  
• Medical, Dental, Vision, & Life - we pay 100% of the employee premium!
• Paid leave for maternity, paternity, and other life events
  
• 401k retirement plan with generous company match
• Flexible time off - we require all our Zonuts to take a minimum of 2 weeks off per year. Take some time to relax!
• Employee Assistance Program
  
• 1 month paid time off at 5 year anniversary
• Weekly company lunch
  

Life at Zonos

Welcome to Southern Utah where the sun is shining 255 days out of the year, palm trees are swaying in the breeze, and adventure and exploration await! Neighboring the stunning Zion National Park, Southern Utah is known for its outdoor recreation. Explore endless options for biking and hiking trails all over town, enjoy watersports, boating, and fishing at Sand Hollow State Park, and when you need to get away, we are only a short hour and a half drive to the entertainment and fun of Las Vegas.

As a Zonut youll be able to take in the gorgeous view of St. George from Tech Ridge, a rapidly growing epicenter for tech, retail, and dining here in Southern Utah. As an organization, we are always striving to be a great company, not just a big company. We are constantly cultivating an environment of collaboration and teamwork, where our APIs and core values are the living, breathing heartbeat of everything we do.

Here at Zonos we are committed to cultivating a team of ambitious and innovative people who are hungry and willing to stretch and grow. International trade is complicated and working at a growing cloud technology company is hard, but we are here to support your learning and development. For these reasons, if you are uncertain about applying, we encourage you to do so even if your experience doesn't exactly match the job description. We welcome diverse perspectives from people who think outside the box and aren't afraid to challenge assumptions. Come join us!