Lead Architect, Core

About the role

The Lead Architect owns the technical direction of the Obrew core platform — the engine that powers every OpenBrew application. You'll define how the desktop runtime, local inference layer, API surface, and plugin system fit together. This is a leadership role where you'll mentor engineers, make critical technology decisions, and ensure the core platform is robust enough for air-gapped deployments and flexible enough for third-party developers to build on.

What you'll do

• Define and evolve the Obrew core platform architecture: runtime, inference, storage, and API layers
• Make high-impact technology decisions for the core engine (languages, frameworks, protocols)
• Design the API contracts, data models, and integration patterns that product teams and third-party developers build against
• Lead code reviews and provide technical guidance to the core and product engineering teams
• Architect the desktop application runtime and its integration with local AI inference
• Establish engineering standards, best practices, and development workflows across the organization
• Evaluate build-vs-buy decisions for core infrastructure components

Qualifications

• Applicant MUST be a U.S. citizen and reside in the U.S. while performing work
• 7+ years of software engineering experience, with 3+ years in a senior/lead role
• Deep expertise in platform architecture — designing runtimes, API surfaces, and plugin/extension systems
• Strong proficiency in Python and C++
• Experience architecting desktop applications (Electron, Tauri, Node.js)
• Strong understanding of GenAI/ML infrastructure (open-weights model serving, multi-modal agents, tool-use, embeddings)
• Track record of mentoring engineers, leading architecture reviews, and driving technical culture
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Must work collaboratively with others who possess diverse skillsets and beliefs
• Experience with Natural Language Processing techniques and implementations

Nice to have

• Proficiency in Rust, Go, C
• Experience designing developer-facing APIs and SDKs for third-party extensibility
• Experience with on-premise, air-gapped, or edge deployment architectures
• Background in developer tools or platform engineering
• Familiarity with compliance frameworks (FedRAMP, HIPAA, SOC 2)
• Open-source project leadership or significant contributions
• Prior experience with llama.cpp, vLLM, ONNX or other local inference runtimes
• Familiarity with high security and compliance industries (Healthcare, Government, Defense)

Benefits

• Generous equity, negotiable. 4-year vest, 1-year cliff
• Performance-based bonuses and base pay increases
• Fully remote with flexible hours
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Home office stipend