Principal, Technical Architect - Application and Integration - European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Sofia)

About this position

The summary below is published by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on the official vacancy notice. Our own analysis — salary realism, comparable openings, career trajectory, language profile — follows further down the page.

Key responsibilities

According to the vacancy notice, the role centres on the following duties:

• Lead the architecture and delivery of complex enterprise solutions, owning technical design from concept through to production deployment
• Design and evolve microservices-based architectures, including domain decomposition and service boundary definition
• Apply Domain Driven Design (DDD) principles to model business domains, define bounded contexts, and create scalable, maintainable service ecosystems
• Design robust integration solutions using both synchronous and asynchronous communication patterns
• Shape API-first architectures leveraging REST APIs, GraphQL, API gateways, messaging platforms, and event streaming technologies
• Define data ownership, persistence, and integration strategies across distributed systems and enterprise platforms
• Partner closely with Product Owners, Business Analysts, engineering teams, and other stakeholders to translate business requirements into practical architectural solutions
• Guide development teams through implementation, ensuring solutions remain aligned with architectural principles, quality standards, and business objectives

Are you eligible?

Check these requirements from the notice before investing time in an application:

• Experience: Proven experience as a Technical Architect delivering multiple projects end-to-end, from architecture design through to successful production implementation. Extensive experience architecting large-scale microservices-based solutions within complex enterprise environments. Strong expertise in Domain Driven Design (DDD), including bounded contexts, aggregates, domain modelling, and service decompo…
• Key skills: Domain Driven Design (DDD), Microservices architecture, Enterprise integration architecture, REST APIs, GraphQL, API gateways, Messaging platforms, Event streaming (Kafka, Azure Event Hubs), Data modelling, Java or .NET development

Contract and working arrangements

Contract duration: 3 years.

Working arrangements: Hybrid and flexible working arrangements with minimum 3 days per week in person collaboration.

Hiring unit: Information Technology.

Position overview

This is the official EU Careers listing for Principal, Technical Architect - Application and Integration at EBRD based in Sofia.

Requisition ID 35996 Office Country Bulgaria Office City Sofia Division Information Technology Contract Type Fixed Term Contract Length 3 years Posting End Date 27/08/2026

This is a strategic, hands-on architecture role where you'll play a key part in designing the next generation of enterprise platforms and services. Working closely with business and technology teams, you'll help turn complex challenges into scalable, practical solutions that deliver real value. From cloud-native applications and microservices to modern integration platforms and digital products, you'll help define how technology supports the organisation's long-term ambitions.

As a Principal Technical Architect, you'll provide technical leadership across major transformation initiatives, guiding solutions from early concept through to successful delivery. You'll work alongside talented engineers, product teams, and business stakeholders to design resilient, future-ready architectures, shape technology decisions, and drive best practices across the organisation.

This is an opportunity to combine strategic thinking with hands-on influence, helping to build modern platforms, improve how systems work together, and create technology foundations that support growth and innovation. If you're passionate about modern architecture, cloud technologies, distributed systems, and solving complex problems at scale, you'll find plenty of opportunities to make a meaningful impact here.

What You'll Do

* Lead the architecture and delivery of complex enterprise solutions, owning technical design from concept through to production deployment. * Design and evolve microservices-based architectures, including domain decomposition and service boundary definition. * Apply Domain Driven Design (DDD) principles to model business domains, define bounded contexts, and create scalable, maintainable service ecosystems. * Design robust integration solutions using both synchronous and asynchronous communication patterns. * Shape API-first architectures leveraging REST APIs, GraphQL, API gateways, messaging platforms, and event streaming technologies. * Define data ownership, persistence, and integration strategies across distributed systems and enterprise platforms. * Partner closely with Product Owners, Business Analysts, engineering teams, and other stakeholders to translate business requirements into practical architectural solutions. * Guide development teams through implementation, ensuring solutions remain aligned with architectural principles, quality standards, and business objectives. * Drive adoption of cloud-native architecture patterns across applications, integrations, and digital platforms.

Evaluate emerging technologies, tools, and engineering practices, including AI-assisted software development capabilities.

Need to Have – Your Essentials

* Proven experience as a Technical Architect delivering multiple projects end-to-end, from architecture design through to successful production implementation. * Extensive experience architecting large-scale microservices-based solutions within complex enterprise environments. * Strong expertise in Domain Driven Design (DDD), including bounded contexts, aggregates, domain modelling, and service decomposition. * Expert-level knowledge of enterprise integration architecture, including both synchronous and asynchronous integration patterns. * Hands-on experience with modern integration technologies such as REST APIs, GraphQL, API gateways, messaging platforms, and event streaming solutions (e.g., Kafka, Azure Event Hubs, or equivalent). * Strong data modelling skills with experience defining data ownership, persistence strategies, and integration approaches across distributed systems. * Significant software engineering background, including hands-on development experience in Java, .NET, or a comparable backend technology. * Experience working across the full software delivery lifecycle, from design through implementation and production support.

Strong understanding of modern cloud platforms, with experience on Azure preferred, although AWS or GCP experience will also be considered. * Knowledge of cloud-native architecture patterns including containers, orchestration platforms, managed messaging services, and observability tooling. * Ability to communicate effectively across audiences, from highly technical engineering teams to business stakeholders and product leaders. * Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to explain architectural decisions, trade-offs, and recommendations clearly and appropriately for different audiences.

Nice to Have

* Experience working with modern frontend frameworks such as Angular or React, enabling effective collaboration across full-stack engineering teams. * Exposure to highly distributed, event-driven, and real-time processing architectures. * Experience with enterprise-scale cloud transformation, modernization, or platform engineering initiatives. * Practical experience using AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, or similar technologies. * Experience within financial services, banking, or other highly regulated industries. * Architecture certifications such as TOGAF, Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect, AWS Solutions Architect, or equivalent.

Why You'll Love This Role

Because this role combines strategic architecture leadership with hands-on technical influence.

You'll have the opportunity to shape the design of modern enterprise platforms, drive architecture decisions that impact business-critical systems, and work on complex challenges involving microservices, cloud-native technologies, integration platforms, and distributed systems.

You'll collaborate with talented engineering teams, product leaders, and stakeholders across the organisation, helping translate ambitious business goals into scalable, resilient, and future-ready technology solutions.

If you're passionate about modern software architecture, Domain Driven Design, cloud-native platforms, and building technology foundations that enable long-term business success, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact at enterprise scale.

What is it like to work at the EBRD? / About EBRD

Our agile and innovative approach is what makes life at the EBRD a unique experience! You will be part of a pioneering and diverse international organisation, and use your talents to make a real difference to people's lives and help shape the future of the regions we invest in.

At EBRD, our Values – Inclusiveness, Innovation, Trust, and Responsibility – are at the heart of how we work. We bring these to life through our Workplace Behaviours: listening well and speaking up, collaborating smartly, acting decisively with full commitment, and simplifying to amplify our impact. These principles shape our culture and define our success. We seek individuals who not only share these values but are also committed to embedding them in their daily work, fostering a positive and high-performing environment.

The EBRD environment provides you with:

* Varied, stimulating and engaging work that gives you an opportunity to interact with a wide range of experts in the financial, political, public and private sectors across the regions we invest in. * A working culture that embraces inclusion and celebrates diversity. Our workforce reflects a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, bringing fresh ideas, energy, and innovation and enhancing our ability to serve our clients, shareholders, and counterparties effectively. * We offer hybrid and flexible working arrangements and believe we operate at our best when collaborating 3 days a week in person (minimum) * An environment that places sustainability, equality and digital transformation at the heart of what we do. * A workplace that prioritises employee wellbeing and provides a comprehensive suite of competitive benefits.

Diversity is one of the Bank’s core values which are at the heart of everything it does. As such, the EBRD seeks to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and given equal opportunities and works in an inclusive environment. The EBRD encourages all qualified candidates who are nationals of the EBRD member countries to apply regardless of their racial, ethnic, religious and cultural background, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic background or disability.

Please note, that due to the high volume of applications received, we regret to inform you that we are unable to provide detailed feedback to candidates who have not been shortlisted (for further consideration).

Job Segment:Cloud, Developer, IT Architecture, Solution Architect, Architecture, Technology, Engineering

Application timeline

This vacancy was first listed on 6 August 2026, today.

The application deadline is 27 August 2026, 20 days from today. Late applications are not accepted, so submit through the official EU Careers portal well in advance.

Last verified against the EU Careers feed on 6 August 2026.

Where to learn more

For headcount, mission, and other open vacancies at EBRD see the EBRD institution page; for the cost of living, correction coefficient, and other postings in Sofia see our Sofia location page.

New to EU careers? Our beginner's guide walks through entry routes, EPSO competitions, and what to prepare. For application logistics see application tips and EPSO competitions.