Principal Software Architect

Job Title: Principal Software Architect

FLSA Status: Exempt

Group: Regular - Full Time

Department: Information Technology (IT)

Location: Hybrid

About Cooper Machinery Services:

Cooper Machinery Services provides natural gas compression equipment and services to customers globally in the Oil & Gas, Power, Transportation, and Marine sectors. With a proud heritage dating back to 1833, Cooper Machinery Services is the OEM for legendary product lines including Cooper-Bessemer , Ajax , Superior , Gemini, TSI, CSI, Enterprise, and Joy. Headquartered in Houston, TX, but with commercial and services hubs around the world, Cooper Machinery Services provides world-class services to more than 22,000 units in its installed base.

Our strength is our people. Each employee plays an integral role in our success and growth. With a commitment to our vision that strong relationships drive strong results and better business, our people make Cooper Machinery Services legendary.

Job Overview:

The Principal Software Architect is the most senior individual contributor on Cooper's software engineering team, responsible for the architectural integrity of the systems Cooper builds, integrates, and operates. This role sets the technical direction for how Cooper's enterprise applications, custom-built software, integration platforms, and AI capabilities fit together. The Principal Software Architect defines and governs standards for software engineering practice, integration patterns, and API design across the IT organization, and partners closely with engineering leaders to ensure Cooper's software stack is scalable, secure, and built for the discipline of a pre-IPO portfolio company. You will lead engineering teams through architectural reviews, mentor senior developers, and shape the long-term technical roadmap that supports Cooper's growth and post-acquisition integration work.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Own the architectural vision and reference standards for Cooper's software engineering landscape, spanning enterprise applications, custom-built software, integration platforms, and AI capabilities.
• Design, govern, and evolve Cooper's API and integration strategy, including API gateway patterns, versioning, security, and lifecycle management across internal and external interfaces.
• Lead architectural reviews across SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Fabric, and Azure-based applications, ensuring decisions are coherent, defensible, and built for scale.
• Establish and enforce engineering standards for code quality, source control, CI/CD, observability, testing, and operational readiness across all software development at Cooper.
• Lead and mentor engineering teams through technical decisions, code reviews, design documents, and architectural deep dives that raise the technical capability of the broader team.
• Drive technical due diligence and integration architecture for acquisitions, working alongside enterprise applications and infrastructure leaders on M&A IT integration.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, vendors, and platforms; deliver defensible build-versus-buy recommendations to senior IT leadership.
• Translate ambiguous business requirements into clear, executable architecture; remove technical ambiguity for engineering teams downstream.
• Partner with security and infrastructure leadership to ensure software architecture decisions support Cooper's pre-IPO security posture, audit readiness, and regulatory obligations.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 12+ years of progressive software engineering experience, including 5+ years in a Principal, Staff, or Lead Architect role.
• Deep expertise across software engineering fundamentals, including distributed systems, service design, design patterns, source control, CI/CD, and modern engineering operating practices.
• Proven track record designing and operating production-grade integration architectures across packaged enterprise systems and custom-built applications.
• Strong hands-on experience with API design and API management, including REST, GraphQL, event-driven patterns, and API gateway and lifecycle tooling.
• Experience developing full stack applications in multiple frameworks, including .NET/C#, React.js or similar
• Strong grasp of relational databases, SQL, data structures and design patterns
• Demonstrated experience leading engineering teams directly or in a matrixed capacity, setting technical direction for groups of ten or more engineers.
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure, including Azure App Services, Azure Functions, API Management, Service Bus, and Entra ID.
• Experience integrating ERP and CRM systems such as SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, or equivalents into broader enterprise application landscapes.
• Experience architecting software solutions that incorporate modern AI capabilities, including large language models, agent-based patterns, and AI-augmented workflows.

Competencies:

• Architectural Leadership: Sets and defends a coherent technical vision across diverse systems and engineering teams.
• API and Integration Strategy: Deep expertise designing, governing, and operating APIs and integration patterns at enterprise scale.
• Software Engineering Excellence: Champions disciplined engineering practice, including source control, testing, CI/CD, observability, and code quality.
• Engineering Leadership: Mentors senior engineers and leads technical communities of practice; raises the bar without becoming a bottleneck.
• Technology Evaluation: Sound, defensible judgment on build-versus-buy decisions, vendor selection, and emerging technology adoption.
• Business Translation: Translates ambiguous business problems into clear, executable architecture.
• Communication: Communicates architectural decisions and trade-offs clearly to executives, engineers, and non-technical stakeholders.
• Pragmatism: Knows the difference between technically right and right for now; ships working solutions while protecting long-term integrity.

Cooper Machinery Services is an equal opportunity employer and gives all qualified applicants consideration of employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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