Principal .Net Architect (Local or Near to Chicago, IL)

Role: Principal .Net Architect

Location: Remote (US-based preferred) But need candidate local or near to chicago

Duration: Long Term

-Must have excellent client-side presence and communication skills.

-See the below full description. See the main topics below.

-This is remote but would be ideal if they were in Chicago. Try to stay in the Midwest if possible (no West Coast people)

• Strong hands-on background in C# / .NET. You need to evaluate an existing C# codebase and design the future state, not just draw boxes.

• Working familiarity with Python/Django enough to assess a legacy monolith codebase, identify coupling patterns, and understand what needs to be decomposed.

• Comfort working alongside a strong client-side architect with informed opinions. Collaborative peer, not prescriptive. Validate, challenge where warranted, and extend.

• Executive-level communication skills. Present architecture and cost recommendations to C-suite stakeholders

You are the lead architect on this engagement. You own the technical analysis and all architecture deliverables. A Principal Product Owner handles the product and business requirements side.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Profile and assess codebases using AI-assisted tooling; validate existing architecture documentation (C4 diagrams) against live code; identify gaps and discrepancies.
• Evaluate a modular monolith architecture direction: assess whether module boundaries are enforced in code or aspirational, and validate the pattern against scalability goals.
• Design batch processing architecture for scale: parallel processing model, partitioning strategy, and infrastructure sizing.
• Assess third-party integration patterns: synchronous vs. asynchronous call patterns, file transfer modernization, and design an integration architecture that holds at scale.
• Validate security and identity architecture: consolidation path to a centralized identity model with role-based access control.
• Define a North Star architecture (long-term vision) and a first-milestone target architecture (what gets built now), ensuring near-term decisions don't foreclose future initiatives.
• Produce an execution-ready roadmap: phased implementation plan, workstream sequencing with dependencies and critical path, staffing plan with trade-off options, and a directional cost model.
• Deliver an in-person executive readout presenting architecture, roadmap, and cost estimate to client leadership.

WHAT YOU NEED

• Deep experience leading enterprise architecture for platform modernization engagements not just designing systems, but producing the artifacts that let a client move into execution (roadmaps, staffing plans, cost models, Gantt charts).
• Strong hands-on background in C# / .NET. You need to evaluate an existing C# codebase and design the future state, not just draw boxes.
• Working familiarity with Python/Django enough to assess a legacy monolith codebase, identify coupling patterns, and understand what needs to be decomposed.
• Experience with modular monolith patterns: module boundary definition, internal contracts between modules, data ownership, and decomposition strategies.
• Experience designing batch processing systems at scale job orchestration, parallel execution, database partitioning, lock contention management.
• Familiarity with third-party integration architecture async messaging patterns, retry/circuit breaker design, file transfer modernization (FTP-heavy environments).
• Security and identity architecture experience centralized auth (Azure AD preferred), RBAC design, audit logging.

C4 diagramming fluency. Read, annotate, and produce C4 diagrams without a learning curve.

• Comfort working alongside a strong client-side architect with informed opinions. Collaborative peer, not prescriptive. Validate, challenge where warranted, and extend.
• Executive-level communication skills. Present architecture and cost recommendations to C-suite stakeholders.

Ability to operate at speed. Use AI-assisted tooling to compress codebase analysis and reserve your time for the architectural judgment calls.

NICE TO HAVE

• Financial services or insurance domain experience.
• Experience with AI-assisted development workflows (Cursor, Claude Code, or similar).
• Experience producing directional cost models for large-scale modernization programs.
• On-premise infrastructure experience.

Thanks

John

Netstrive Consulting, LLC

450, E. 22^nd St, Suite 178,

Lombard, IL 60148

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Desk No: Ext-404

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