Company Description

Comfort Connect®, based in Bethesda, Maryland, is a leading financial technology platform that revolutionizes the home comfort industry across the United States. Serving HVAC, plumbing, and standby generator contractors, we provide a comprehensive point-of-sale (POS) solution with financing tools, sales programs, and marketing support to help contractors grow their businesses. As the creators of the Premier Program®, we offer a unique, all-inclusive home comfort solution, delivering high-efficiency equipment, installation, maintenance, and repair for predictable monthly payments. Our platform promotes sustainability by replacing outdated systems with energy-efficient upgrades, supporting long-term environmental benefits while fostering lasting customer relationships.

We are a fast-growing FinTech organization building a mission-critical Point of Sale (POS) platform. Technology is at the core of our business—software quality, reliability, and performance directly impact revenue. Our platform consists of multiple homegrown applications and services built using modern cloud-native technologies.

Current stack includes (but is not limited to):

• Frontend: React
• Backend: Node.js, Express
• Cloud & Infra: AWS (EC2, DynamoDB), Postgres, Snowflake
• Auth & Security: Auth0
• AI & Automation: OpenAI APIs
• DevOps & Collaboration: GitHub

We move fast, ship often, and operate in a high-ownership environment where engineering decisions matter.

Role Description

We are looking for a hands-on Principal Software Architect / Engineering Leader with 10+ years of deep coding experience. This is not a people-management role. You will code, review code, design systems, and guide engineers daily.

You will act as:

• System Architect – defining and evolving the overall platform architecture

• Expert Software Engineer – setting the bar for code quality and performance

• Technical Leader & Mentor – partnering closely with a team of 5 engineers to strengthen design quality, scalability, and execution

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior technical leader between the engineering team and the VP of Platform Technology, owning day-to-day architectural guidance and technical decision-making (no direct administrative responsibilities such as compensation decisions)
• Own and evolve the overall system architecture across frontend, backend, and infrastructure
• Drive API-first design and service boundaries
• Identify and remediate architectural, scalability, and maintainability issues
• Prevent overgrown monoliths; advocate for modular, well-defined services
• Establish and enforce software design principles, patterns, and best practices
• Perform deep code reviews focused on design, not just syntax
• Lead technical discussions and architecture reviews in a collaborative, inclusive manner
• Work closely with the VP of Platform Technology on long-term technical vision and architectural direction
• Mentor engineers and collaborate with them on:

Software design principles (SOLID, separation of concerns, etc.)

Scalable API design

Cloud-native and data-driven architectures

• Remain actively hands-on, contributing production-quality code

Technical Expectations

You should be very comfortable with:

• Designing and building large-scale backend systems using Node.js
• RESTful and/or event-driven API design
• Data modeling with Postgres, DynamoDB, and analytical platforms like Snowflake
• AWS infrastructure concepts (compute, networking, scaling, security)
• Authentication and authorization patterns (Auth0 or equivalent)
• Frontend-backend contracts and React-based systems
• Observability, error handling, and performance optimization
• Designing and building modern CI/CD pipelines
• Mobile app development experience is a plus

What We’re Looking For

• 10+ years of professional software development experience
• Proven experience acting as a technical architect for complex systems
• Strong opinions on software design, backed by real-world experience
• Deep understanding of why poor architecture hurts velocity and revenue
• Ability to balance pragmatism with long-term maintainability
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-impact environment
• Experience mentoring junior and mid-level engineers

Engineering Culture & Tools

• We use AI-assisted tools (e.g., Cursor AI), but you must be a strong engineer without AI assistance – No exceptions
• High ownership, low bureaucracy
• Direct impact on business outcomes
• Architecture and design are taken seriously

Interview Process (Important)

Note: This is a leadership role without formal administrative responsibilities such as salary or bonus determination. This role has a rigorous technical interview process.

• The coding round is intentionally tough
• You will be required to:

Code in a local development environment (not browser-based tools)

Solve problems without AI tools or assistants

Demonstrate real-world engineering judgment, not memorized algorithms

This process is designed to ensure we hire someone who can truly lead by example.

Who Should Apply?

If you are:

• A senior engineer who still loves to code
• An architect who believes design is as important as delivery
• Someone who dislikes fragile monoliths and unclear boundaries
• Motivated by ownership, impact, and technical excellence
• Able to work in our HQ Office in Bethesda, MD

We would love to talk to you.