Architecture Leadership for Critical Platforms and Data Products
I work remote only as a Fractional Architecture Lead for organizations that run complex, high-risk systems and need senior ownership of platform direction, system integrity and long-term technical outcomes. My work combines distributed systems expertise with product and delivery awareness. I guide teams through architectural decisions, clarify boundaries, reduce systemic risk and establish operating models that keep platforms stable as they scale. If your organization relies on Flink, Kafka, data platforms, IoT pipelines or AI systems, I provide the architectural leadership, alignment and decision frameworks that internal teams often lack.Backend & Platform Architecture Leadership
I take responsibility for the architecture, evolution and governance of backend and platform components. This includes establishing clear boundaries, simplifying complexity and ensuring that systems remain operable under real conditions. I support initiatives such as:- Platform and service architecture for distributed systems
- Event-driven and streaming system design
- Technical governance, design reviews and architectural decision records
- Resilience, failure handling and operational hardening
- Modernization of legacy systems without disrupting delivery
Data Platforms & Large-Scale Processing Architecture
I provide leadership for data platforms that must operate continuously and scale with the organization. My role is to define data contracts, lifecycle boundaries and compute architecture so that teams can build reliably on top of them. Areas include:- Architecture for streaming, micro-batch and batch data flows
- Kafka, Flink and compute-layer patterns for real-time systems
- Iceberg and lakehouse governance, schema evolution and layout design
- Reliable ingestion pipelines and data product interfaces
- Analytics, ML and AI-driven workloads built on stable data foundations
IoT Platform Architecture & Edge Integration
I help organizations establish disciplined architectures for industrial and IoT systems where reliability, telemetry quality and lifecycle management matter. Work includes:- End-to-end IoT platform architecture and data flow governance
- Design of device, gateway and cloud integration boundaries
- Reliable ingestion and real-time processing for operational platforms
- Observability and safety for fleets of devices and sensors
AI Platform Architecture & Practical Automation
I advise on AI systems where architecture, governance and measurable results matter more than experimentation. My work helps teams understand where AI actually delivers value and how to integrate it into stable production systems. Examples:- Architecture for private inference, embeddings and retrieval systems
- Design of hybrid AI–software platforms
- Workflow automation and intelligent search built on strong data contracts
- Governance models that protect cost, reliability and data integrity
Architecture Reviews, System Audits & Technical Direction
I provide independent architectural assessments and leadership for teams facing complexity, operational risks or unclear technical direction. Typical engagements:- Architecture reviews for distributed systems and data platforms
- Deep analysis of production failures and cross-cutting issues
- Long-term platform strategy and modernization roadmaps
- Team alignment across product, engineering and operations
- Data product lifecycle design and ownership models
Want to discuss a project?
If your team operates critical systems or data products and needs architectural leadership, you can reach out via the contact page or LinkedIn. Most engagements begin with a short call to understand your platform, delivery challenges and whether I am the right fit as a Fractional Architecture Lead.If you need help with distributed systems, backend engineering, or data platforms, check my Services.