Principal Architect, Smart Mobility

TransCore (TRN), a subsidiary of ST Engineering, is seeking an experienced and innovative Principal Architect to join the Smart Pass Mobility Ecosystems team.

Summary - About The Role

Passionate about the Smart Cities space? Interested in solving problems with how people move? Perhaps this is the role for you!

TransCore is seeking an experienced and innovative Principal Architect to build infrastructural capabilities to catalyze our Smart Mobility Initiative with the intent to rethink how users move, providing innovative, user-friendly solutions to their day-to-day lives reaching millions of users across the globe. This "zero to one" role is pivotal in building an entirely new product & ecosystem from scratch. You’ll drive the architectural vision, strategy, and execution, developing a high-quality, data-informed system to meet customer needs, support user growth & critical journeys, while unlocking new mobility use cases and verticals.

TransCore is uniquely positioned to have a huge impact in advancing smart cities & mobility and this role is uniquely positioned to achieve this vision. Join TransCore as we shape the future of smart cities and transportation tech.

Location and Work arrangement: This position will be based in one of these locations - Washington DC, Nashville, TN, Austin, TX, or Raleigh, NC. Will consider remote applicants for the right skillset. Position may be hybrid, with a blend of in-office and remote work. Occasional travel may be required based on business needs. Relocation available for the right candidate.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the architecture of our mobile tolling platform and its expansion into a multi-modal mobility ecosystem. Requires deep expertise in cloud-native architecture, microservices, payment systems, and agile development.

• Architectural Vision & Leadership: Define and drive the overall system architecture, ensuring scalability, security, and alignment with business goals in an agile environment.
• Technical Design & Implementation: Design and implement cloud-native, microservices-based architectures, focusing on payment integration (PCI DSS), auto integrations, and API-first design to enable multi-vertical use cases as well as great end user experiences. Apply user-first thinking to determine other features or capabilities to build into UI and ensure architecture can support.
• Scalability & Performance: Ensure high-performance, scalable systems for high-volume, real-time data processing.
• Security & Compliance: Maintain system security and compliance with relevant regulations (PCI DSS, GDPR, etc.).
• Agile Collaboration: Integrate architectural tasks into Agile sprints, manage the architectural runway, and collaborate with development teams.

Key Skills & Experience

• Expertise in cloud-native architecture (AWS, Azure, GCP), microservices, and event-driven systems; experience with high-volume, real-time data processing.
• Strong experience with mobile wallets, payment systems and PCI DSS compliance.
• Proficiency in API design (RESTful/GraphQL) with experiences showcasing application across broad sets of use cases.
• Deep understanding of Agile methodologies (Scrum/Kanban) and DevOps practices.
• Expert level knowledge of the various mobile operating systems (iOS and Android) with proven ability to leverage platforms to drive consumer adoption.
• 10 years relevant experience in software architecture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field.
• 7-10 years of experience building user-facing applications, with a strong background in developing backend architecture across for distributed partners and/or multi-use case applications.
• Proven track record of managing “zero to one” architecture initiatives, especially in tech-heavy, regulated industries like transportation or infrastructure.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work collaboratively across diverse teams.

Preferred Experience

• Master’s degree or higher in Computer Science.
• Application of AI capabilities to improve workflow or deliver organizational efficiencies.
• Knowledge of tolling, parking, or transportation technologies is a plus.
• Experience working in cross-functional environments with a focus on platform SDK development.

Salary Range: $180,000 - 250,000 annually, based on qualifications and experience.