Senior Next.js / MERN Stack Architect – Fintech Platform Modernization (AWS)

We are seeking a Senior Next.js Architect to lead the end-to-end modernization of a fintech platform, migrating from a legacy system to a scalable, secure, cloud-native Next.js application on AWS. This is a hands-on architecture role focused on system design, migration strategy, and technical leadership. Key Responsibilities: - Own the overall architecture and technical roadmap for the new Next.js fintech platform. - Lead migration from legacy front-end and back-end systems to a modern, modular Next.js architecture. - Design and implement a monorepo-based structure (e.g., Turborepo or Nx) to unify multiple applications and services. - Re-architect a fragmented, lambda-heavy system into a maintainable structure with clear domain boundaries, shared libraries, and standardized patterns. - Design and manage AWS infrastructure, including: - VPC, subnets, security groups, IAM roles and policies - Compute services (ECS/Fargate, EC2, and Lambda where appropriate) - Databases (RDS/Aurora, DynamoDB) and caching (ElastiCache, CloudFront) - Observability tools (CloudWatch, X-Ray, OpenTelemetry, logging and auditing) - Define and enforce security, compliance, and performance standards suitable for fintech systems, including encryption, audit logging, and secrets management. - Establish CI/CD pipelines using tools such as GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or AWS CodePipeline with automated testing and staged deployments. - Collaborate with product, security, and engineering teams to translate requirements into scalable technical solutions. - Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and code review guidance to engineering teams. Required Skills & Experience: - 8+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 4+ years in architecture or technical leadership roles. - Strong expertise in Next.js (App Router, SSR/ISR, API routes) and TypeScript. - Solid background in Node.js and modern backend architectures (REST, GraphQL, event-driven systems). - Experience migrating legacy systems to modern web stacks, ideally in fintech or regulated industries. - Strong AWS experience: - Serverless (Lambda, API Gateway) - Containerized workloads (ECS/Fargate, EKS) - Databases (RDS/Aurora, DynamoDB), S3, CloudFront, SQS/SNS, EventBridge - IAM, KMS, Secrets Manager, and security best practices - Experience with monorepo architectures (Turborepo, Nx or similar) and shared codebases. - Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform or AWS CDK), and DevOps practices. - Strong understanding of security, compliance, and data protection in financial systems. - Excellent communication skills with ability to explain architecture decisions clearly. Nice to Have: - Experience with micro-frontends, domain-driven design, or event-driven systems. - Familiarity with payment systems, KYC/AML workflows, ledger systems, or banking integrations. - Experience with high-availability, multi-region architectures and performance optimization.