Senior Software Architect / Fractional CTO

We are building Play Square, a next-generation esports platform focused on tournament management, player communities, real-time systems, and a digital wallet.

We are looking for a Senior Software Architect / Fractional CTO to design the full technical architecture of the platform and guide the development team to build it correctly from day one.

This is a strategic, hands-on role — not just documentation, not just coding.

What You Will Do

You will be responsible for designing and owning the technical foundation of the platform:

Architecture & System Design

• Design the end-to-end system architecture (web + mobile).
• Define modular architecture for:
  • Authentication & user profiles
  • Tournament engine
  • Real-time chat & notifications
  • Digital wallet / token ledger
  • Marketplace (future phase)
• Decide between monolith vs microservices and justify decisions.
• Produce professional architecture diagrams (C4 / sequence / deployment).

Technology Stack

• Recommend and validate:
  • Backend (Node/NestJS, Django, etc.)
  • Frontend (React, Flutter, React Native)
  • Database (PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis)
  • Realtime layer (WebSockets, Pub/Sub, Firebase, etc.)
  • Cloud (AWS / GCP / Azure)
• Define CI/CD, DevOps, and environment strategy.

Scalability & Security

• Design for:
  • High concurrency tournaments
  • Real-time updates
  • Secure wallet transactions
• Ensure:
  • API security
  • Authentication best practices
  • Data integrity & financial correctness

Team Collaboration

• Translate product requirements → technical design.
• Guide developers during implementation.
• Review architecture decisions and prevent technical debt.

Deliverables

You will produce:

• Architecture Decision Document (ADD)
• Full system architecture diagrams
• Database schema design
• API contracts (Swagger / OpenAPI)
• Infrastructure blueprint
• Security model
• Scalability roadmap (MVP → Alpha → Beta → Scale)

Required Experience

Must Have:

• 5+ years as Software Architect / Senior Engineer
• Designed at least one scalable platform
• Strong in:
  • REST APIs / GraphQL
  • Cloud architecture
  • Real-time systems
• Experience working with startups

Highly Preferred:

• Fintech / wallets / ledger systems
• Gaming, social, or marketplace platforms
• Event-driven or microservices architecture

Engagement Type

• Fractional CTO / Architect
• 10–20 hrs/week initially
• Long-term potential if strong fit

How to Apply (IMPORTANT)

Please start your proposal with:

“I have designed scalable platforms before.”

Then include:

1. 2–3 similar platforms you architected
2. Your role in each
3. One architecture diagram or technical sample
4. Your preferred tech stack for this project

Proposals without this will be ignored.

Budget

Open to senior-level rates. We prefer quality over cost — this role defines the entire company.