Senior Solutions Architect II

ABOUT THE ROLE We're seeking a Senior Solution Architect to join our Enterprise Solutions – Connected Stores team at Instacart. As a key member of our team, you will own end-to-end technical design and solutioning for our enterprise retail partners, serving as the primary technical liaison across Instacart Product and Engineering while collaborating closely with partner technology and business stakeholders. WHAT YOU'LL DO As a Senior Solution Architect, you will be responsible for designing and implementing robust integration patterns across RESTful APIs, webhooks, and middleware, ensuring performance, reliability, security, and observability. You will also serve as the primary technical liaison to partner engineering teams while driving alignment with Instacart Product, Engineering, Design, Security, and Technical Program Management. Your responsibilities will include: - Owning end-to-end solution architecture from discovery through launch, including requirements, systems design, integration strategy, and production readiness for enterprise retail partners - Designing and documenting robust integration patterns across RESTful APIs, webhooks, and middleware - Collaborating with partner engineering teams and driving alignment with Instacart Product, Engineering, Design, Security, and Technical Program Management - Creating high-quality technical artifacts, including sequence diagrams, data models, interface contracts, and runbooks - Prototyping and scripting proofs of concept, data validations, and tooling using SQL and a scripting language - Developing reusable templates, accelerators, and documentation that scale Connected Stores implementations across multiple enterprise partners - Troubleshooting complex integration issues across systems, performing root cause analyses, and implementing preventative guardrails that improve operational excellence - Providing thought leadership on retail technology domains such as POS, inventory, pricing/promo, identity/loyalty, payments, and in-store physical AI devices WHAT YOU'LL NEED To be successful in this role, you will need: - A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field; or equivalent practical experience - 7+ years of experience as a solutions architect or software engineer delivering complex system integrations for enterprise customers - 4+ years designing and implementing RESTful APIs and event-driven integrations at scale, including authentication/authorization and error handling strategies - Proficiency in SQL and at least one scripting language (e.g., Python, JavaScript, or Bash) for automation, data validation, and debugging - Hands-on experience with integration technologies such as API gateways, webhooks, message queues/streaming, and middleware - A proven track record taking solutions from design through launch, including test planning, cutover, and post-launch support in production environments - Demonstrated ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences and lead cross-functional discovery/design sessions with external clients - Experience partnering with Technical Program/Project Managers to build delivery plans, milestones, and risk mitigation strategies WHY REMOTE Instacart is a Flex First team, which means we offer flexibility in where you do your best work. You will have the option to choose where you work from, whether it's from home, an office, or your favorite coffee shop, while staying connected and building community through regular in-person events. BENEFITS At Instacart, we offer a