Risepoint is an education technology company that provides world-class support and trusted expertise to more than 100 universities and colleges. We primarily work with regional universities, helping them develop and grow their high-ROI, workforce-focused online degree programs in critical areas such as nursing, teaching, business, and public service. Risepoint is dedicated to increasing access to affordable education so that more students, especially working adults, can improve their careers and meet employer and community needs.
At Risepoint, we are on a mission to redefine higher education for the modern world. We empower learners and partners by delivering transformative, scalable, and student-centric solutions. As we grow and evolve in becoming a tech-enabled higher education service company, we are committed to delivering an outstanding digital student journey grounded in care, simplicity, and real outcomes.
We operate at speed, guided by our core values—Reliable, Empowered, Adaptable, Customer-Centric, and Heart (R.E.A.C.H)—and united by a belief in the power of impact-driven, collaborative leadership.
Role Overview
We are looking for a Principal Software Architect who operates at the intersection of generative AI and scalable platform design. This is not a theoretical role. You will set architectural direction, make build-vs-buy decisions, and get hands-on when it matters.
You will sit within Product & Technology and work across engineering, product, and data to define how AI capabilities are built, integrated, and scaled across Risepoint's platform. You will have org-wide influence from day one and a greenfield opportunity to shape how GenAI scales at Risepoint.
What You Will Do
AI Architecture & Platform Engineering
Define and own the architectural patterns for GenAI-powered features across the product portfolio
Design the AI platform layer including model orchestration, prompt management, evaluation pipelines, and responsible AI guardrails
Build and standardize experimentation frameworks for AI including prompt variants, model comparisons, and retrieval strategy testing so teams can run controlled experiments with confidence
Define how the org evaluates AI output quality including evaluation frameworks, quality thresholds, and feedback loops that ensure models and prompts improve over time rather than drift
Drive build-vs-buy decisions on AI tooling, frameworks, and infrastructure
Stay current on the GenAI landscape and bring relevant capabilities into Risepoint's roadmap
Cross-Functional Leadership
Partner with product and engineering teams to translate business problems into sound technical solutions
Lead architectural reviews and set standards that other engineers build against
Work with data and analytics teams to ensure AI systems are grounded in reliable, governed data
Communicate architectural decisions clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Architecture Governance & Design
Own and run the Architecture Review Board (ARB), setting the cadence, criteria, and culture for how architectural decisions get made across the org
Review system and solution designs across teams, ensuring consistency, scalability, and alignment with Risepoint's technical strategy
Define and maintain architecture standards, design patterns, and best practices that teams can build against with confidence
Create and steward architecture decision records (ADRs) to capture context, trade-offs, and rationale behind key decisions
Identify architectural risk early and work with engineering leads to resolve it before it compounds
Engineering Excellence
Mentor senior engineers and elevate technical capability across the org
Identify and address technical debt that limits the speed or reliability of AI systems
Contribute to hiring and building out the architecture practice at Risepoint
Qualifications
10+ years of software engineering experience with at least 3 years in a principal or staff architect role
Hands-on experience building and deploying LLM-based applications in production environments
Strong command of AI/ML infrastructure including vector databases, embedding pipelines, RAG patterns, and model evaluation frameworks
Experience with cloud-native architecture on AWS, GCP, or Azure and modern data platform design
Familiarity with data governance, consent management, and responsible AI principles
Proven track record of influencing technical direction across multiple teams without direct authority
Preferred
Experience in EdTech, consumer-facing platforms, or multi-tenant SaaS at scale
Familiarity with Databricks, Optimizely, or similar modern data and experimentation platforms
Background in building internal developer platforms or AI tooling for engineering teams
Why This Role
Org-wide architectural influence from day one with a clear mandate to set direction
Work where AI meets real student outcomes, not just product metrics
Greenfield opportunity to define how generative AI scales across a growing platform
Collaborative, mission-driven team that moves fast and values technical rigor
Competitive compensation, remote-friendly, and a leadership team that invests in the craft
Risepoint is an equal-opportunity employer and supports a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Top Skills
Similar Jobs
What you need to know about the Charlotte Tech Scene
Key Facts About Charlotte Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 90,859; 6.5% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Lowe’s, Bank of America, TIAA, Microsoft, Honeywell
- Key Industries: Fintech, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud computing, e-commerce
- Funding Landscape: $3.1 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (CED)
- Notable Investors: Microsoft, Google, Falfurrias Management Partners, RevTech Labs Foundation
- Research Centers and Universities: University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Northeastern University, North Carolina Research Campus
