Senior Systems Architect — Governance Kernel / Distributed Operational Platform

We are seeking a senior-level Systems Architect to help design the foundational governance architecture for a next-generation operational platform. We are building a deterministic governance platform centered around authoritative operational state, lifecycle computation, eligibility resolution, and temporal orchestration. This role is architecture-first. We are specifically seeking someone who naturally thinks in terms of: * state authority * lifecycle governance * orchestration theory * deterministic event resolution * graph propagation * operational truth computation * policy systems * distributed state machines * enterprise workflow engines * governance infrastructure Core Architectural Focus Areas The architect will help design the platform’s core invention layers, including: * Governance Kernel * Operational Truth Model * Lifecycle Authority System * State Transition Engine * Temporal Governance Logic * Eligibility Resolution Engine * Entity Graph Propagation Model * Deterministic Orchestration Infrastructure * Immutable Operational Event Pipeline * Cross-Entity State Computation This is fundamentally different from traditional workflow automation. The system behavior must emerge from validated operational state — not directly from UI actions or hardcoded workflow triggers. Architectural Concepts Relevant To This Role Strong candidates will likely have deep experience in some combination of: * Distributed systems * Enterprise platform architecture * Workflow orchestration engines * Event sourcing * CQRS * State machine architecture * Policy engines * BPMN/workflow engines * Temporal workflows * Governance platforms * Entity graph systems * Deterministic orchestration * Infrastructure architecture * Identity & access systems * Operating systems concepts * Domain-driven design * Lifecycle-aware infrastructure * Multi-entity state propagation systems The architect must be comfortable reasoning about: * authoritative state * state ownership * orchestration boundaries * temporal validity * policy enforcement * eligibility computation * graph propagation * immutable operational memory * lifecycle transitions Responsibilities * Define platform-level architecture and governance boundaries * Design deterministic state transition systems * Define event authority and orchestration models * Design entity graph propagation infrastructure * Define eligibility and temporal governance systems * Architect scalable distributed infrastructure patterns * Define service boundaries and operational domains * Establish orchestration and lifecycle computation standards * Create reusable governance infrastructure models * Collaborate on patent-aligned technical architecture * Help formalize canonical operational truth computation Technical Environment (Current / Planned) * Event-driven architecture * TypeScript / Node.js * PostgreSQL * MongoDB * AWS / GCP * Microservices * Distributed orchestration * Graph-oriented entity relationships * API-first architecture * Event pipelines * Real-time lifecycle systems Experience with the following is highly valuable: * Kafka * Temporal.io * Cadence * Camunda * EventStoreDB * Neo4j * Redis Streams * CQRS/Event Sourcing systems * Enterprise workflow engines What We Are NOT Looking For This role is NOT ideal for: * frontend-focused engineers * CRUD application developers * generic SaaS architects * pure DevOps engineers * AI wrapper builders * low-code workflow implementers We are specifically seeking someone who deeply understands: * system authority * operational state * orchestration theory * lifecycle computation * governance infrastructure Deliverables Initial engagement will focus on architecture and systems design, including: * governance kernel architecture * state transition infrastructure * eligibility engine architecture * entity graph propagation model * event authority model * temporal governance engine * orchestration boundaries * infrastructure patterns * canonical operational state modeling Implementation may follow in later phases. To Apply Please include: * examples of distributed/platform systems you architected * experience with workflow/state systems * examples involving orchestration or governance logic * any experience with event sourcing/CQRS/state machines * your approach to authoritative state modeling * systems you designed involving lifecycle-aware infrastructure Please DO NOT send generic SaaS portfolios without architectural depth. We are looking for systems thinkers, not just implementers.