| Description | We are Progress (Nasdaq: PRGS) - the trusted provider of software that enables our customers to develop deploy and manage responsible AI-powered applications and experiences with agility and ease. We’re proud to have a diverse global team where we value the individual and enrich our culture by considering varied perspectives because we believe people power progress. Chef Software is the industry leader in IT automation and DevSecOps solutions enabling organizations to manage applications and infrastructure at scale with speed security and consistency. We empower enterprises to modernize secure and automate their technology environments whether on-premises in the cloud or across hybrid architectures. As part of Progress Software Chef delivers best-in-class automation platforms used by many of the world’s largest companies to innovate faster reduce risk and deliver better customer experiences. Our Senior Principal Architects are recognized industry leaders—trusted advisors strategic thinkers and expert practitioners who help shape the future of automation for our customers. The Senior Principal Architect is the highest-level field consultant in Chef’s Professional Services organization. This role goes beyond project delivery—it is about architecting transformative solutions leading strategic engagements and influencing both customer roadmaps and Chef’s own product direction. Senior Principal Architects combine deep technical mastery of Chef and associated DevOps tooling with exceptional consulting leadership and business acumen. They act as thought leaders in the industry drive large-scale automation programs and mentor both customers and internal teams. They frequently engage at the C-suite and enterprise architecture level to align Chef solutions with broader digital transformation goals and they are the “go-to” experts for our most complex and high-impact customer initiatives. The role: Strategic Leadership & Architecture: Serve as the lead architect for enterprise-scale Chef implementations driving automation strategy design governance and adoption across multi-cloud and hybrid environments. Lead large multi-workstream transformation programs often involving multiple vendors complex security requirements and global operations. Partner with customer executives and enterprise architects to align Chef adoption with strategic IT and business objectives. Define technical roadmaps automation patterns and best practices that become reference architectures for both customers and the broader Chef community. Advanced Technical Delivery Design implement and optimize complex Chef-based automation solutions that integrate with CI/CD pipelines cloud platforms security/compliance frameworks and IT service management tools. Lead migration and modernization efforts for legacy configuration management estates to Chef. Create and publish reusable cookbooks policyfiles habitat plans and automation templates for advanced enterprise use cases. Troubleshoot and resolve the most challenging technical issues including performance scalability and security concerns. Thought Leadership & Enablement Act as a Chef evangelist—speaking at industry conferences leading webinars and publishing technical whitepapers blogs and reusable solution assets. Mentor and coach other consultants partners and customer technical teams raising the overall capability within the ecosystem. Deliver advanced training sessions workshops and executive briefings tailored to enterprise audiences. Collaboration & Influence Provide strategic product feedback to Chef Engineering influencing product direction and roadmap. Collaborate with Sales Customer Success and Partner teams to scope propose and win strategic Professional Services engagements. Serve as a trusted technical advisor during pre-sales cycles for complex opportunities. Your background: 20+ years in systems engineering software development or IT architecture with at least 7+ years in DevOps infrastructure automation and cloud-native solutions. 10+ years of hands-on experience architecting and implementing Chef solutions at enterprise scale including policyfiles InSpec Habitat and Chef Automate. Proven success leading large-scale transformation programs with Fortune 500 or global enterprise clients. Expert-level knowledge of automation CI/CD pipelines cloud platforms (AWS Azure GCP) container orchestration (Kubernetes) and security/compliance automation. Demonstrated experience in executive-level consulting and influencing technology strategy Recognized contributor to the Chef community or broader DevOps/open-source community. Significant public speaking experience at industry events and conferences. Advanced scripting/programming skills (Ruby Go Python PowerShell Bash) and deep knowledge of Infrastructure as Code frameworks. Experience working in regulated industries with strict compliance requirements (e.g. PCI HIPAA FedRAMP). Other Requirements Exceptional communication and presentation skills with the ability to engage both deeply technical teams and executive stakeholders. Ability to travel globally up to 50%. Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science Engineering or related field—or equivalent professional experience. If this sounds like you and fits your experience and career goals we’d be happy to chat. What we offer in return is the opportunity to experience a great company culture with wonderful colleagues to learn from and collaborate with and also to enjoy: Compensation: Competitive salary bonus and best-in-class Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP) with a 27-month lookback. Benefits: Premium Collective Health Insurance Plan with a monthly employer contribution and Premium Collective Pension Scheme fully funded by Progress Time-off and Leave: Generous vacation allowance an additional day off for your birthday and days off for volunteering Well-being: A global well-being program focused on physical mental and financial health. Focus on Employee Experience: We aim to create an environment where people view their time at Progress as their best career chapter by seeking your feedback partnering with you and recognizing and celebrating the moments that matter. Career Growth: We empower you to own your career and personalize your growth with career development tools internal career mobility knowledge sharing and learning opportunities #LI-NT1 #LI-Remote |