---
title: "Hire a software architect: freelance or fractional"
description: "Senior freelance architects and tech leads who own technical decisions, or an architecture review and fractional CTO from SDK Enterprises' own engineers."
canonical: https://sdk.enterprises/en/hire/software-architects
language: en
---

# Hire a software architect, or get the big decision made first.

Sometimes you need a senior person on the team who owns technical decisions. Sometimes you need one decision made well and written down. We do both: we shortlist vetted freelance architects and tech leads, and our own senior engineers run architecture reviews and fractional CTO work.

[Start a talent brief](https://sdk.enterprises/en/start-a-project?need=talent). [Book a call](https://sdk.enterprises/en/book-a-call).

## When teams bring us this brief

- A system that has outgrown its first design, and no one in-house to redesign it
- A big decision, such as rebuilding or refactoring, that needs someone to challenge it
- A growing team without a senior engineer who owns the architecture

## What the job covers in practice

- **Own the technical decisions**: Weigh the options, write down the trade-offs and stand behind the choice.
- **Plan the change**: Turn a target design into steps the team can ship one at a time, each with a way back.
- **Guide the team**: Review designs and code, and set the standards other engineers follow.
- **Explain it to the business**: Put cost, risk and timing in words that people outside engineering can act on.

Tools this role often works with: AWS, Google Cloud, Kubernetes, Java, Spring Boot, PHP, Laravel, PostgreSQL, Redis, Elasticsearch

## How it works

- **Tell us who you need**: A short brief: the role or skills, when they should start and for how long. A rough idea is enough.
- **Get a shortlist**: Vetted people who are available and have said they are interested. You see their experience, skills and why we picked them.
- **Choose for each person**: Hire them directly, or let SDK manage them. Or pass, and we keep looking.
- **They start**: We introduce you and agree the start date. We stay your contact while they work.

## Two ways to work with each person

You decide for each person on your shortlist, so you can mix both on the same team.

- **Hire directly**: They work for you, on your own contract.
- **Let SDK manage them**: They work on your project, under our contract.

## Work our own engineers have delivered

These case studies are our team's track record, not work by the freelancers on your shortlist. Our engineers review every candidate before we propose them.

Our advice comes from delivery work, not from consulting engagements. On the Crédit Agricole cloud program we assessed each application to decide whether to upgrade or rebuild it, and through Sopra Steria our engineers led the Java 8 to 16 migration of a critical gas trading application.

- [Moving 600+ banking applications from legacy VMs to AWS](https://sdk.enterprises/en/work/credit-agricole-cloud-migration)
- [Secure platforms for energy-sector clients through Sopra Steria](https://sdk.enterprises/en/work/energy-platforms-sopra-steria)

## Questions before you hire

### Freelance architect, architecture review or fractional CTO?

Hire a freelance architect if the work is ongoing and you want them in your team. Choose an architecture review if you need one clear answer in writing. A fractional CTO gives you a senior technical lead for part of the month.

### Do you shortlist people with the title software architect?

We look for senior engineers who can lead a team and own technical decisions, whatever their title. Describe the decisions in your brief, and you see each person's experience and why we picked them.

### Will an architecture review just recommend hiring you?

No. The recommendation is written so your own team can act on it. If building with us makes sense, we say so, and the decision stays yours.

### Can the architect help us hire the rest of the team?

A fractional CTO can: hiring is part of that role, along with making decisions and keeping delivery on track. With a freelance architect you hire directly, you agree the scope of their work with them.

## What to put in your brief

A rough idea is enough to start. These details help us send the right people.

- The system, and the decision in front of you
- Whether you need someone on the team or an answer in writing
- Who they would work with, and who makes the final call

## Related services

- [Technical audit and consulting](https://sdk.enterprises/en/services/consulting): Architecture reviews, technical due diligence, project rescue and a fractional CTO, from our own senior engineers.
- [Hire developers](https://sdk.enterprises/en/hire-talent): Vetted freelancers for your team: hire them directly or let us manage them.