Application Architect

Job Description

McCarthy Tétrault is a leading Canadian law firm offering a full suite of legal and business solutions to clients in Canada and around the world. With offices in Toronto, Montréal, Québec City, Calgary and Vancouver, we provide challenging and rewarding career opportunities across the country. Recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for eleven consecutive years and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for fourteent consecutive years, our culture is guided by The McCarthy Way—our shared approach to working with clients and with each other.

The McCarthy Way is built on four core elements: Excellence, through attracting and developing top talent committed to delivering on our Client Commitment; Collaboration, through seamless, integrated teamwork; Inclusion, through eliminating barriers to belonging and success; and Innovation, through delivering maximum value by embracing leading-edge technologies and approaches. Together, these principles shape how we work, lead, and grow—every day.

We are recruiting for an Applications Architect to join our team in our Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver office. The successful candidate must have a minimum of 8–10 years of experience in Information Technology, including significant experience in application architecture, and will be responsible for designing scalable enterprise solutions, providing technical leadership across the application portfolio, and supporting the Firm’s technology strategy. McCarthy Tétrault employees benefit from a hybrid work environment with 4 days in office.

As a Applications Architect, you will be:

Architecture & Solution Design

• Designing and evolving enterprise application architectures and high-level solution blueprints.
• Ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, and aligned with business requirements and IT standards.
• Evaluating technology options (build vs. buy, SaaS/PaaS) and recommending optimal approaches.

Technology Strategy & Roadmapping

• Collaborating with IT leadership to define application roadmaps and modernization strategies.
• Identifying opportunities to leverage Microsoft platforms (Azure, M365, Dynamics 365).
• Driving innovation through adoption of emerging technologies and cloud-first solutions.

Application Development & DevOps

• Supporting the full application lifecycle, from design through deployment and continuous improvement.
• Promoting best practices in development, including CI/CD, automated testing, and code quality standards.
• Leveraging tools such as Azure DevOps, GitHub, and cloud-based delivery pipelines.

AI & Innovation

• Leading the evaluation and integration of AI-enabled capabilities across applications.
• Defining architecture patterns and governance standards for responsible AI adoption.
• Ensuring alignment with data security, privacy, and ethical AI principles.

Technical Governance & Oversight

• Leading architecture reviews and ensuring alignment with enterprise standards.
• Identifying and mitigating risks related to performance, scalability, and security.
• Providing expert guidance on emerging technologies and frameworks.

Collaboration & Delivery

• Working closely with business, IT, and vendor stakeholders to deliver effective solutions.
• Translating business requirements into technical designs and communicating complex concepts clearly.
• Partnering with cross-functional teams to ensure end-to-end solution alignment.

Documentation & Knowledge Sharing

• Developing and maintaining architecture documentation, standards, and design artifacts.
• Mentoring team members and promoting best practices across the organization.

As our ideal candidate, you will distinguish yourself by the following profile:

• Approximately 8-10+ years of experience in Information Technology, including several years in application development or software engineering roles, plus 5+ years focused on application and/or solution architecture in a complex enterprise environment . Prior experience should demonstrate responsibility for designing and implementing enterprise-level applications or platforms.
• Microsoft Technology Expertise: Proven expertise in Microsoft Azure architecture and services (such as Azure App Services, Azure SQL, Azure Functions, etc.), as well as familiarity with Microsoft 365, Power Platform capabilities (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI) Intune, Teams and Sharepoint in a business application context.  Hands-on experience developing in Microsoft .NET (C#) or relevant programming languages, and building enterprise solutions that leverage Microsoft’s cloud and on-premises technologies, is required.
• Software Development & ALM: A strong background in software development is fundamental. The ideal candidate is proficient in one or more programming languages such as C#/.NET, JavaScript/TypeScript , Python or Java. Experience with modern development frameworks and tools (e.g., .NET Core, ASP.NET, Angular/React, Node.js) is valuable. Direct experience with application lifecycle management including using source code repositories (Git), build and release pipelines, automated testing, and application deployment in cloud and on-premises environments.  
• Demonstrated experience building and integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities into enterprise applications, including hands-on familiarity with modern AI platforms and tools such as Microsoft 365 Copilot, Azure AI services, OpenAI technologies, Anthropic Claude, or comparable large language model (LLM) ecosystems. Strong understanding of AI solution patterns (e.g., generative AI, natural language processing, intelligent automation) and experience translating business requirements into scalable, secure, and responsible AI-enabled architectures. Proven ability to design and govern enterprise use of AI, including integration patterns (APIs, plugins, copilots), data privacy and security considerations, model lifecycle management, and alignment with responsible AI principles.
• Professional certifications that demonstrate architectural expertise, for example, Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert and/or Microsoft 365 Enterprise Administrator are strongly preferred.  Familiarity with established architecture frameworks is beneficial for applying structured design principles. Certifications in ITIL (IT service management) or project management (e.g. PMP) are nice-to-have
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Experience in a professional services or regulated environment is an asset.

As a member of the McCarthy team, you will have access to:

• Outstanding benefits from day one, including insurance premiums paid by the Firm and wellness and technology reimbursements.
• Competitive compensation, paid overtime and generous time off, including a day off to volunteer and a day off for your birthday.
• A commitment to professional development and growth opportunities for our people at all levels, supported by a culture that fully embraces and encourages two-way feedback.
• Strong community involvement and a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• A collaborative, cohesive culture that connects lawyers and business teams through collective purpose.

How to Apply: 

We encourage external candidates to apply online and internal applicants must apply directly through our internal careers portal on Espresso. We look forward to receiving your application.

We thank all applicants for their interest in McCarthy Tétrault; however, only chosen applicants will be contacted. We regret that we are unable to respond to individual inquiries about application status. McCarthy Tétrault is an equal opportunity employer that fosters an inclusive, equitable, and accessible environment. Please notify us if you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process.