The Opportunity
We have a stable, revenue-generating ERP platform built on ProvideX (a Business BASIC derivative) that serves a loyal customer base. We are not looking to rebuild it from scratch. We need a senior architect who understands how legacy business logic systems work, can map the existing architecture, and build a modern API layer on top of it so we can connect AI capabilities, third-party integrations, and new product experiences to the data and workflows that already exist.
This is a "wrap, don’t replace" strategy. The right person will see the ProvideX codebase not as technical debt, but as encoded business logic worth preserving and exposing through modern interfaces.
What You’ll Do
Legacy Architecture Mapping & API Strategy
- Reverse-engineer and document the ProvideX ERP architecture: data models, keyed file structures, business rules, and process flows
- Design and build a RESTful (or GraphQL) API layer that exposes core ERP functions and data to modern consumers without rewriting the underlying system
- Define the integration architecture that allows AI tools, third-party platforms, and new front-end experiences to read from and write to the ERP safely
- Establish a service boundary map: what stays in ProvideX, what gets abstracted, and what eventually migrates
AI Enablement Through Data Access
- Make ERP data accessible and usable for AI/ML workflows by building clean data pipelines from legacy file structures to modern data stores
- Partner with product and leadership to identify the highest-value AI use cases that depend on ERP data (predictive analytics, workflow automation, intelligent recommendations)
- Evaluate and recommend AI tools and platforms that can plug into the API layer you build
- Ensure data governance, security, and compliance as legacy data becomes more broadly accessible
Platform Stability & Incremental Modernization
- Own the reliability and performance of the ERP platform throughout the modernization process; nothing breaks for existing customers
- Lead incident response and root-cause analysis for production issues
- Establish pragmatic engineering standards that acknowledge the reality of a legacy codebase while moving it forward
- Prioritize modernization efforts based on business impact, not technical elegance
Team & Stakeholder Leadership
- Lead and grow the ERP engineering team, building API and integration capabilities alongside legacy maintenance skills
- Act as the senior technical voice connecting engineering, product, support, and executive leadership
- Translate complex technical realities ("this is ProvideX, here’s what that means for your timeline") into language that non-technical stakeholders can act on
- Mentor engineers who may be new to legacy systems, helping them see architectural patterns rather than just old code
Infrastructure & Cloud
- Own the Azure environment hosting the ERP platform
- Drive infrastructure automation, disaster recovery, and operational hygiene
- Support the longer-term cloud and SaaS evolution strategy as the API layer matures
What We’re Looking For
Must Have
- Deep experience with legacy business logic languages: ProvideX, Business BASIC (BBx/BBj), Pick/MultiValue BASIC, RPG, or COBOL. You need to be able to read procedural, record-oriented code and understand the business rules it encodes.
- Proven track record of building API layers on top of legacy systems without full rewrites. You’ve done the "wrap and expose" pattern before.
- Senior engineering leadership experience overseeing mission-critical enterprise systems where downtime means lost revenue.
- Strong understanding of keyed file structures, flat-file databases, and how legacy data models differ from modern relational or document stores.
- Cloud infrastructure experience, preferably Microsoft Azure.
- Ability to communicate technical constraints and trade-offs to non-technical leadership clearly and without jargon.
Strong Advantages
- Hands-on experience with ProvideX specifically, or with Sage or SAP Business One ERP systems built on it
- Experience designing data pipelines that make legacy data consumable by AI/ML tools
- Familiarity with AI/ML integration patterns (you don’t need to build models, but you need to understand what they need from a data and API perspective)
- Background in ERP environments within vertical SaaS or software portfolio companies
- Experience with Python as a bridge language between legacy and modern systems
What Success Looks Like
First 90 Days: Understand and Stabilize
- Complete architecture map of the ProvideX ERP: data structures, key business logic paths, integration points, and technical debt hot spots
- Documented assessment of current system reliability with a prioritized stabilization plan
- Relationship-building with the engineering team, product, support, and leadership; you understand the people as well as the code
Months 4 through 6: Build the Bridge
- First API endpoints live in production, exposing high-value ERP data or functions to at least one modern consumer (internal tool, integration, or AI workflow)
- A defined and actively executing modernization roadmap that leadership, product, and engineering all align on
- Measurable improvement in system reliability and engineering execution cadence
Months 6 through 12: Scale and Enable
- API layer mature enough to support multiple consumers: AI capabilities, third-party integrations, and new product features
- At least one AI-enabled capability in production that delivers measurable business impact (revenue growth, cost reduction, or efficiency gain) built on the data and APIs you created
- A credible, market-aligned architecture vision for the platform’s next phase that does not require burning the existing system to the ground
- Improved customer satisfaction driven by platform stability and new capabilities
Why This Role Matters
Most companies with legacy ERP systems face a false choice: maintain forever or rebuild from scratch. We are choosing a third path. We want someone who can bridge decades of encoded business logic to the modern AI-enabled product landscape without losing what works. If you’re the kind of engineer who sees a ProvideX codebase and thinks "I can map this and open it up" rather than "burn it down," this role was designed for you.
#DemandBridge