Hire proven iSAQB Certified Professional for Software Architecture – Foundation Level (CPSA-F) experts in Germany, matched in minutes from 15,000 CVs with the power of AI.
CPSA-F holders know how to shape software structure, weigh architecture decisions, and communicate clearly with developers, product owners, and stakeholders. Find vetted freelancers in Germany fast, with precise matching for the skills your project needs.
About the certification
What CPSA-F means
The iSAQB Certified Professional for Software Architecture – Foundation Level, usually called CPSA-F or iSAQB Foundation Level, is the entry certification for software architecture in the iSAQB track. It shows that a professional can think beyond isolated code and look at the system as a whole.
What it validates
The certification is relevant when a freelancer needs to support architecture work without pretending to be the sole owner of the architecture. It confirms a solid foundation in analysis, communication, and structured decision-making.
- Understands core software architecture concepts
- Can describe and compare architectural options
- Can work with quality goals and constraints
- Can document decisions in a clear, usable way
- Can discuss architecture with technical and non-technical stakeholders
Knowledge behind it
CPSA-F covers the everyday knowledge needed to support architecture work in real projects. That includes decomposition of systems, interfaces, quality attributes, technical risks, and the effects of design choices on maintainability and evolution.
- System structure and modularization
- Architectural styles and patterns
- Communication and documentation of architecture
- Quality goals such as performance, security, and modifiability
- Decision-making under business and technical constraints
Typical holder profile
People with this certification are often developers, senior engineers, tech leads, or aspiring software architects. In Germany, it is especially useful in teams that need clear structure across distributed systems, legacy modernization, or complex product development.
For companies, CPSA-F is a good signal that a freelancer can step into architecture discussions quickly, speak the same language as engineering teams, and contribute without long ramp-up time.
Where it fits best
The certification matters most in projects where software design choices have long-term impact and many people depend on them.
- Greenfield systems that need a clean architectural base
- Modernization of legacy applications
- Microservice and platform design
- Enterprise software with many integrations
- Projects that need clear trade-offs between quality goals
What it tells a company
A freelancer with the iSAQB CPSA-F has a shared vocabulary for architecture work and a disciplined way of thinking about systems. The certification does not replace deep project experience, but it helps you filter for people who can contribute to structure, decisions, and technical alignment from day one. For German teams, it is also a practical sign that the person can work well in structured review settings and collaborate clearly with local stakeholders.
Meet FRATCH iSAQB Certified Professional for Software Architecture – Foundation Level (CPSA-F)
Kathrin Siegmann
Requirements Engineer | Business Analyst | Agile Coach
Last position:
Requirements Engineer at Governikus GmbH & Co. KG
- Analysis, documentation, and alignment of requirements. Conducting stakeholder analyses, interviews, and workshops for requirements gathering and validation. Carrying out requirements reviews and working closely with business units and development teams.
Techniques & tools: requirements engineering, stakeholder management, workshop facilitation, system context modeling, requirements reviews, quality scenarios, Miro, Jira, Confluence
Khalid El Mansouri
Lead Architect & Developer
Last position:
Lead Architect & Developer at kem-consulting
Development of an agent-based governance platform for the automated assurance of EU AI Act compliance and ODA-compliant orchestration of AI services in complex enterprise environments.
Design and implementation of an agent-based "Mission Control" framework (Aletheia Conductor) for autonomous state monitoring and process control.
Development of "Compliance-as-Code" (CaC) solutions based on OPA/Rego to enforce regulatory guardrails across the system.
Integration of TM Forum ODA standards (TMF630, TMF622, TMF642) to ensure interoperability and standardization.
Setup of a highly available event-driven architecture using Redpanda and CloudEvents v1.0 for near real-time event processing.
Implementation of an audit-proof "Evidence Chain" through cryptographic linking of trace logs to prepare automated audits.
Tech Stack: Java 21 (Quarkus Native), TypeScript (Next.js), Redpanda (Kafka API), CloudEvents v1.0, OPA (Open Policy Agent) & Rego, TimescaleDB, ZincSearch, Redis, TM Forum ODA, Git, GitHub, Clean Code Development, Like-C4.
Rüdiger Schulz
Full-Stack Software Engineer / Consultant for Digitalization
Last position:
Full-Stack Software Engineer / Consultant for Digitalization at ARTEVENT
Designed, built, and launched an internal event planning web application used by over 100 department leads for a large event, despite having no dedicated testing phase.
Ensured smooth, failure-free operation during first production use, leading to the tool being adopted for future events.
Automated catering calculations and related workflows, significantly reducing email communication and manual computation effort for meal planning.
Managed deployment and hosting on a Linux server using Coolify, including application setup and runtime operations.
Hired and guided a communication designer on UX while independently owning all technical decisions and implementation.
Tareq Kellyeh
Team Lead - Enterprise Solutions Architect
Last position:
Team Lead - Enterprise Solutions Architect at Bosch Rexroth
- Led and mentored junior developers and architects.
- Planned, coordinated, and delegated tasks to internal and external team members.
- Selected the technology stack for integrating new software products into the Industrial Hydraulics product ecosystem.
- Accelerated the integration process by initiating successful automation initiatives.
- Ensured software delivery complies with cybersecurity, regulatory, and governance requirements.
- Led the design and implementation of a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) for the software ecosystem, fostering collaboration across business units.
- Defined integration strategies for internal and external systems, including Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Identity and Access Management (IAM) platforms.
- Collaborated with external suppliers and internal IT teams to design and implement robust solutions and application interfaces.
- Advocated for business unit requirements in central projects, ensuring their successful fulfillment.
Vladimir Filatov
IT Consultant
Last position:
IT Consultant at ITZBund
- ITSM consulting, analysis and optimization of IT capacity with BMC TSCO / BMC Helix
- Drafting "Governance guidelines for operational capacity management"
Alexander Döhrmann
Senior Software Engineer - From low-level embedded to high-level Applications
Last position:
Systems Engineer at infoteam AG
- Further development and maintenance of data management software in the nuclear sector
- Processing and resolution of problem reports
- Bug fixing and defect remediation
- Performance optimization of legacy code
- Analysis and remediation of security vulnerabilities
- Specification and conceptual design of new features
- Modernization of legacy codebase to C++17
- Technologies & tools: C++, ClearCase, SQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Git, Linux, Solaris, Shell-Script, VisualStudio
- Frontend – Smart Sensor Dashboard: development of a browser-based dashboard for real-time visualization of smart sensor data
- Technologies & tools: TypeScript, Angular, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MQTT, VisualStudio
- Implementation of embedded safety software for a magnetic levitation elevator system
- Requirements engineering
- Documentation and implementation of safety software for the magnetic levitation elevator control system and the central management system
- Creation and execution of unit tests for all implemented modules
- Technologies & tools: C/C++, Jira, Bitbucket, Confluence, VectorCAST, MISRA-C, Lint, Doxygen, Git
Kai Wolf
Freelance C++/Embedded Consultant — Computer Vision, Embedded ML & Build Systems
Last position:
Schwarz IT KG
- Migration of the software development process of a medical technology software to C/C++ package manager Conan and development of macOS-specific system components
Christoph Bewerbung
Architect, Business Analyst, Developer
Last position:
Architect, Business Analyst, Developer at Deutsche Telekom
- Solutions designer/developer for HR apps
- Frameworks: Java, Spring Boot, Cloud-Technologies, Digital Signatures, FE-Frameworks, OAuth2
- Requirements gathering and communication with the departments, resulting in the development and definition of epics/stories and work preparation for near-shore colleagues (Safe process model).
- Tests, deployment, and code reviews of the delivered work packages.
- Developer for Spring Boot applications with integration work packages for various interfaces such as SAP, middleware, printing center, DHL, and others.
- Implementation using the agile Kanban process model.
- Test-driven development.
- Artifacts were deployed and developed in Telekom's own cloud using Kubernetes and Helm.
Michael Trapp
Freelance Software Engineer .NET C#
Last position:
Development of an app for displaying sheet music at Freelance Software Developer
- Industry: Digital music solutions
- Technologies used: Flutter, Dart, iOS, Android, GitLab, PlantUML
Ingo Dettling
Analytics
Last position:
Analytics at BaFin - Federal Financial Supervisory Authority Frankfurt
- Introduction of methods for developing and automated deployment of cloud-native software and machine learning applications in OpenShift clusters
- Development of various programs in Python
- Technologies: Kubernetes, OpenShift, Kustomize, ArgoCD, Tekton, Docker, PodMan, Airflow, IntelliJ, PyCharm, Git, Bitbucket, Jira, Confluence, Python
Robert Di Marco
Software Architect
Last position:
Software Architect at FinTech / Wealth Management
- Analysis of existing microservice structures and integration into the event-driven architecture
- Design and implementation of prototypes
- Introduction of structured workflows and embedding in a solid testing strategy
- Team: small specialized team (3-5 people) from analysis to implementation readiness
- Documentation of architectural decisions and definition of interfaces
- Integration of the event-driven pipeline into the existing landscape
- Technologies: Kafka, Docker, Microservices, Event-Driven Architecture, Java, Liquibase
Abderrahmen Sdiri
Technical Team Lead
Last position:
Technical Team Lead at NTT Data Deutschland
- In-depth knowledge of agile project management with hands-on experience implementing Scrum and SAFe methods in cross-functional teams.
- Designed and implemented full-stack solutions using Spring Boot and React to deliver scalable and maintainable web applications.
- Led test automation initiatives with Playwright to ensure quality assurance and continuous integration in development pipelines.
- Designed and managed cloud-based DevOps pipelines using containerization and orchestration technologies like Docker and Kubernetes on AWS.
Markus Glagla
Full Stack Developer
Last position:
Full Stack Developer at REWE Digital
- A warehouse valuation system was reimplemented using Java, Spring Boot, and Camunda. The backend solution focuses on integration and batch calculations, the frontend on managing formulas and reviewing results.
- Java 21
- Spring Boot
- JPA
- Maven
- REST
- Kafka
- PostgreSQL
- DB2
- Liquibase
- Google Cloud Storage
- Keycloak
- GitLab CI/CD
- Helm
- Terragrunt
- SonarQube
- Angular
- IntelliJ
- JUnit 5
- Mockito
- Open API
Ronny Worm
Software Architect
Last position:
Software Architect at Brose.com
- Development of an application for process optimisation in productive operation in an air-gapped environment
- Connecting four different systems with interfaces: REST, SMEMA, MQTT, COM
- Technologies: Linux, On-Prem, Docker, Python, Bash Scripting
Kai Kramer
Chatbots for Tax and Legal Texts
Last position:
Chatbots for Tax and Legal Texts at Juris GmbH
- Provided advanced AI support for researching tax and legal information based on proprietary content
- Enabled simple research tasks as well as advanced analyses and generation of suggested formulations
- Specifically designed to handle long and complex legal documents
- Used AI to extract specific queries from complex legal documents and structured data sources
- Achieved more efficient research through automated processes and detailed information presentation
- Technologies: OpenAI, LLM, NLP, RAG, Python, Vector databases
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
iSAQB Certified Professional for Software Architecture – Foundation Level (CPSA-F) statistics
Typical experience
19 years
Average project duration
2.2 years
Certifications per freelancer
6
Top business areas
Information Technology, Product Development, Quality Assurance
Top industries
Information Technology, Automotive, Banking and Finance
Most common languages
German, English, French
Bachelor's degree or higher
94%
Master's degree or higher
62%
Doctorate
6%
Salary / Daily Rate Distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers holding this certification are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Average rates for iSAQB Certified Professional for Software Architecture – Foundation Level (CPSA-F) & Seniority distribution
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Frequently Asked Questions
Curious about FRATCH? Find the answers you need
The iSAQB Certified Professional for Software Architecture – Foundation Level (CPSA-F) proves that a person understands the basics of software architecture and can apply them in real project work. It signals more than coding skill: it covers structure, communication, and architectural reasoning. For companies, that means a freelancer can support design decisions with a consistent method.
CPSA-F is the foundation level, so it focuses on core concepts and a shared language for architecture work. Advanced iSAQB levels go deeper into specific topics and are aimed at people with broader or more specialized architecture responsibility. If you need someone to contribute to architecture discussions and support system design, CPSA-F is the right starting point.
The CPSA-F fits developers, senior engineers, tech leads, and junior or aspiring architects who want to formalize their architecture knowledge. It is also useful for freelancers who are asked to bridge development and architecture in client projects. Companies often look for it when they want someone who can think structurally without needing a long introduction.
Preparation for iSAQB Foundation Level usually combines practical project experience with structured study of architecture concepts, quality goals, and communication methods. Candidates should be comfortable discussing trade-offs, system decomposition, and documentation of decisions. A strong programming background helps, but the focus is on architecture thinking, not on a single language or framework.
The iSAQB Certified Professional for Software Architecture – Foundation Level is designed as an entry point, so it does not target only people with long architecture careers. In practice, candidates usually already have software development experience and some exposure to design work. That background makes the certification much easier to apply in real projects.
The CPSA-F is part of the iSAQB qualification path, so professionals should keep learning as methods, platforms, and architecture practices evolve. The certification itself is best understood as proof of a foundation, while current project experience shows how well that foundation is used. Companies should therefore look at both the certificate and the freelancer’s recent work.
CPSA-F matters most in projects where architecture choices affect many teams or a system will live for a long time. That includes modernization, complex enterprise software, integration-heavy landscapes, and product teams that need clearer design rules. In Germany, it is particularly useful when local stakeholders expect structured communication and careful documentation.
Yes, CPSA-F is useful in remote and hybrid setups because it emphasizes clear architecture communication and shared understanding. That matters when teams are spread across locations and need precise documentation and decisions. For German companies, it is a good sign that a freelancer can work well in structured, cross-functional collaboration.
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