About the Role
The Solution Architect will design and govern technology solutions across Financial Services and Mobility businesses. The role is split equally between two areas of depth:
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Payments, Lending & Cards (50%)
- Lead end-to-end solution architecture for lending and card products (BNPL, consumer and auto loans, credit cards) across origination, decisioning, limits, servicing, collections and settlement.
- Design payment acceptance and orchestration across in-store and online channels: payment gateways, PSPs, acquirers and orchestration platforms, card-on-file and recurring (merchant-initiated) payments, refunds and chargebacks.
- Define tokenisation and card-data security patterns (network and PSP tokens, hosted payment pages, 3-D Secure) that keep PCI DSS scope to a minimum.
- Design card issuing and processing integrations: card management and processor platforms, authorisation, scheme connectivity (Visa, Mastercard) and digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay).
- Shape organisation's approach to agentic payments and commerce, where AI agents initiate or approve payments on a customer’s behalf, with delegated authority, consent, tokenised credentials and fraud controls.
- Own integration of lending and payment platforms with credit bureau, KYC / AML, direct debit and finance systems (GL, settlement and reconciliation).
Digital, Microservices & Frontend Architecture (50%)
- Define the target digital architecture for organisation websites, mobile apps, merchant portals and sales channels using microservices, micro-frontends and Backend-for-Frontend (BFF) patterns.
- Design API-first and event-driven services (REST, GraphQL, webhooks, event streaming) with API gateway management, versioning, security and observability.
- Architect the integration of sales, CRM, marketing automation, customer engagement and analytics tools (e.g., Salesforce, MoEngage, Google Analytics / Tag Manager) through vendor SDKs and APIs, with consent and data privacy built in.
- Set standards for web and mobile frontends, including headless CMS, performance, accessibility, SEO, A/B testing and personalisation, working with digital engineering teams.
- Define cloud-native deployment patterns on Azure (containers, Kubernetes, serverless) with DevOps, CI/CD and monitoring built in.
Business Architecture & Roadmap
- Maintain the Level 1 Business Capability Architecture across Financial Services and Mobility, mapping capabilities to applications, owners and gaps.
- Produce As-Is, Transition and Target architecture views and recommend prioritised roadmaps and initiatives.
- Present findings and recommendations to senior leadership in a clear, business-focused way.
Delivery, Governance & Innovation
- Translate business requirements and customer journeys into solution designs that engineering and vendor teams can deliver, and guide them through build, test and go-live.
- Work closely with Product, Risk, Compliance, Finance and Operations to close design decisions.
- Drive approval of high-level designs through architecture governance; promote and enforce architectural principles, standards and patterns.
- Ensure security, data protection and regulatory requirements (including PCI DSS and Central Bank of the UAE rules) are built into designs.
- Identify AI and Gen AI opportunities across payments, lending and customer engagement, and keep current with fintech and digital technology trends.
Requirements
Key Requirements
- A minimum of 12 years of experience in IT, including at least 5 years in a solution architecture role.
- Architecture experience in payments, cards or lending: payment gateways and orchestration, card issuing / processing, tokenisation, BNPL or consumer lending.
- Architecture experience in digital platforms: microservices, frontend and Backend-for-Frontend (BFF) architectures for customer-facing websites and mobile apps.
- Hands-on experience integrating third-party platforms through SDKs and APIs, including sales, marketing automation, customer engagement and analytics tools.
- Experience in business architecture: capability modelling and assessment, gap and opportunity identification, As-Is / Transition / Target views and prioritised roadmaps. Strong presentation (Microsoft PowerPoint) and communication skills are mandatory.
- Strong experience with API management, event-driven integration and enterprise middleware.
- Strong exposure to cloud platforms (Azure preferred) and AI / Gen AI technologies, including awareness of agentic AI and agentic payments.
- Preferred certifications: TOGAF, CBA.
Other Requirements:
- Working knowledge of card schemes (Visa, Mastercard), PCI DSS, 3-D Secure, digital wallets and UAE payment rails (e.g., UAE Direct Debit System).
- Understanding of ERP and finance integration (e.g., settlement, reconciliation and General Ledger).
- Understanding of modern frontend technologies (e.g., React / Angular, React Native / Flutter), headless CMS and web performance.
- Understanding of security, identity (OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect) and data privacy principles in a regulated environment.
- Experience working with third-party vendors and platform providers.
- Experience in architecture governance.
- Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities, with a focus on delivering business value.
- Experience in Agile / Scrum environments and familiarity with DevOps and CI/CD practices.
- Ability to work collaboratively in a team-oriented environment.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering or a related field.
- Relevant certifications such as Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert or Azure AI Fundamentals are highly valued; payments certifications (e.g., Certified Payments Professional) are a plus.
