Senior Solution Architect (m/f/d)

Halian; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 480,000 - 720,000; Full time

Job summary

Halian Group seeks a Senior Solution Architect to design and deliver enterprise-scale fintech solutions in Abu Dhabi. You will lead end-to-end architecture for mission-critical financial systems, focusing on RTGS, AML, and compliance while ensuring zero-failure infrastructure across multi-region deployments.

The role requires deep experience with ISO 20022, high-availability design, and secure-by-design practices.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in solution architecture, enterprise app design, and software engineering.
• RTGS expertise with clearing and settlement know-how (SWIFT, Fedwire, etc).
• Experience with ISO 20022, MT/MX messaging, and transaction monitoring.
• Regulatory knowledge including PCI-DSS, AML/CTF and central bank mandates.
• Demonstrated ability to design massively scalable, distributed, real-time systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end solution architecture for mission-critical financial systems, focusing on RTGS, CSU, and AML.
• Architect high-value payment flows using ISO 20022 and migrate from legacy formats.
• Integrate real-time AML/KYC screening into workflows with minimal latency.
• Design CSU frameworks with immutable audit trails, data lineage, and lifecycle management.
• Define Zero Data Loss (RPO=0) and sub-minute RTO with multi-region, active-active cloud architectures.
• Ensure ACID compliance across distributed systems to maintain ledger integrity.
• Develop high-level and detailed architecture designs aligned with enterprise standards and security.

Skills

ISO 20022

Kafka

RabbitMQ

Event Sourcing

Saga Pattern

Idempotency

HSM integration

mTLS

SQL/NoSQL

Distributed Ledgers

AWS

Azure

GCP

Multi-region resilience

Job description

A leading financial technology organization is seeking a Senior Solution Architect specializing in designing and delivering enterprise-scale solutions within the financial services industry. The ideal candidate will have a strong application development background, deep expertise in banking systems, and a proven track record architecting massively scalable, high-availability, and disaster-resilient enterprise applications.

Key Responsibilities

Solution Architecture & Design

• Lead end-to-end solution architecture for mission-critical financial systems, focusing on Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), Customer Service/Operations (CSU), and Anti-Money Laundering (AML). You will be responsible for the "zero-failure" infrastructure that moves and protects high-value assets.

• Payments & Settlement: Architect high-value payment flows using ISO 20022 standards and manage the migration from legacy formats

• Compliance & Risk: Integrate real-time AML/KYC screening and fraud detection engines into transaction workflows without increasing latency.

• Operational Integrity: Design CSU frameworks that support immutable audit trails, data lineage, and complex lifecycle management for financial products.

• Resilience: Define strategies for Zero Data Loss (RPO=0) and sub-minute recovery (RTO) using multi-region, active-active cloud architectures.

• Data Consistency: Ensure strong ACID compliance across distributed systems to maintain ledger integrity.

• Design architectures that meet massive scalability,high availability (HA), anddisaster recovery (DR)requirements.

• Develop high-level and detailed architecture designs aligned with enterprise standards, regulatory compliance, and security best practices.

• Evaluate technology options and recommend architectural patterns, integration strategies, and platform selections.

• Drive cloud-native architecture adoption (AWS, Azure, GCP), focusing on elastic scaling, multi-region deployments, and resilient workloads.

Technical Leadership

• Guide engineering teams through all phases of the SDLC, ensuring solutions meet performance, resilience, and regulatory expectations.

• Conduct architecture and design reviews, including performance benchmarking and failure-mode analysis.

• Lead architecture governance sessions and champion best practices for scalable and secure banking applications.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Engage with business stakeholders to translate complex payment and financial requirements into robust technical architectures.

• Work closely with product, engineering, compliance, DevOps, and QA teams to validate solutions and ensure seamless delivery.

• Present architectures to senior executives and non-technical audiences clearly and effectively.

Integration & Modernization

• Architect complex integrations across enterprise systems, payment gateways, fraud systems, core banking, and third-party fintech partners.

• Ensure low-latency, high-throughput system performance for real-time and near-real-time transaction processing.

Security, Compliance & Risk

• Ensure all payment solutions adhere to strict financial security and regulatory standards (e.g., PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, MAS, SOX, GDPR).

• Lead threat modeling, data protection architecture, and secure-by-design practices.

• Architect HA/DR strategies, including multi-zone/multi-region deployment, RTO/RPO planning, and resilience testing.

Experience

• 10+ years of experience in solution architecture, enterprise application design, and software engineering.

• RTGS Expertise: Deep understanding of clearing and settlement (e.g., SWIFT, Fedwire, or local RTGS systems).

• Financial Standards: Proven experience with ISO 20022, MT/MX messaging, and transaction monitoring.

• Regulatory Knowledge: Familiarity with PCI-DSS, AML/CTF regulations, and regional central bank mandates.

• Demonstrated expertise inmassively scalable architectures, distributed systems, and real-time transaction processing.

• Experience with HA (High Availability)and DR (Disaster Recovery)design and implementation.

Technical Skills -

• Messaging: ISO 20022, Kafka, RabbitMQ.

• Architecture Patterns: Event Sourcing, Saga Pattern, and Idempotency.

• Data & Security: HSM integration, mTLS, SQL/NoSQL, and Distributed Ledgers.

• Cloud: AWS/Azure/GCP (specifically multi-region resilience)

Halian Group:

With over 28 years of experience, we have come to understand that innovation is the only way to provide agile, practical solutions that transform businesses and careers.

Our resourcing and smart services help you to realize tomorrow’s potential. Discover the amazing things possible when you bring the right people and the right technologies together.

At Halian, we recognize that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are essential to building high-performing teams for our clients. We are committed to connecting organizations with top talent from all backgrounds, ensuring that every individual feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of race, gender, disability, or any other characteristic that makes them unique. By fostering diverse and inclusive workplaces, we help our clients drive innovation, enhance collaboration, and better reflect the communities they serve.