Technical Architect

Saal.ai; Abu Dhabi Emirate; On-site; AED 420,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Saal.ai is seeking a Technical Architect in Abu Dhabi to define the overall structure of programs and systems while providing hands-on technical leadership to multidisciplinary teams.

You will design secure, scalable cloud and data solutions, mentor engineers, and collaborate with product managers to align architecture with business needs. The role emphasizes security by design and adherence to industry standards.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in software engineering and architecture.
• 2-3 years with big data technologies (Spark, NiFi, Flink, Databricks, Snowflake).
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Define the architecture of programs and systems: designs, interfaces, NFRs, and decision records.
• Act as technical authority with clients and departments; evaluate supplier proposals and recommend options.
• Identify options and trade-offs (cost, performance, security, scale) using an evolutionary architecture approach.
• Align solutions with enterprise, security, and data standards, and present designs at ADAC where applicable.
• Provide hands-on leadership in the development, operation, and improvement of services.
• Lead user-driven prototypes and proofs of concept with designers, writing tests, code, and documentation.
• Ensure high-quality, accessible code through Clean Code, TDD/BDD, CI/CD, and DevOps practices.
• Mentor developers in a non-line capacity, including code reviews and optimization guidance.
• Embed security- and privacy-by-design, and comply with SAAL information security and HSE policies.

Skills

Kafka

RabbitMQ

ActiveMQ

Mockito

Spock

Jasmine

Mocha

SQL

NoSQL MongoDB

HTML/CSS/JS

Kubernetes

Docker

OAuth 2.0/OIDC

OWASP Top 10

TDD/BDD

CI/CD

XP

Agile (Scrum/Kanban/Lean)

Linux

Git

Spark

NiFi

Flink

Databricks

Snowflake

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS/Azure/Google Cloud

Job description

The Technical Architect defines the overall structure of programs and systems and provides hands-on technical leadership to multidisciplinary teams, often at customer premises. The role designs secure, scalable cloud, big data, AI, and web solutions that deliver rapid, meaningful improvements with a relentless focus on user needs.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture & Technical Authority

• Define the architecture of programs and systems: designs, interfaces, NFRs, and decision records.
• Act as technical authority with clients and departments; evaluate supplier proposals and recommend options.
• Identify options and trade-offs (cost, performance, security, scale) using an evolutionary architecture approach.
• Align solutions with enterprise, security, and data standards, and present designs at ADAC where applicable.

Hands-on Technical Leadership

• Provide hands-on leadership in the development, operation, and improvement of services.
• Lead user-driven prototypes and proofs of concept with designers, writing tests, code, and documentation.
• Ensure high-quality, accessible code through Clean Code, TDD/BDD, CI/CD, and DevOps practices.
• Mentor developers in a non-line capacity, including code reviews and optimization guidance.

Requirements & Advisory

• Work with product managers on user needs, and with delivery teams on requirements and API integrations.
• Advise proactively on best practices and emerging technologies, and support budgeting and estimation.
• Embed security- and privacy-by-design, and comply with SAAL information security and HSE policies.
• Messaging (Kafka, RabbitMQ, or ActiveMQ) and mocking frameworks (Mockito, Spock, Jasmine, or Mocha).
• SQL (Oracle, MS SQL Server, or PostgreSQL) and NoSQL (MongoDB) databases.
• Front-end (HTML/CSS/JS), responsive web design, and accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2).
• Cloud-native (containers, Kubernetes, major cloud) and hybrid/on-premises deployment patterns.
• Security architecture: IAM (OAuth 2.0/OIDC), encryption, OWASP Top 10, and threat modeling.
• Clean Code/SOLID for efficient, maintainable code; TDD/BDD, CI/CD, XP, Agile (Scrum, Kanban, Lean); Linux, Git.
• Evolutionary architecture and Agile product management (vision, goals, success criteria).
• Communication, customer handling, and presenting at every level; quick to learn new tools. Excellent English; Arabic is an advantage.

Qualifications & Experience:

Certifications

TOGAF; professional cloud architect certification (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud).

Experience

10+ years in software engineering and architecture as an active developer building high-volume digital services, including 2-3 years with big data technologies (Spark, NiFi, Flink, Databricks, Snowflake) and a record of managing technology implementation projects.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.