Payments Solution Architect | Linnk Group | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Linnk Group; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 420,000 - 640,000; Full time

Job summary

Linnk Group is seeking a Payments Solution Architect in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for a yearly renewable contract. You will own the design of secure, scalable payment solutions across enterprise environments, with a focus on high-availability architectures and regulatory compliance.

8+ years in banking/payments and strong FIS experience are required. You will collaborate with banking executives and development squads to modernize payment platforms, integrate Mada/SADAD and Visa/Mastercard networks,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS/IT/FinTech or related field.
• 8+ years in banking/payments architecture.
• Operational expertise in payment processing and card management architectures.
• Hands-on with FIS IST/FIS Cortex/Apex and regional networks (Mada/SADAD).
• Experience with Visa/Mastercard/SWIFT and ATM/NCR switching.
• Knowledge of ISO 8583/20022 and secure API (REST/SOAP).
• PCI DSS security frameworks experience.
• English communication; Arabic a plus; willing to work in Riyadh.

Responsibilities

• Architect secure, scalable payment solutions for enterprise banking environments.
• Deploy payment switching platforms, middleware, and card management systems.
• Lead deployments using FIS IST/Cortex/Apex portfolios.
• Integrate regional/global networks (Saudi Payments, Mada, SADAD, Visa, Mastercard, SWIFT).
• Ensure ISO 8583/20022, REST, SOAP compliance and secure messaging.
• Oversee PCI DSS compliance and security architectures.
• Collaborate with engineers, DBAs, and security teams; maintain docs.

Skills

Payment processing

Transaction switching

Card management architectures

Technical documentation

English communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/IT/FinTech

Tools

FIS IST

FIS Cortex/Apex

Mada

SADAD

Visa

Mastercard

SWIFT

ISO 8583

ISO 20022

REST

SOAP

PCI DSS

AWS

Azure

Docker

Kubernetes

ServiceNow

Jira

Job description

Position Summary

Driving advanced payment architecture, secure transaction switching, and financial technology modernization in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Linnk Group is actively seeking an accomplished Payments Solution Architect for a yearly renewable contract engagement. In this vital technical leadership role, you will design and drive secure, scalable, and high-availability payment solutions across banking and financial services environments. Bringing 8+ years of progressive professional experience in solution, enterprise, or technical architecture within banking and payments, you will empower financial institutions to achieve uncompromised transaction security, regulatory compliance, and seamless multi-channel payment integration. This prestigious career opportunity offers competitive remuneration, high executive visibility, and professional growth within a premier international IT staffing and recruitment enterprise.

Detailed Job Description

As a Payments Solution Architect supporting Linnk Group on a yearly renewable contract in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, you will take full operational, tactical, and technical ownership of payment switching platforms, middleware integration, and card management systems. Your day-to-day responsibilities include architecting FIS IST and FIS Cortex/Apex solutions, integrating regional payment networks such as Mada and SADAD, ensuring PCI DSS compliance, and collaborating directly with banking executives and development squads. You will operate in a collaborative enterprise banking technology environment while partnering closely with international financial stakeholders. Furthermore, you will manage application requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, design, and drive secure, scalable, and high-availability payment solutions across enterprise banking and financial services environments.
• Implement and manage advanced payment switching platforms, transaction processing engines, and enterprise middleware integration.
• Spearhead technical deployments utilizing FIS IST and FIS Cortex/Apex card management and transaction processing software.
• Integrate critical regional and global payment networks including Saudi Payments ecosystem, Mada, SADAD, Visa, Mastercard, SWIFT, and NCR/ATM channels.
• Ensure strict adherence to financial messaging standards including ISO 8583, ISO 20022, REST APIs, and SOAP web services.
• Oversee robust payment security architectures, encryption standards, tokenization, and comprehensive PCI DSS compliance frameworks.
• Collaborate closely with software engineers, database administrators, and security officers during payment modernization cycles.
• Maintain meticulous architecture documentation, system topology diagrams, security audit reports, and technical specification manuals.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Financial Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• Minimum of 8+ years of progressive professional experience in solution, enterprise, or technical architecture within banking and payments.
• Strong, demonstrable operational expertise in payment processing, transaction switching, and core card management architectures.
• Comprehensive working knowledge and practical proficiency in FIS IST, FIS Cortex/Apex, and regional Saudi payment networks (Mada, SADAD).
• Deep practical experience with global payment schemes including Visa, Mastercard, SWIFT, and ATM/NCR switching integrations.
• Solid practical grasp of financial messaging protocols (ISO 8583, ISO 20022) and secure API integration (REST, SOAP).
• Exceptional analytical problem-solving aptitude, technical documentation skills, and professional communication capabilities in English (Arabic is an advantage).
• Mandatory legal work authorization and physical availability for professional operations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Professional architecture certifications such as TOGAF, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, or payment security certifications (PCIP, CISA).
• Prior professional working experience in top-tier commercial banks, central banks, or multinational financial technology enterprises.
• Hands-on familiarity with cloud-native payment infrastructure (AWS, Azure) and containerized deployment pipelines (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience utilizing enterprise IT service management (ITSM) ticketing platforms (ServiceNow, Jira) and Agile development methodologies.
• Proficiency in spoken and written Arabic to support localized stakeholder engagement across the Middle East.

Application Information

• Recruiter: Linnk Group Recruitment Division
• Contact Name: Ananya Bharithaya (IT Talent Recruiter)
• Email: [e-mail]
• Phone:
• Company Website: https://www.linnk.com
• Salary/Rate: Market Competitive / Enterprise Yearly Renewable Contract Package
• Deadline: Open until filled (Urgent Riyadh Payments Architecture Opening)
• Notice Period: Immediate to 30 Days Preferred
• Contract Duration: Yearly Renewable Contract Engagement (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

Recruitment Pro Tip

When applying for this Payments Solution Architect position through Linnk Group, ensure your resume explicitly highlights your FIS IST/Cortex portfolio, Mada and SADAD integration history, ISO 8583/20022 expertise, and PCI DSS compliance background.