Lead Solution Architect (Fintech)

We are working with a client who is seeking an experienced Lead Solution Architect with strong knowledge of the payments industry to design and implement secure, scalable, and innovative payment solutions. You will be responsible for leading the architecture strategy, ensuring it aligns with business goals, regulations, and industry standards. This role requires technical expertise in payment systems, fintech, and cloud architectures, as well as the ability to guide teams and work closely with stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

Solution Design & Architecture

1. Design the overall architecture for payment systems, including payment gateways, fraud prevention, and settlement.
2. Create scalable and reliable payment solutions using cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), microservices, and APIs.
3. Ensure the system follows industry standards and regulations, such as PCI-DSS, PSD2, and GDPR.
4. Work with third-party payment providers and integrate them into the system.
5. Optimize payment processing to ensure quick and reliable transactions.

Technical Leadership

1. Lead discussions on architecture with engineering, product, and business teams.
2. Provide guidance on new payment technologies, including real-time payments, blockchain, and Open Banking.
3. Drive experiments and tests for new payment innovations.
4. Mentor and coach other architects and engineers.

Collaboration with Stakeholders

1. Work closely with product managers to turn business requirements into technical solutions.
2. Partner with security, compliance, and risk teams to ensure the system is secure and meets all necessary standards.
3. Collaborate with external partners for smooth integrations.

Performance & Scalability

1. Review system performance and suggest improvements.
2. Set up monitoring tools to track system performance and issues.
3. Ensure the system has a solid disaster recovery plan and can continue operating in case of failure.

Qualifications:

1. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field.
2. 10+ years of experience in software architecture, preferably in fintech, payments, or digital services.
3. Deep knowledge of payment protocols (e.g., ISO 8583, SWIFT, SEPA, ACH, RTP).
4. Experience with cloud-native architectures (AWS, Azure, GCP), Kubernetes, and serverless technologies.
5. Strong understanding of API design (REST, GraphQL, gRPC) and event-driven architectures (Kafka, RabbitMQ).
6. Knowledge of security standards (PCI-DSS, tokenization, encryption).
7. Experience with digital wallets, card processing, merchant acquiring, or BNPL solutions is a plus.
8. Certifications (e.g., AWS/Azure Solutions Architect, TOGAF, CISSP) are preferred.

This opportunity with our client is ideal for someone with a strong technical background who enjoys leading teams and collaborating with various stakeholders to create secure and scalable payment systems.