Solution Architect

Information Security Responsibilities

• Promote and enforce awareness of key information security practices, including acceptable use of information assets, malware protection, and password security protocols
• Identify, assess, and report security risks, focusing on how these risks impact the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information assets
• Understand and evaluate how data is stored, processed, or transmitted, ensuring compliance with data privacy and protection standards (GDPR, CCPA, etc.)
• Ensure data protection measures are integrated throughout the information lifecycle to safeguard sensitive information

Role and Responsibilities:

• Architectural Leadership:
• Lead the design and evolution of solution architectures for our cards and payments platforms, ensuring alignment with enterprise architectural standards and industry best practices.
• Define architectural patterns, principles, and guidelines for payments-related systems, including authorization, clearing, settlement, tokenization, fraud detection, and compliance.
• Conduct architectural reviews and provide technical governance for projects, ensuring adherence to design principles and quality standards.


• Technical Design & Documentation:
• Develop high-level and detailed architectural designs, including system diagrams, data models, integration specifications, and API definitions.
• Create comprehensive technical documentation, including architecture decision records, solution briefs, and design documents.
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies, tools, and platforms to enhance our payments ecosystem.


• Stakeholder Collaboration:
• Collaborate closely with product management to understand business requirements and translate them into technical solutions.
• Work with engineering teams to guide implementation, provide technical oversight, and resolve architectural challenges.
• Liaise with security, compliance, and risk teams to ensure solutions meet all regulatory and security requirements (e.g., PCI DSS, GDPR, local payment regulations).
• Present architectural solutions and technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.


• Domain Expertise:
• Act as a subject matter expert in cards and payments processing, staying abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to development teams on best practices in payments system design and development.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and optimization within the payments infrastructure.

Required Skills & Experience:

• 10+ years of progressive experience in software development and architecture, with at least 5 years specifically as a Solution Architect.
• Deep and demonstrable experience in the cards and payments industry is essential, including understanding in one or more of following areas:
• Payment Networks: Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, local schemes (e.g., Faster Payments, SEPA, UPI).
• Card Processing Lifecycle: Authorization, clearing, settlement, chargebacks, disputes.
• Payment Methods: Credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, alternative payment methods (APMs).
• Payment Technologies: EMV, NFC, tokenization, mobile payments.
• Fraud Detection & Risk Management: Payment security standards (PCI DSS), fraud prevention techniques, 3D Secure.
• Regulatory Compliance: PCI, PSD2, GDPR, AML, KYC.
• Strong background in designing and implementing highly scalable, resilient, and secure distributed systems.
• Proficiency in designing APIs (RESTful, GraphQL) and understanding of microservices architectures.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their relevant services for building payment solutions.
• Familiarity with various integration patterns and technologies (e.g., message queues, event streaming).
• Experience with database technologies (SQL and NoSQL).


• Technical Skills:
• Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (e.g., Java, Python, Go, C#).
• Experience with architecture modeling tools (e.g., UML, ArchiMate).
• Knowledge of DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines.
• Knowledge of blockchain, Defi and distributed ledger technologies in the context of payments.


• Soft Skills:
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• Strong leadership and mentoring capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications (Nice to Have):

• Certifications in relevant cloud platforms (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect).
• Experience with specific payment gateways or processing platforms.
• Experience in a FinTech startup environment.