Senior Solutions Architect - Cards & Payments Platform

We are seeking an experienced Senior Solutions Architect – Cards & Payments Platform to lead architecture design and delivery for strategic cards and payments initiatives within a leading banking environment.

The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in cards processing, card management platforms, payment ecosystems, banking integrations, API architecture, security, and enterprise-scale solution design. This role requires ownership of end-to-end architecture solutions that balance business requirements, customer experience, scalability, resiliency, security, and operational excellence.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities :

Required Experience 10+ years of overall technology experience.

Minimum 2–3 years as a Solution Architect or Technical Architect within Cards/Payments domain.

Strong experience in banking and financial services environments.

Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale cards and payments solutions.

Solution Architecture & Delivery* Design end-to-end architecture solutions for Cards and Payments platforms.

• Produce architecture artifacts, solution designs, and technical specifications.
• Define scalable, resilient, secure, and reusable architecture patterns.
• Ensure alignment with enterprise architecture standards and business objectives.
• Evaluate and integrate third-party card management and payment solutions.
• Support solution estimation, feasibility studies, vendor assessments, and technology selection.
• Collaborate with product, business, engineering, infrastructure, security, and operations teams.
• Drive architecture governance, reviews, and compliance processes.

Cards & Payments Domain Leadership* Architect solutions across the complete card lifecycle:

• • Card Issuance
    • Card Activation
    • Card Management
    • Transaction Processing
    • Acquiring
    • Authorization
    • Clearing
    • Settlement
    • Chargebacks
    • Dispute Management
• Design solutions for:
• • Credit Cards
    • Debit Cards
    • Prepaid Cards
    • Corporate Cards
    • Co-Branded Cards
    • Loyalty & Rewards Programs
    • Cashback Solutions
    • Installment Payment Programs
• Work with payment gateways, processors, switches, clearing systems, and banking ecosystems.

Architecture Governance* Develop reusable reference architectures and architecture blueprints.

• Conduct peer reviews and architecture assessments.
• Mentor junior architects and engineering teams.
• Deliver architecture workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions.
• Contribute to architecture standards, patterns, and best practices.

Mandatory Domain ExpertiseCard Management Platforms Hands-on architecture experience with one or more of:

• VisionPLUS
• Way4
• First Data
• CardPac
• Similar Card Management Systems

Cards Processing Strong understanding of:

• Authorization Processing
• Clearing & Settlement
• Card Switching
• Acquiring
• Issuing
• Merchant Payments
• Chargebacks
• Dispute Management
• Reconciliation Processes

Payment Ecosystem Experience with:

• Payment Gateways
• Payment Processors
• Card Networks
• Clearing Systems
• Banking Integration Platforms
• Third-Party Financial Ecosystems

Industry Standards & Compliance Strong knowledge of:

• PCI-DSS
• EMV
• PSD2
• UAE Central Bank Regulations
• GDPR
• Financial Services Security Standards

Security & Fraud Prevention Experience implementing:

• Tokenization
• 3D Secure (3DS)
• Encryption Technologies
• Authentication & Authorization Frameworks
• Secure API Design
• Data Protection Controls

Technical SkillsArchitecture & Integration* Enterprise Architecture

• Solution Architecture
• Technical Architecture
• API Architecture
• Microservices Architecture
• Event-Driven Architecture
• Distributed Systems Design
• Integration Architecture

Banking & Payments Technologies* REST APIs

• SOAP Services
• ISO 8583
• Payment Switch Integrations
• Core Banking Integrations
• Middleware Platforms
• Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)

Security Architecture* Threat Mode