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 Expertise Card 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 Skills Architecture & 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 Ban