Skilled IT Solutions Architect - Telecoms Payment Ecosystem IT Sector - Sandton

Role Purpose

The Solutions Architect is responsible for designing, developing, and governing end-to-end business and technical architectures, with a focus on Payments and Connectivity solutions.

This role bridges business and technical architecture by defining what solutions should achieve and how they will be implemented, ensuring they are scalable, secure, commercially viable, and operationally effective.

The Solutions Architect works closely with product, sales, commercial, and technology teams to translate client requirements into comprehensive, market-ready solution designs that drive revenue growth and support organisational objectives.

Location: Sandton

Duties & Responsibilities

Key Accountabilities

• Solution Planning and Design

  • Lead solution discovery workshops with stakeholders and clients to identify business needs, pain points, and commercial objectives
  • Translate requirements into solution concepts, business cases, and capability models
  • Design end-to-end payment and merchant acceptance architectures
  • Define lifecycle processes including onboarding (KYC), MID allocation, hierarchy management, billing, and chargebacks
  • Develop domestic and cross-border payment solutions
  • Design merchant-facing digital platforms (portals, dashboards, e-receipting, dispute management)
  • Integrate fraud detection, AML, and transaction monitoring capabilities
  • Architect Value-Added Services (VAS) such as airtime, bill payments, vouchers, and merchant financing
  • Produce key artefacts, including:
    • Operating models
    • High-Level and Low-Level Designs (HLDs/LLDs)
    • Data flows and API specifications
    • Deployment and integration plans
  • Ensure compliance with PCI DSS, POPIA, ISO 27001, and relevant regulatory requirements
  • Design resilient connectivity solutions to support uptime and transaction throughput
  • Identify cross-selling opportunities across solutions and services

• Client & Customer Engagement

  • Act as the primary technical lead in solution bids, RFPs, and client engagements
  • Collaborate with financial institutions, fintechs, retailers, and partners to design tailored solutions
  • Translate business and commercial requirements into technical proposals and architectures
  • Facilitate internal solution design forums with key stakeholders
  • Provide consultative, solution-focused advisory services to clients
  • Support pre-sales, sales, and post-sales teams to ensure successful delivery
  • Act as a key technical interface between customers, partners, and internal teams
  • Evaluate third-party providers and ensure alignment with business and customer requirements
  • Identify solution risks and constraints, and implement mitigation strategies
  • Build and maintain long-term client relationships while identifying new business opportunities

• Financial, Risk & Governance

  • Ensure all solutions comply with:
    • PCI DSS
    • POPIA
    • ISO 27001
    • Relevant banking and regulatory requirements
  • Identify and mitigate design and delivery risks early in the lifecycle
  • Align solutions with enterprise security, compliance, and governance frameworks
  • Support innovation and continuous improvement initiatives
  • Ensure delivery within agreed timelines and budgets
  • Engage stakeholders in key architectural decisions to ensure alignment

• Team Collaboration

  • Participate in cross-functional teams to review and refine solutions
  • Promote best practices in architecture and agile delivery
  • Mentor and support team members to build architectural capability
  • Contribute to a high-performance and collaborative team culture
  • Support account teams with proposals, presentations, and client communications

Desired Experience & Qualification

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum 5+ years’ experience in Solution Architecture
• At least 3 years’ experience in payments-focused roles
• Relevant 3-year degree or equivalent qualification
• Background in banking, fintech, or payment service providers (required)
• Experience in telecommunications/connectivity (advantageous)
• Knowledge of PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and POPIA

Leadership Requirements

• Strong collaboration and stakeholder engagement skills
• Ability to influence across multiple business units
• Commitment to knowledge sharing and team development

Key Competencies

• Ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions
• Strong understanding of payments ecosystems and operating models
• Commercial acumen and business case development skills
• Strategic thinking with hands-on execution capability
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to simplify complex technical concepts

Technical / Professional Competencies

• Knowledge of payments ecosystems (POS, acquiring, issuing, switching, settlement, reconciliation)
• Experience with ISO 8583, REST APIs, and bank integrations
• Understanding of terminal management systems, HSMs, and key injection
• Knowledge of high-availability and resilient network architectures
• Strong API, data, and integration design capability
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (Microsoft Azure preferred)
• Experience with architecture modelling tools

Package & Remuneration

Negotiable