Technology Architecture Team Lead

Position Overview

We are seeking a seasoned and visionary Technology Architecture Team Lead to spearhead the strategic design and implementation of a cutting-edge technology architecture for the establishment of a foreign bank branch in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This pivotal role will involve leading a high-impact team to define the target-state technology landscape, ensuring alignment with business objectives, regulatory requirements, and future growth aspirations. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in enterprise architecture, banking technology ecosystems, and regulatory compliance, with a proven track record of delivering transformative technology solutions in financial services.

Key Responsibilities

Technology Strategy & Architecture Leadership

As the Technology Architecture Team Lead, you will be responsible for defining the overarching technology strategy and architecture for the KSA foreign bank branch. This includes:

• Leading the end-to-end development of the target technology and infrastructure architecture, covering applications, integrations, data, infrastructure, and security domains.
• Establishing robust architecture principles, standards, and governance frameworks to ensure consistency, scalability, and security across all technology initiatives.
• Designing a future-ready technology landscape that not only supports current business operations but also accommodates anticipated growth and innovation.
• Ensuring seamless alignment between technology architecture, business objectives, product roadmaps, and evolving regulatory expectations in the KSA banking sector.

Architecture Planning & Governance

Your strategic oversight will extend to the meticulous planning and governance of the technology architecture, including:

• Developing a comprehensive implementation roadmap for MVP 1, with clear sequencing of technologies, dependency mapping, key milestones, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) considerations.
• Exercising rigorous governance over architecture decisions throughout the program lifecycle to maintain consistency and mitigate risks.
• Identifying potential architecture risks, gaps, and dependencies, and proactively driving remediation plans to ensure uninterrupted progress.
• Reviewing and approving solution architectures proposed by external vendors and implementation partners to ensure adherence to established standards and best practices.

Vendor & RFP Management

This role requires a hands-on approach to vendor management and procurement processes, including:

• Developing detailed technical requirements, non-functional requirements (NFRs), and technology service level agreements (SLAs) for RFP processes.
• Supporting the evaluation and technical review of vendor proposals and responses to ensure alignment with project objectives and architectural standards.
• Assessing vendor solution designs for compliance with architecture standards, scalability, security, and regulatory requirements in the KSA banking environment.
• Driving the resolution of architecture-related issues and design gaps identified during vendor assessments to maintain project momentum.

Banking Technology & Integration Enablement

Your expertise will be critical in enabling seamless banking connectivity and payment ecosystem integrations, including:

• Supporting the identification, design, and implementation of key banking integrations such as the Saudi National Network (SJN), Saudi Arabian Riyal Interbank Express (SARIE), Tanfeeth Gateway, and SWIFT Connectivity.
• Ensuring that integration architecture upholds operational resilience, robust security protocols, scalability, and full compliance with KSA banking regulations.
• Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to define and implement the necessary infrastructure for seamless banking operations in the KSA.

Stakeholder & Regulatory Engagement

Effective communication and collaboration with diverse stakeholders will be essential to the success of this role, including:

• Engaging with business, operations, compliance, risk, and technology stakeholders to ensure cohesive technology delivery and alignment with business goals.
• Providing expert architecture guidance and technical leadership to both internal teams and external partners throughout the engagement.
• Supporting regulatory technology discussions and ensuring that all architecture designs comply with Saudi banking regulations and industry standards.

Additional Responsibilities

In addition to the core responsibilities outlined above, the Technology Architecture Team Lead will:

• Offer technology advisory and technical support to facilitate the successful setup and operational readiness of the bank.
• Contribute to technology decision-making processes, solution assessments, and implementation planning activities to drive the program forward.

Required Qualifications

To qualify for this role, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Hold a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
• Possess a minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in enterprise architecture, solution architecture, or technology leadership roles, with a strong focus on banking or financial services.
• Demonstrate a proven track record of leading large-scale banking technology transformations, digital banking initiatives, or greenfield bank setup programs.
• Exhibit deep expertise in banking applications, integration architectures, infrastructure platforms, cloud technologies, security frameworks, and data architectures.
• Have hands-on experience with banking payment ecosystems and financial messaging platforms, including SWIFT and domestic payment networks.
• Possess in-depth knowledge of KSA banking regulations, payment infrastructure, and technology compliance requirements, with a preference for candidates who have direct experience in this domain.
• Showcase demonstrated experience in vendor selection, RFP evaluation, architecture governance, and technology roadmap development.
• Possess exceptional stakeholder management, leadership, communication, and presentation skills to effectively engage with senior leadership and cross-functional teams.