Job Overview
Principal Payments Systems Architect (Remote – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
(Technical Architecture Brief Format)
Engagement Context
A confidential fintech initiative operating across the GCC is seeking a Principal Payments Systems Architect to lead the design and modernization of a multi-rail payments ecosystem. The environment involves high transaction volumes, cross-border settlement complexity, and strict regulatory oversight.
This is a hands-on architecture role, not purely advisory. The selected candidate will directly influence how payment infrastructure is built, scaled, and secured.
Architecture Mandate
You will take ownership of designing a modular, fault-tolerant payment architecture supporting:
- Card acquiring and issuing integrations
- Real-time payment (RTP) connectivity
- Cross-border remittance corridors
- Wallet and alternative payment method orchestration
The system must achieve low latency (<200ms processing targets) and near-zero downtime, while maintaining regulatory compliance.
Core Deliverables
- Architect end-to-end payment lifecycle systems (authorization → clearing → settlement → reconciliation)
- Design payment orchestration layers to intelligently route transactions across multiple providers
- Implement event-driven microservices architecture using Kafka or equivalent streaming platforms
- Establish resilient retry, failover, and reconciliation mechanisms
- Define data models aligned with ISO 20022 and SWIFT standards
- Integrate fraud detection triggers directly into transaction pipelines
- Lead system design reviews and enforce architectural governance
Technical Environment
- Backend: Java (Spring Boot), Go, or Kotlin
- Infrastructure: Kubernetes, Docker, cloud-native deployments (AWS/GCP/Azure)
- Messaging: Apache Kafka / RabbitMQ
- Datastores: PostgreSQL, Cassandra, Redis
- Observability: Prometheus, Grafana, distributed tracing systems
Required Experience
- 8–15+ years in payments engineering or financial systems architecture
- Proven experience designing high-throughput, distributed systems
- Deep understanding of card networks, SWIFT, and real-time payment systems
- Experience with PCI-DSS and secure transaction handling
- Strong ability to translate regulatory requirements into system design
Engagement Structure
- Fully remote, aligned with Saudi Arabia business hours
- Long-term strategic engagement with architecture ownership
- High-autonomy role with direct influence on platform direction
Compensation & Incentives
- International benchmarked salary (USD-linked or equivalent)
- Performance-based incentives tied to system scalability and uptime metrics
- Access to advanced infrastructure and architecture decision authority
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