The Principal Enterprise Architect will be tasked with leading the development and execution of enterprise architecture strategies, ensuring that business objectives are supported by scalable, secure, and future-ready technology capabilities. Working with the domain architects, you will provide governance, roadmap alignment, and architectural oversight across business units, platforms, and projects. You will provide architectural governance and advisory oversight across key programs, ensuring that solutions meet enterprise standards for performance, interoperability, and security in strategic initiatives such as digital transformation, cloud adoption, data modernization, and platform convergence.The agile SAFe Framework has been adopted across the business, and in line with the framework, you will acquire a systems thinking mindset that supports the continuous flow of value through the Continuous Delivery Pipeline enabling and fostering a DevOps culture. Working closely with Agile Teams, you will support the delivery teams through architectural enablers, technical runways, and hands-on guidance.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Developing and evolving the Enterprise Architecture blueprint, frameworks and target-state architecture, ensuring alignment with long-term business objectives and future-state technology vision
- Defining and maintaining architectural principles, domain strategies and standardised reference models supporting scalable, interoperable and secure technology ecosystems
- Translating corporate strategy, regulatory mandates and digital transformation goals into clear architectural initiatives and target-state designs
- Leading multi-year roadmap development across technology domains including Applications, Data, Integration, Infrastructure and Security in collaboration with Domain Architects and Delivery Teams
- Continuously assessing technology trends and emerging innovations to guide modernisation and strategic platform selection
- Chairing Architecture and Design Review Boards to review, guide and approve solution designs, ensuring consistency with enterprise standards and strategic objectives
- Defining governance processes for architectural compliance, exception management and deviation tracking across business portfolios and technical teams
- Performing architecture assurance and gap assessments to identify technical risk, misalignment and opportunities for consolidation or optimisation
- Ensuring ongoing enforcement and evolution of architecture policies, design standards and lifecycle documentation for all enterprise assets
- Supporting audit readiness and regulatory compliance by embedding architecture governance in change delivery
- Acting as a strategic advisor to Head of Architecture, shaping investment decisions and prioritising technology initiatives based on architectural insights
- Working closely with Product Managers, Domain Architects, Engineers and Business Analysts to co-create architectural solutions that meet functional and non-functional requirements
- Building alignment across multiple Delivery Streams and Business Units to ensure architecture decisions enable reusability, resilience and cost-effectiveness
- Facilitating cross-functional design workshops, architecture forums and technical deep-dives to enable shared understanding and decision-making
- Representing the Enterprise Architecture function in vendor evaluations, technology partnerships and request for proposal or request for information processes
- Leading the design and evolution of enterprise-scale platforms including cloud-native systems, Payment Systems, Application Programming Interface gateways, service orchestration layers, event-driven architectures and data lakes
- Guiding the definition of architecture enablers and technical epics within agile planning cycles
- Ensuring timely delivery of architecture artefacts and technical blueprints to support sprint-level execution and platform runway readiness
- Monitoring implementation of architectural designs to ensure conformance with standards and providing hands-on support in resolving complex design challenges
- Fostering DevSecOps and Platform Engineering practices by integrating architecture with continuous integration and continuous delivery pipelines, security automation and observability frameworks
Minimum Requirements:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent work experience
- TOGAF, Zachman, or similar EA certification preferred
- 8 years technical background inclusive of software architecture, software design, software development in a large enterprise environment
- Domain experience in Financial Services and Financial technologies will be an added advantage
- Demonstrable knowledge and experience in both Agile and Waterfall methodologies
- Proven track record in defining and evolving enterprise-wide architecture strategies, reference models, and technology roadmaps.
- Deep understanding of enterprise architecture frameworks such as TOGAF, Zachman, or FEAF, and experience applying them in complex organizations.
- Experience driving architecture transformations aligned to digital business models (e.g., omnichannel, platform as a service, composable architectures).
- Demonstrated hands-on experience architecting across multiple domains, including:
- Applications: Monolith to microservices decomposition, modernization, and lifecycle management
- Data: Master Data Management (MDM), data lakes, streaming pipelines (e.g., Kafka), and analytics platforms
- Integration: API-led design (REST, GraphQL), event-driven architecture, service mesh, and ESB replacement strategies
- Infrastructure & Cloud: Hybrid/multi-cloud architectures (AWS, Azure, GCP), container orchestration (Kubernetes), IaaS/PaaS adoption models
- Deep understanding of architectural implications for regulatory compliance frameworks (e.g., PCI-DSS, GDPR, ISO 27001)
- Experience integrating Zero Trust Architecture, identity management (OAuth2, OpenID, SAML), and encryption protocols into enterprise design
- Familiarity with architecture risk assessments, threat modelling, and secure-by-design principles.
- Experience of various software engineering playbook frameworks (Agile development, Automated testing, Code reviews, Continuous delivery, Continuous integration, Machine learning. Observability, Privacy, Reliability, Security)
- Strong experience in designing high traffic, scalable, reliable, and secure software systems
- Knowledge of architectural styles and patterns (e.g., Microservices, SOA, MVC, Event-driven architecture)
- Understanding of cloud architecture and services (e.g., serverless computing, containerization, orchestration)
- Experience with data modelling, data warehousing, and data integration
- Experience in Mobile App Development and Mini-app Frameworks
- Experience with architectural modeling tools (e.g., ArchiMate, Sparx EA)
- Experience leading or supporting large-scale modernization or transformation programs (e.g., core banking revamp, mobile money overhaul, ERP replacement)