Solution Architect

Summary

Join Bounteous as a Solution Architect specializing in cards and payments, designing and implementing secure, scalable payment solutions. Lead architectural design and evolution for our platforms, ensuring alignment with industry best practices. Collaborate with product managers, engineers, and stakeholders to translate business needs into technical solutions. Provide technical governance for projects, ensuring adherence to design principles. Act as a subject matter expert in cards and payments processing, staying abreast of industry trends and regulatory changes. Mentor development teams on best practices. Identify opportunities for innovation and optimization within the payments infrastructure.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive experience in software development and architecture, with at least 5 years specifically as a Solution Architect
• Deep and demonstrable experience in the cards and payments industry is essential, including understanding in one or more of following areas
• Payment Networks : Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, local schemes (e.g., Faster Payments, SEPA, UPI)
• Card Processing Lifecycle: Authorization, clearing, settlement, chargebacks, disputes
• Payment Methods: Credit cards, debit cards, prepaid cards, alternative payment methods (APMs)
• Payment Technologies : EMV, NFC, tokenization, mobile payments
• Fraud Detection & Risk Management: Payment security standards (PCI DSS), fraud prevention techniques, 3D Secure
• Regulatory Compliance: PCI, PSD2, GDPR, AML, KYC
• Strong background in designing and implementing highly scalable, resilient, and secure distributed systems
• Proficiency in designing APIs (RESTful, GraphQL) and understanding of microservices architectures
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their relevant services for building payment solutions
• Familiarity with various integration patterns and technologies (e.g., message queues, event streaming)
• Experience with database technologies (SQL and NoSQL)
• Proficiency in at least one modern programming language (e.g., Java, Python, Go, C#)
• Experience with architecture modeling tools (e.g., UML, ArchiMate)
• Knowledge of DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines
• Knowledge of blockchain, Defi and distributed ledger technologies in the context of payments
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team
• Strong leadership and mentoring capabilities

Responsibilities

• Promote and enforce awareness of key information security practices, including acceptable use of information assets, malware protection, and password security protocols
• Identify, assess, and report security risks, focusing on how these risks impact the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information assets
• Understand and evaluate how data is stored, processed, or transmitted, ensuring compliance with data privacy and protection standards (GDPR, CCPA, etc.)
• Ensure data protection measures are integrated throughout the information lifecycle to safeguard sensitive information
• Lead the design and evolution of solution architectures for our cards and payments platforms, ensuring alignment with enterprise architectural standards and industry best practices
• Define architectural patterns, principles, and guidelines for payments-related systems, including authorization, clearing, settlement, tokenization, fraud detection, and compliance
• Conduct architectural reviews and provide technical governance for projects, ensuring adherence to design principles and quality standards
• Develop high-level and detailed architectural designs, including system diagrams, data models, integration specifications, and API definitions
• Create comprehensive technical documentation, including architecture decision records, solution briefs, and design documents
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies, tools, and platforms to enhance our payments ecosystem
• Collaborate closely with product management to understand business requirements and translate them into technical solutions
• Work with engineering teams to guide implementation, provide technical oversight, and resolve architectural challenges
• Liaise with security, compliance, and risk teams to ensure solutions meet all regulatory and security requirements (e.g., PCI DSS, GDPR, local payment regulations)
• Present architectural solutions and technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Act as a subject matter expert in cards and payments processing, staying abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes
• Provide guidance and mentorship to development teams on best practices in payments system design and development
• Identify opportunities for innovation and optimization within the payments infrastructure

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications in relevant cloud platforms (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect)
• Experience with specific payment gateways or processing platforms
• Experience in a FinTech startup environment

Benefits

$136,000 - $180,000 a year