Senior Solution Architect, Abu Dhabi

Project description A senior architect responsible for end-to-end architecture of all IBM Technology projects — spanning vendor-based, in-house, business-led, and data/AI initiatives. The role owns architecture design, secures approval at the Architecture Review Board (ARB), and leads Technology Risk Assessments (TRA), constructively challenging Group Security Office (GSO) and central Enterprise Architecture to defend pragmatic and value-driven solutions. Acts as the trusted bridge between business stakeholders, vendors, central control functions, and engineering teams. Responsibilities Architecture Leadership Define and own end-to-end target architectures for IBM projects (vendor, in-house, hybrid, data/AI) Translate business intent into clear, executable architecture decisions and roadmaps ARB & Governance Prepare and present architecture artefacts at ARB; secure formal approval Maintain alignment with central Enterprise Architecture (EA) standards and IBM target state TRA & Risk Management Lead Technology Risk Assessments (TRA) end-to-end for SaaS, cloud, and on-prem solutions Constructively challenge GSO and central control functions; defend pragmatic risk positions with evidence Vendor Evaluation & In-House Design Run vendor RFPs, technical due diligence, fit-gap analyses, and PoCs Define in-house solution designs when vendor options do not fit; balance build-vs-buy decisions Stakeholder Engagement Engage senior business and technology stakeholders (CIO, business heads, product owners, vendors) Translate technical complexity into clear, business-friendly narratives Cross-Domain Coverage Cover business-led, technical, and data/AI initiatives across Global Markets, GCF, Asset Management, and Custody Stay current on industry trends: cloud, AI/GenAI, data platforms, capital markets technology Expected Deliverables Target architecture documents and Solution Design Documents (SDDs) ARB submission packs and approved architecture decisions Completed TRA dossiers and GSO / control function alignment evidence Vendor evaluation reports, fit-gap analyses, build-vs-buy recommendations Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) and roadmap artefacts Stakeholder briefings and business-facing architecture summaries Skills Must have Education Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field. Functional & Domain: 10+ years as solution / enterprise architect in CIB, Capital Markets, or Investment Banking Strong understanding of trade lifecycle, post-trade, custody, asset management, and corporate finance Experience with major vendor platforms (Murex, SimCorp, Calypso, BlackRock Aladdin, Acadia, Traiana, or equivalent) Familiarity with regulatory and outsourcing frameworks (GSO, GORM, ADGM, MiFID, EMIR) Technical Skills: Solid grasp of modern architecture patterns: microservices, event-driven, API-led, hexagonal, DDD Cloud architecture: AWS (primary) and Azure — landing zones, security, IaC (Terraform), cost-aware design Integration patterns: APIs (REST/gRPC), messaging (Kafka, IBM MQ, Service Bus), ETL / streaming Data & AI awareness: data platforms, data mesh, ML/GenAI use cases, data governance basics Software engineering literacy: CI/CD, DevSecOps, SOLID, Twelve-Factor — knows the craft even if not coding daily Soft Skills: Executive presence: comfortable presenting to CIO, business heads, ARB, and senior vendors Influence without authority: drives decisions across teams, business, vendors, and control functions Constructive challenger: capable of pushing back on GSO / EA with evidence — never combative, always solution-oriented Active listener and translator: turns business needs into architecture, and architecture into business value Strong written and verbal communication in English; clear, concise, and structured Pragmatic decision-maker: balances ideal architecture with delivery realities and time / cost constraints Self-starter: takes ownership end-to-end, comfortable with ambiguity and senior stakeholder pressure Collaborative team player: knows when to lead, when to listen, when to escalate Nice to have TOGAF / industry certifications welcomed but not a substitute for demonstrated architecture leadership in CIB. Languages English: C1 Advanced Seniority Lead Location Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Vacancy Request Req. VR-123783 Show more Show less

Must have: Education – Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field. Functional & Domain: 10+ years as solution / enterprise architect in CIB, Capital Markets, or Investment Banking. Strong understanding of trade lifecycle, post-trade, custody, asset management, and corporate finance. Experience with major vendor platforms (Murex, SimCorp, Calypso, BlackRock Aladdin, Acadia, Traiana, or equivalent). Familiarity with regulatory and outsourcing frameworks (GSO, GORM, ADGM, MiFID, EMIR). Technical Skills: Solid grasp of modern architecture patterns: microservices, event-driven, API-led, hexagonal, DDD. Cloud architecture: AWS (primary) and Azure — landing zones, security, IaC (Terraform), cost-aware design. Integration patterns: APIs (REST/gRPC), messaging (Kafka, IBM MQ, Service Bus), ETL / streaming. Data & AI awareness: data platforms, data mesh, ML/GenAI use cases, data governance basics. Software engineering literacy: CI/CD, DevSecOps, SOLID, Twelve-Factor — knows the craft even if not coding daily. Soft Skills: Executive presence; Influence without authority; Constructive challenger; Active listener and translator; Strong written and verbal communication in English; Pragmatic decision-maker; Self-starter; Collaborative team player. Nice to have: TOGAF / industry certifications welcomed but not a substitute for demonstrated architecture leadership in CIB.

Architecture Leadership – Define and own end-to-end target architectures for IBM projects (vendor, in-house, hybrid, data/AI). Translate business intent into clear, executable architecture decisions and roadmaps. ARB & Governance – Prepare and present architecture artefacts at ARB; secure formal approval. Maintain alignment with central Enterprise Architecture (EA) standards and IBM target state. TRA & Risk Management – Lead Technology Risk Assessments (TRA) end-to-end for SaaS, cloud, and on-prem solutions. Constructively challenge GSO and central control functions; defend pragmatic risk positions with evidence. Vendor Evaluation & In-House Design – Run vendor RFPs, technical due diligence, fit-gap analyses, and PoCs. Define in-house solution designs when vendor options do not fit; balance build-vs-buy decisions. Stakeholder Engagement – Engage senior business and technology stakeholders (CIO, business heads, product owners, vendors). Translate technical complexity into clear, business-friendly narratives. Cross-Domain Coverage – Cover business-led, technical, and data/AI initiatives across Global Markets, GCF, Asset Management, and Custody. Stay current on industry trends: cloud, AI/GenAI, data platforms, capital markets technology. Expected Deliverables – Target architecture documents and Solution Design Documents (SDDs); ARB submission packs and approved architecture decisions; Completed TRA dossiers and GSO / control function alignment evidence; Vendor evaluation reports, fit-gap analyses, build-vs-buy recommendations; Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) and roadmap artefacts; Stakeholder briefings and business-facing architecture summaries.