Enterprise Architect Digital Banking📣 Job Ad

About the Role

Socium - Teams Done Differently is seeking an Enterprise Architect – Digital Banking to lead the end-to-end technology architecture for the establishment of a digital or foreign bank branch in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This is a contract position based in Jeddah, Makkah, focusing on guiding the architectural vision from inception to operational handover.

Role Context and Impact

This role requires an architect who has successfully built or played a lead architecture role in launching a digital or foreign bank within KSA. The successful candidate will drive the entire technology journey, encompassing initial planning, target architecture definition, implementation, regulatory readiness, go-live, and operational handover. A critical aspect involves supporting the bank's Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) No Objection Certificate (NOC) process and ensuring adherence to all regulatory technology requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end definition of the target enterprise, technology, and infrastructure architecture for a digital or foreign bank branch in KSA.
• Define architecture principles, standards, and governance across applications, integrations, data, infrastructure, cloud, and security domains.
• Develop the target-state architecture in alignment with business strategy, product roadmap, and regulatory mandates.
• Lead technology planning from initial bank setup through implementation, testing, production deployment, and go-live.
• Develop the technology implementation roadmap, including milestones, dependencies, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), and Minimum Viable Product (MVP) delivery planning.
• Oversee architecture governance throughout the delivery lifecycle, ensuring decisions support scalability, resilience, security, and future business growth.

Regulatory Compliance and Ecosystem Integration

• Ensure technology architecture complies with Saudi banking regulations and supports all regulatory approval activities.
• Support the preparation of technology artifacts required during the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) licensing and No Objection Certificate (NOC) process.
• Lead the design and implementation of essential banking ecosystem integrations, including SJN (Saudi National Network), SARIE, Tanfeeth Gateway, SWIFT, and other required regulatory and payment infrastructure for banking operations in KSA.

Vendor and Stakeholder Management

• Prepare non-functional requirements (NFRs) and technology Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for Request for Proposals (RFPs).
• Lead technical evaluations of vendor proposals and architecture assessments.
• Review vendor solution designs to ensure alignment with enterprise architecture standards.
• Identify architecture risks, design gaps, and technical dependencies, and drive their resolution.
• Partner with executive leadership, business stakeholders, regulators, technology teams, and external vendors throughout the bank setup journey.
• Provide architecture leadership across all technology domains and ensure alignment between business, technology, and regulatory objectives.
• Support operational readiness, production cutover, and post-go-live stabilization activities.

Qualifications and Experience

• 5-10 years of experience in enterprise architecture, specifically within digital banking or foreign bank setup in KSA.
• Demonstrated experience in a lead architecture role for launching a digital or foreign bank in KSA.
• Strong enterprise architecture expertise across applications, integration, data, infrastructure, cloud, and cybersecurity.
• Deep knowledge of the Saudi banking ecosystem and regulatory landscape.
• Proven ability to support SAMA NOC processes and ensure compliance with regulatory technology requirements.