Lead Solution Architect – Airports📣 Job Ad

About the Role

DXC Technology is seeking a Lead Solution Architect – Airports to join our team in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This full-time position is crucial for designing and delivering advanced technology solutions within the airport environment. The role involves shaping the future of airport operations through architectural design and technical leadership.

As a senior technical authority, you will oversee the entire engagement lifecycle, from bid and pursuit through to design, build, test, transition, and operations. This role requires a strategic thinker with a deep understanding of airport technology and the ability to lead and mentor architectural teams, ensuring high-quality design and delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design of integrated airport technology solutions, including passenger processing (check-in, self-service kiosks, bag drop, boarding), baggage handling and reconciliation, common-use systems (CUPPS, CUSS, CUTE), and airport operational systems (AODB, RMS, FIDS, BHS interfaces).
• Define target architectures and roadmaps across applications, data, integration, infrastructure, cloud, networks, and security, ensuring alignment with enterprise and industry reference models.
• Produce and own high-level and low-level design artifacts, solution blueprints, interface specifications, and architecture decision records.
• Make and justify build-vs-buy and platform selection decisions, considering operational resilience, cost, vendor landscape, and long-term maintainability.
• Design integration architectures (APIs, ESB/iPaaS, messaging, event-driven patterns) to connect airline, airport, ground-handler, government, and retail systems.
• Ensure solutions meet stringent availability, performance, failover, and business continuity requirements for a 24/7 safety- and security-critical operational environment.
• Embed cyber security, data protection, and regulatory compliance into designs from the outset (security-by-design).
• Act as the senior technical authority throughout the engagement lifecycle, including bid/pursuit, mobilization, design, build, test, transition, and operations.
• Lead and mentor a team of solution and domain architects, setting design standards and assuring the quality of their work.
• Own technical risk identification, mitigation, and escalation, and chair design authority and architecture review boards.
• Provide effort, cost, and resource estimates to support commercial proposals and project planning.
• Build trusted-advisor relationships with airport executives, operational stakeholders, airlines, regulators, and technology partners.
• Translate complex technical concepts into clear business value and decision-ready options for non-technical audiences.
• Contribute to pre-sales, proposals, and innovation activities, shaping winning and deliverable solutions.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Significant experience as a solution or enterprise architect on large, complex technology programs, with demonstrable delivery in the aviation, airport, or wider transport/critical-infrastructure sector.
• Strong understanding of airport operational systems and the IT/OT landscape, including AODB, RMS, FIDS, BHS, CUPPS/CUSS/CUTE, BRS, A-CDM, and passenger flow/biometric processing.
• Proven, hands-on architecture experience across applications, integration, data, cloud (Azure / AWS / GCP), infrastructure, networks, and cyber security.
• Deep experience designing integration and interoperability between heterogeneous systems and multiple stakeholders, including industry standards such as IATA messaging and relevant ACI/IATA guidance.
• Track record of designing for high availability, resilience, and security in mission-critical, 24/7 operational environments.
• Ability to lead multi-disciplinary architecture teams and govern design quality through architecture review and design authority forums.
• Excellent stakeholder management, facilitation, and written/verbal communication skills, comfortable engaging at C-level.
• Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.

Required Skills

• Solution Design and Architecture
• Enterprise Architecture, Data Architecture, Integration Architecture, Infrastructure Architecture, Cloud Architecture (Azure / AWS / GCP), Cyber Security Architecture
• Passenger Processing Systems, Baggage Handling Systems, Common-Use Systems (CUPPS, CUSS, CUTE), Airport Operational Systems (AODB, RMS, FIDS, BHS interfaces)
• API Design, ESB/iPaaS, Messaging Patterns, Event-Driven Patterns
• High Availability Design, Performance Engineering, Failover Design, Business Continuity Planning
• Security-by-Design, Data Protection, Regulatory Compliance
• Technical Leadership, Team Mentoring, Design Standards, Quality Assurance
• Risk Management, Design Authority, Architecture Review Boards
• Effort Estimation, Cost Estimation, Resource Planning, Commercial Proposals
• Stakeholder Management, Trusted Advisor relationships, Business Value Translation, Decision-Ready Options
• Pre-sales Activities, Innovation
• Aviation IT/OT Landscape, Passenger Flow / Biometric Processing
• Heterogeneous Systems Integration, IATA Messaging Standards, ACI/IATA Guidance
• Mission-Critical Systems Design, Multi-disciplinary Team Leadership
• Facilitation Skills, Written Communication, Verbal Communication, C-level Engagement
• Strategic Thinking, Systems Thinking, Technical Rigour, Stakeholder Influence, Commercial Awareness, Collaboration
• Resilience under Operational Pressure, Customer Focus

Additional Information

The role is full-time and based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Experience required is +10 years. Desirable qualifications include a recognised architecture certification (*, TOGAF) and/or cloud architecture certifications. Familiarity with airport-specific standards and frameworks (IATA, ACI, A-CDM, NDC, biometric / Digital Travel Credential initiatives) is beneficial. Experience with large-scale terminal opening, expansion, or greenfield airport technology programs, and exposure to managed services / systems integration (MSI) operating models and transition to operations are also advantageous. Knowledge of OT, SCADA, IoT, and building management integration within an airport campus is preferred. Relevant architecture, cloud, and/or security certifications are strongly preferred.

DXC Technology fosters an inclusive environment where strong connections and community are valued. Our work model prioritizes in-person collaboration while offering flexibility to support wellbeing and productivity. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Note on Recruitment Fraud: DXC Technology does not make offers of employment via social media networks and never asks for money or payments from applicants at any point in the recruitment process, nor asks a job seeker to purchase IT or other equipment on our behalf.