Position: Solutions Architect ID: XL-002 The Solutions Architect is responsible for designing and governing end-to-end business and technical architectures for solutions across XLink’s ecosystem — with a primary focus on Payments and a secondary focus on Connectivity. This role blends business solution architecture (what should be built and why) with technical solution architecture (how it will be built and operated) — ensuring that solutions are commercially viable, operationally feasible, secure, and scalable. The Solutions Architect will work across business, including product, sales, commercials, and technology teams to identify and translate client opportunities and problems into complete and commercially viable solution blueprints that accelerate revenue growth and support XLink’s ambition to be a market-leading FinTelco. Responsibilities Lead solution discovery workshops with business, product, sales, and customer teams to clarify pain points, desired outcomes, and commercial objectives. Translate business requirements into solution concepts, business cases, and capability models. Align proposed solutions to product strategy, commercial models (ramp- up fees, revenue share, platform fees), and regulatory requirements. Design end-to-end payments and merchant acceptance architectures. Define merchant acceptance related lifecycle processes: onboarding/KYC, MID allocation, hierarchy, profile management, billing, chargebacks. Design payments related solution across domestic and cross border payment ecosystems. Integrate fraud detection, AML, and transaction monitoring capabilities. Architect Value-Added Services (VAS) enablement (airtime, bill payments, vouchers, merchant loans, rewards). Produce business and technical artefacts: operating models, HLDs/LLDs, data flows, API contracts, deployment plans. Ensure designs meet PCI DSS, POPIA, ISO 27001 and card scheme requirements. Design connectivity solutions that underpin payment uptime. Align network architectures and SLAs to support payment solution requirements and transaction throughput. Identify cross-sell and bundling opportunities between payments and connectivity. Act as the primary technical lead in payments solution bids, RFPs and customer engagements. Work directly with banks, retailers, fintechs, PSPs and strategic partners to design tailored payment solutions. Translate business needs and commercial cases into technical designs and proposals. Conduct solution design authority forums with internal stakeholders (Product, Infrastructure, Security, Finance, Sales). Provide solution-focused consultancy service to prospect clients that focuses on optimisation of a solution and adapts to the client’s needs. Support of pre-sales, sales, and post-sales colleagues, ensuring customer requirements are achieved. Drive the XLink solution architecture competency, providing advice and guidance to the business development team on delivering quality solutions to both external and internal customers. Architect an appropriate technical solution to meet the customer's requirements. Primary technical interface with XLink customers, commercial teams, OEMs, and partners, marrying business requirements with technical specifications and translating these into a customer proposal. Closely interact with and liaise with approved 3rd party service providers, understanding their technologies, network infrastructure, and value proposition, ensuring alignment with customer demand. Understanding and support the XLink business to a maturity level that offers excellence. Identify customer-solution-specific parameters and constraints that impact the solution and provide remedial actions to mitigate constraints and manage business risks. Provide guidance and advice, if necessary, to ensure a long-term successful customer relationship. Identify opportunities within client environments for solutions or new product development and raise them with the appropriate XLink departments for evaluation and group-wide initiatives that extend into the Vodacom business. Ensure all payment solution designs comply with: PCI DSS, POPIA, ISO 27001, card scheme rules, banking regulations. Identify solution design & delivery risks and drive mitigations early in the lifecycle. Ensure architectural alignment with security, compliance and enterprise governance frameworks. Proactively identify solution design & delivery risk & associated mitigating strategies throughout the development / initiative lifecycle. Supporting XLink’s ambition and strategy. Continuous innovation initiative in staying ahead of market trends and supporting a short life cycle in the lab-to-market journey for XLink to its customers. Ensure solution designs align to the organisations regulatory, compliance & governance frameworks. Proactively involve / department leads in solution decision making, applying an enterprise-wide lens to product & service development. Deliver on time & on budget (always). Work as part of embedded delivery teams to conduct solution reviews, and other disciplines associated with solution design & delivery. Ensure a solid understanding of emerging & evolving architectural principles. Build & evolve the architectural capability of delivery teams across the business - through active coaching & information / knowledge sharing. Work as a high performance contributor as part of agile delivery teams across the organization & continuously improve skills & knowledge in agile / other practices for successful delivery. Actively support the account team with solution advice, proposals, presentations, and other customer communications. Requirements Qualifications 5+ experience in Solution Architecture, including at least 3 years in payments-focused roles. Background in banking, fintech, or payment service providers (mandatory). Experience in telecoms / connectivity is an advantage. Familiarity with PCI DSS, ISO 27001, POPIA. Performance Drivers Competencies Ability to link business needs to technical architecture and delivery. Deep understanding of payments value chains and operating models. Strong commercial acumen and solution business case development. Strategic thinker with hands‑on solution design capability. Excellent facilitation, influencing, and communication skills. Ability to simplify complex multi-domain solutions for diverse stakeholders. Technical / Professional Competencies Payments ecosystem knowledge: POS devices, acquiring, issuing, switching, settlement, reconciliation, domestic and cross‑border payment ecosystems. Experience with bank integrations (ISO 8583, REST APIs), terminal management, HSMs, key injection. Understanding of resilient network architecture to support payments uptime. Strong API, data and integration design capability. Familiarity with cloud‑native architecture (Microsoft Azure preferred). Skilled in architecture tooling. Location: 3 Sandown Valley Crescent, 3 Sandown Valley Crescent, South Africa #J-18808-Ljbffr