Principal Solutions Architect at Ozow

• The Principal Solution Architect is a pivotal leadership role in Ozow’s next phase of growth. Reporting directly to the CTO, this role is responsible for setting and driving the architectural vision across all of Ozow’s products and platforms. You will own the design of scalable, secure, and maintainable solutions that underpin our core payment products, merchant services, and future innovation initiatives — while building and leading a team of talented solution architects to deliver on that vision.
• This is both a strategic and hands-on role: you will define the architectural direction for Ozow, guide technical decision-making across multiple domains, and work cross-functionally with engineering, product, security, and business teams to translate complex requirements into robust solutions that scale with the business. 

Your role and responsibilities

Strategic Architecture Leadership 

• Define and own Ozow’s overarching solution architecture vision, aligning it with business strategy, regulatory requirements, and growth objectives. 
• Build and maintain the long-term technical roadmap, ensuring scalability, resilience, and extensibility across all platforms. 
• Establish architectural guardrails and reference models to guide solution design across multiple domains. 
• Partner closely with the CTO to shape the company’s technical strategy and future-state architecture. 

Team Leadership & Development 

• Build and lead a team of solution architects responsible for designing solutions across multiple product and platform areas. 
• Mentor and grow the architecture team’s capabilities — fostering technical excellence, deep domain expertise, and consistent design quality. 
• Establish architecture review practices and governance processes, ensuring solution alignment across teams and domains. 
• Provide leadership and guidance to engineering teams through solution design phases, offering mentorship, coaching, and architectural oversight. 

Solution Design & Delivery 

• Design and oversee scalable, secure, and high-performance solutions that integrate seamlessly with Ozow’s platforms and external systems. 
• Own the development of solution blueprints, architectural documentation, and technical standards. 
• Translate complex business and regulatory requirements into actionable solution designs. 
• Guide major product initiatives from concept through to delivery — ensuring technical feasibility, scalability, and alignment with company standards. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Serve as the technical bridge between engineering, product, operations, compliance, and business stakeholders. 
• Partner with Product and Delivery leadership to shape technical roadmaps and prioritise architectural investments. 
• Work closely with external partners, vendors, and banks to design secure and compliant integrations. 
• Provide architectural input into strategic initiatives, including AI/ML adoption, automation, and future payment rails. 

Innovation & Continuous Improvement 

• Champion technical innovation by evaluating emerging technologies, tools, and design patterns — and guiding their adoption within Ozow. 
• Drive architectural improvements across systems, improving scalability, performance, and security posture. 
• Contribute to business automation strategy by identifying opportunities for platform-level improvements and automation initiatives. 

Governance, Security & Compliance 

• Ensure all solutions adhere to industry best practices and regulatory requirements (PCI DSS, GDPR, POPIA, SARB directives). 
• Partner with security and compliance teams to embed security by design into all solutions. 
• Serve as a senior escalation point for architectural risk assessments and technology-related audits. 

You are an ideal candidate if you have

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field (Master’s or PhD preferred). 
• 12+ years of experience in software development and solution architecture, including at least 5 years in a senior or chief architect role. 
• Proven track record in designing and delivering large-scale, distributed, cloud-native systems. 
• Deep understanding of API design, web and backend technologies, security patterns, and enterprise integration. 
• Experience building and leading architecture teams and mentoring senior engineers or architects. 
• Demonstrable experience with agile methodologies and leading cross-functional delivery teams. 
• Strong understanding of fintech, payments, or regulated financial services environments (preferred). 

Your skills and competencies

• You eagerly embrace change, absorb cross-functional skills, and connect ideas across disciplines to drive fresh thinking and innovation. 
• Ability to initiate, develop, maintain and leverage outstanding relationships to influence a wide network, both inside and outside the company. 
• A trailblazer who steps up, takes charge, and creates meaningful impact—those driven by performance and purpose to lead from the front and make a real difference every day. 
• You thrive in collaboration, embrace inclusion, and bring a genuine curiosity for global cultures—valuing collective success over individual credit. 
• Demonstrate strategic foresight, sound judgement, and the ability to make confident decisions under uncertainty, always working toward the best possible outcomes. 
• You challenge norms, champion innovation, and constantly seek growth—for themselves, their team, and the solutions they build. 
• You are a decisive doer—those who take initiative, follow through with confidence, and ensure results through courageous, hands-on leadership. 
• We value optimism, agility, and the strength to persevere under pressure—balancing performance with positivity, even in challenging environments. 
• You are driven, proactive individuals who take ownership, face challenges with grit, and consistently push for excellence—not just as participants, but as catalysts for success.