Solution (ICT) Architect at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)

Job Description    

• The Solution ICT Architect is responsible for designing and governing the Bank’s technical,technology and infrastructure solutions. The role translates business strategy into scalable, secure, and resilient technology solutions that enable current and future-state business capabilities and digital transformation.

Key Responsibilities    
Technology Architecture & Strategy

• Develop and maintain the Bank’s technology roadmap aligned to the digitalisation strategy and enterprise architecture framework.
• Translate business objectives into robust, scalable, and secure architecture designs.
• Develop future-state technology architecture blueprints and actionable, iterative modernisation roadmaps.
• Facilitate priority setting, project selection, and integration by providing architecture principles and standards.
• Ensure solution designs are scalable, secure, and aligned with enterprise architecture principles.

Technology Architecture Design

• Define system behaviour, structure, and views through conceptual and logical architecture models.
• Design integrated architectures covering applications, data, infrastructure, cloud, integration, networks, and hardware platforms.
• Lead architecture design reviews and governance processes.
• Conduct interviews and requirements-gathering sessions (workshops, workflow storyboards, use cases, and scenarios).
• Manage interoperability and integration across technology platforms.

Technology Modernisation & Innovation

• Lead design and implementation of modern technology platforms (cloud, hybrid infrastructure, AI-enabled systems).
• Review and evaluate the current IT estate to identify gaps, risks, redundancies, and optimisation opportunities.
• Oversee lifecycle management, upgrades, and continuous improvement of IT platforms.
• Ensure alignment with emerging technologies and recommend innovative solutions.
• Support readiness and operationalisation of AI, cloud technologies, and security frameworks.

Security & Risk Management

• Conduct IT security risk assessments and monitor vulnerabilities across systems.
• Develop mitigation and response plans for identified security threats.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, regulatory standards, and industry best practices.
• Lead disaster recovery (DR), business continuity planning (BCP), and resilience testing initiatives.
• Embed security-by-design principles into architecture solutions.

Governance & Stakeholder Management

• Act as the primary bridge between business units and IT technical teams.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure IT solutions enable strategic and operational objectives.
• Provide architecture guidance during project initiation and delivery phases.
• Coordinate with the PMO for pipeline visibility and architectural compliance.
• Present architecture proposals, risk reports, and compliance updates to management committees and business units.

Key measurements of outputs

• Successful roll-out and adoption of technology strategy across the organisation.
• Number and quality of analytics solutions developed and implemented, business impact of D&A by linking use cases to business outcomes.
• Time from insight to action by monitoring how long it takes before D&A insights are acted upon (e.g., projects delivered, platforms implemented and supported, number of D&A users, usage metrics).
• Reduction of the number of reports generated across the bank.
• Increase in business decisions made using data insights.
• Improvement in data accuracy and completeness.
• Reduction in costs related to data management and analytics operations.
• Increase in return on investment from data initiatives.
• Increase in user adoption of data tools and platforms.
• Improvement in data literacy among employees.
• Management of team performance, talent development, and succession planning using the performance management system.

Expertise & Technical Competencies    
Digital Literacy

• Conduct research and have awareness of the latest trends in the digital space that affect the Organisation and the business unit.
• Seek out innovative approaches and interventions to improve digital agility.
• To identify technical problems when operating devices and using digital environments, and to solve them (from troubleshooting to solving more complex problems).
• Stay abreast of the latest trends and incorporate them in driving change in the business.

Data Collection and Analysis

• Through a mastery of advanced/complex analytical techniques, establishes high-level trends from processed data which may not be immediately apparent.
• Moves beyond concrete analysis of factual information to develop an abstract, conceptual understanding of the meaning of an array of information.
• Integrates diverse themes and lines of reasoning to create new insights or levels of understanding.

Data Management

• Defines a backup strategy in line with the disaster management strategy.
• Monitors file storage policy compliance by users, identifies concern areas and addresses the same.
• Defines parameters for backup testing and monitors the same. Conducts detailed backup tests to ensure data integrity.

Strategic Planning

• Establishes challenging, attainable goals and objectives based on a customer focus perspective.
• Looks to the future with a broad perspective.
• Ensures performance measures are in place to monitor progress and assess accomplishments and achievement of strategic goals and objectives.
• Develops initiatives to achieve goals and objectives.
• Articulates the vision and plans to others.

Knowledge Management

• Identifies, develops, and articulates knowledge management strategies that will add value to the organisation.
• Engages with thought leaders within and outside the organisation to identify the value of knowledge and information to the organisation and develop a
• knowledge-based vision.
• Ensures that knowledge management strategies are embedded within corporate strategies and key business processes.
• Fosters a knowledge and information-rich culture and ensures that knowledge management competencies are recognised as core competencies of the organisation to develop individual and organisational capability.
• Fosters the development of appropriate knowledge and information assets and the adoption of effective knowledge management processes, tools, and standards.

Reporting

• Designs, reviews, and improves reporting processes and provides guidance.
• Leads production of complex environment reports, takes an editorial role, determines content and level of detail, and ensures consistent messaging and branding.

Data Collection and Analysis

• Through a mastery of advanced/complex analytical techniques, establishes high-level trends from processed data which may not be immediately apparent.
• Moves beyond concrete analysis of factual information to develop an abstract, conceptual understanding of the meaning of an array of information.
• Integrates diverse themes and lines of reasoning to create new insights or levels of understanding.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Systems, Actuarial Science or Data Science.

Minimum Experience

• A minimum of 8 years’ experience in IT architecture, infrastructure design, or platform modernisation.
• Experience in at least two technical disciplines (infrastructure, cloud, security, AI/ML, data management).
• Experience in IT governance, compliance, and risk management within DFI or banking preferred.
• Certifications such as TOGAF, Zachman, ITIL, or relevant cloud certifications are an advantage.
• Familiarity with COBIT, SDLC, SOA frameworks and finance systems knowledge.

Desirable Requirements

• Deep knowledge of IT infrastructure, cloud platforms, networking, security frameworks, and emerging technologies.
• Experience with performance engineering, disaster recovery, and compliance standards.
• Ability to design and implement scalable, resilient, and secure IT solutions.

Deadline:28th July,2026