We are seeking an experienced Data Architecture Lead to serve as the Design Authority for
enterprise data architecture across major banking engagements in Dubai. The candidate will lead the definition, governance, and implementation of enterprise data architecture strategies, ensuring consistency and alignment across multiple transformation programmes, legacy banking platforms, and modern cloud environments. The role will involve overseeing architecture decisions across Retail Banking Group (RBG) modernisation initiatives, mobile banking platforms, and real-time digital customer journeys. The candidate will hold responsibility for reviewing and approving solution designs, evaluating architectural change requests, and maintaining alignment with the enterprise target architecture.
Key Responsibilities
• Enterprise Architecture Leadership: Act as the Design Authority for the enterprise data estate, ensuring architectural consistency and preventing fragmentation across parallel programmes and delivery streams.
• Architecture Strategy and Roadmaps: Define, document, and maintain enterprise target data architectures, reference models, data modelling standards, and long-term architecture roadmaps aligned with business and digital transformation objectives.
• Design Authority Governance: Establish and lead formal Design Authority reviews, evaluating, challenging, and approving proposed solution designs before implementation.
• Digital Banking Architecture: Design and oversee scalable, high-performance data architectures supporting mobile banking applications, real-time customer interactions, and digital banking journeys.
• Architecture Assurance: Review and validate architectural proposals presented in Steering Committee (SteerCo) packs, ensuring proposed solutions remain aligned with approved architectural standards and target-state designs.
• Change Request Evaluation: Assess technical change requests, cost estimates, and proposed architectural modifications to determine their validity, business impact, and alignment with the enterprise architecture.
• Technical Risk and Issue Management: Conduct root-cause analysis of architecture related delivery delays, identify cross-project dependencies, and escalate significant technical risks and trade-offs to programme sponsors.
• Cost and Vendor Governance: Evaluate infrastructure costs, cloud resource requirements, bills of materials, and vendor proposals to ensure technical and commercial alignment.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Present architectural strategies and recommendations to senior executives, including CTOs, CIOs, and CDOs, while confidently defending design decisions and managing technical challenges.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with programme leadership, engineering teams, external vendors, and business stakeholders to maintain architectural integrity throughout project delivery.
Required Qualifications and Experience
• 10+ years of experience in data architecture, enterprise architecture, or related technical
leadership roles.
• Proven experience defining and governing enterprise data architecture strategies within major financial institutions or leading technology consultancies.
• Strong background in Retail Banking Group (RBG) environments and enterprise banking transformation programmes.
• Demonstrated experience architecting data solutions for mobile banking applications, digital customer journeys, and high-concurrency microservices environments.
• Experience managing enterprise architecture governance, including Design Authority boards, architecture reviews, and formal solution sign-offs.
• Strong understanding of enterprise data modelling, data integration, modern data platforms, and cloud-based architecture principles.
• Proven ability to evaluate architectural change requests, technical proposals, infrastructure costs, and vendor solutions.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex architectural concepts to executive-level stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience managing technical disagreements, challenging proposed solutions, and influencing senior decision-makers.
Preferred Qualifications
• Direct experience leading enterprise data architecture initiatives for major banks in the UAE or wider GCC region.
• TOGAF certification.
• AWS certifications, particularly AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional or AWS Certified Data Engineer.
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert.
• Databricks Certified Data Engineer or related architecture certifications.
• Experience working across large-scale digital banking and cloud modernisation programmes.
