> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/3323005-card-solutions-architects-contract-role-sheffield-immediate](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/3323005-card-solutions-architects-contract-role-sheffield-immediate). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md).

---

# Card Solutions Architects - Contract role - Sheffield - Immediate

- **Company:** StrategicsIQ Ltd
- **Location:** Sheffield, UK
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Contract:** Contract
- **Skills:** Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Cloud Computing, Cloud Engineering, Relational Databases, DevOps, Disaster Recovery, Distributed Data Store, Distributed Systems, Fault Tolerance, Identity and Access Management, Information Systems Security Architecture Professional, Mainframes, Enterprise Messaging Systems, NoSQL, Software Engineering, Openapi, Data Logging, System Availability, Backend, Event Driven Architecture, Containerization, Kubernetes, Apache Kafka, Api Design, Api Gateway, Restful APIs, Domain Driven Design, Docker, Microservices
- **Published:** September 10, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.totaljobs.com/job/solutions-architect/strategicsiq-ltd-job107962301

## About the Role

* 15+ years of experience in software engineering and solution architecture, with a strong focus on banking and payments systems
 * Deep domain knowledge of card processing systems (e.g., authorization, clearing, settlement, dispute management)
 * Proven experience designing high-throughput, low-latency transactional systems
 * Experience operating within large-scale, matrixed enterprise environments
 * Strong background in cloud-native architecture (AWS, Azure, or GCP), including relevant certifications
 * Demonstrated ability to handle complex, ambiguous technical problems and translate them into structured solutions
 * Strong stakeholder engagement across business, engineering, and infrastructure teams

Technical Skills

 * Architecture & Design: Microservices, event-driven architecture, domain-driven design (DDD), layered architecture
 * Integration: RESTful APIs, OpenAPI specs, messaging systems (Kafka, MQ), asynchronous processing
 * Cloud & Infrastructure: Cloud-native design, containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes), CI/CD pipelines
 * Data: Distributed data systems, RDBMS/NoSQL, data modelling, data consistency patterns
 * Security: Secure-by-design principles, IAM, encryption, threat modelling, regulatory compliance
 * Resilience: High availability, fault tolerance, disaster recovery, observability (logging, monitoring, tracing)
 * Channels: Experience designing across web, mobile, API gateways, and backend orchestration layers
 * Legacy Integration: Exposure to mainframe systems (desirable but not essential)

Additional Capabilities

 * Strong focus on cybersecurity and secure architecture practices
 * Experience designing mission-critical systems with strict uptime and performance SLAs
 * Ability to mentor engineers and architects, driving technical best practices and governance
 * Comfortable working across global teams with distributed stakeholders

## Description

* Own and deliver end-to-end solution architecture for card-based systems, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture principles and platform roadmaps
 * Translate business requirements (BRDs) into solution designs, decomposing into MVPs, epics, and detailed technical stories
 * Design and implement scalable, resilient, and secure architectures across distributed systems
 * Define integration patterns (REST APIs, messaging, event-driven architecture) across internal platforms and external partners
 * Provide hands-on architectural leadership to engineering teams, ensuring design consistency and adherence to standards
 * Govern solutions through architecture review boards, ensuring compliance with security, data, and infrastructure standards
 * Identify and mitigate technical risks, including performance, scalability, and security concerns
 * Collaborate with vendors and third parties to define interoperability models and integration contracts
 * Contribute to technology strategy, including cloud adoption, modernization, and legacy transformation initiatives
 * Promote adoption of modern engineering practices including microservices, API-first design, and domain-driven design