Chief Architect (IC)

Job description

Job Title: Chief Architect Reports to: DVT Client Partner Role overview The Chief Architect is a senior individual-contributor and technical leadership role that combines enterprise-scale architecture with hands-on AI architecture and governance. You will serve as DVT's foremost technical authority on platform design, system integration, and the responsible application of AI across client engagements and internal initiatives. This role is ideal for a seasoned architect who has operated at VP or CTO level and is looking to return to deep technical work — owning architectural decisions, driving AI adoption with rigour, and being the force multiplier that elevates teams and delivery outcomes. Key Responsibilities Enterprise Architecture Define and own high-level solution architecture across multi-service, cloud-native platforms for DVT clients and internal products Establish and chair Architecture Review Boards (ARBs) to govern design decisions and maintain architectural integrity across engineering teams Lead technical discovery, architecture assessments, and platform migrations for enterprise client engagements Translate complex business requirements into scalable, secure, and maintainable technical designs AI Architecture & Governance Design AI-native architectures that integrate machine learning, LLMs, and agentic tooling into production systems with appropriate governance, validation, and security controls Lead DVT's AI adoption strategy — defining standards for context engineering, prompt governance, output validation, and responsible AI use across engagements Architect AI-assisted workflows for use cases including fraud detection, KYC automation, intelligent document processing, and decision-support systems Apply healthy technical scepticism to AI outputs: review for correctness, compliance, and security before integration into regulated or mission-critical systems Evaluate and select AI frameworks, models, and toolchains appropriate to each engagement context Technical Leadership & Mentorship Serve as the senior technical reference point for DVT engineering teams and client stakeholders — resolving ambiguity, unblocking delivery, and raising technical standards Mentor senior engineers and architects across DVT, cultivating the next generation of technical leaders Contribute to DVT's thought leadership — through internal knowledge sharing, client workshops, and external publication where appropriate Support pre-sales and proposal efforts by providing authoritative technical input, architecture diagrams, and solution narratives Required experience and skills Essential 15+ years of progressive experience in software engineering and architecture, with a minimum of 5 years in a principal or chief architect capacity Demonstrable experience designing and delivering large-scale, distributed, cloud-native systems in production environments Hands-on AI architecture experience — integrating LLMs, ML models, or agentic frameworks into real-world systems, with attention to governance and compliance Strong command of architectural patterns: microservices, event-driven architecture, domain-driven design (DDD), CQRS, and API design Experience establishing Architecture Review Boards or equivalent governance structures Exceptional ability to communicate technical concepts to both engineering teams and executive stakeholders Track record of mentoring and developing senior technical talent Advantageous Domain expertise in payments, FinTech, banking, or regulated financial services environments Experience with African or emerging-market technology infrastructure (mobile money, payment rails, telco integration) Hands-on proficiency in Go, Python, or similar systems languages; PostgreSQL or advanced database design Familiarity with AWS, Azure, or GCP architecture patterns and cost-optimisation Background in compliance-aware engineering: PCI-DSS, GDPR, AML, or KYC regulatory frameworks Tech skills needed Go / Python Domain-Driven Design LLMs & Agentic AI API Gateway Patterns Microservices PostgreSQL REST/ gRPC AI Governance Event-Driven Architecture AWS/ Azure / GCP CI/CD & DevOps Security Architecture