Enterprise Solution Architect Lead, Johannesburg

We’re Hiring: Enterprise Solution Architect Lead

Job Description Set the architectural direction for Africa's most loved Merchant OS.

Location: Johannesburg or Cape Town

Business Unit: Information Technology (CIO Office)

Reports to: Chief Information Officer

Why This Role Matters One unified merchant journey and a growing portfolio that needs to scale, integrate and innovate without collapsing under its own complexity. That is the architectural challenge waiting for you at Lesaka. We are looking for an architect who reduces complexity, retires technical debt and ensures every system investment we make is future proof.

About Lesaka Lesaka is a fintech company on a mission to digitise commerce in Africa. We are listed on NASDAQ (LSAK) and the JSE (LSK) and serve merchants, consumers and enterprises across the continent. From spaza shops and taxi ranks to restaurants and city traders, our products power the small exchanges and the big steps of African commerce. One platform. Many products. One ambition: to be the most loved Merchant Operating Platform in Africa.

How We Operate Our strategy starts from a simple operating truth. Exceptional customer experiences come from exceptional staff experiences. We balance four pillars across everything we do: Customer Experience, Staff Happiness, Cost Discipline and Risk Control. Each one amplifies the others when properly aligned. We have organised around one merchant journey with clear execution and accountability.

Our North Star Deliver exceptional experiences to our customers and our staff. We measure ourselves against CHAP (Customer Happiness), SHAP (Staff Happiness), Cost-to-Serve efficiency and Regulatory Impact. Happy customers, happy staff, disciplined cost, controlled risk.

The Role You will define and govern the enterprise architecture blueprint for the Merchant Division. You will set the technical standards, integration patterns and architectural decisions that translate business ambition into coherent technical reality. You will chair the Architecture Review Board, sit on the Software and Hardware Acquisition Council and serve as the architectural conscience for every significant technology investment we make.

The role contributes directly to Cost Discipline through technology rationalisation and to Risk Control through architectural standards and compliance alignment. You will lead a team of three to four domain architects with four to six indirect reports.

What You’ll Own Architecture Blueprint and Standards

Define and maintain the enterprise architecture blueprint covering application, data, integration and infrastructure layers across all five business units.

Establish architecture standards, patterns and principles that guide solution design across every IT workstream.

Identify and quantify technical debt. Drive a structured remediation roadmap reviewed quarterly with the CIO.

Integration and Platform Enablement

Define API and integration patterns that enable scalable, reusable connectivity across platforms including Switch and Acquiring engines.

Provide architectural oversight for the iPaaS layer and partner with the Heads of ERP and CRM on billing, onboarding and unified data flows.

Champion data architecture principles including master data management, data quality and governance.

Governance and Risk Oversight

Chair the Architecture Review Board. Ensure all significant architectural decisions are documented, governed and traceable.

Ensure architecture decisions align to SOX ITGC, PCI DSS, POPIA and relevant regulatory standards.

Maintain the architecture risk register and provide the CIO with regular governance reports.

Investment and Lifecycle Advisory

Evaluate technology vendor and platform selections. Conduct build versus buy versus integrate analysis for new capability requirements.

Assess platform lifecycle status and recommend rationalisation, modernisation or retirement.

Monitor emerging technology trends in AI, cloud native and open banking and assess relevance for the Lesaka context.

People and Culture Leadership

Build a high performing architecture team. Retain critical talent, develop leadership depth and support succession.

Coach domain architects to operate with greater autonomy and business impact.

What You’ll Bring You are a systems thinker who moves comfortably between the boardroom and the whiteboard. You have the commercial drive to argue for investment, the strategic insight to see around corners and the assertiveness to hold the line on standards when delivery pressure mounts.

Deep enterprise architecture expertise across application, data, integration and infrastructure layers, proven at scale.

Strong grasp of API, iPaaS and integration patterns in complex multi-product environments.

Cloud native architecture fluency across AWS, Azure or GCP.

Working knowledge of TOGAF ADM, architecture review board governance and IT investment planning.

Comfort working in regulated environments covering SOX ITGC, PCI DSS and POPIA.

How You’ll Show Up

Strategic insight. You connect technology decisions to commercial outcomes.

Negotiating and presenting. You can carry a room of executives and a room of engineers.

Organisational sensitivity. You read the politics without being political.

Assertiveness with humility. You hold standards firmly and listen genuinely.

Commercial drive. You treat architecture investment like the asset it is.

Experience&Qualifications Experience

10+ years in IT with at least 5 years in an enterprise solution architecture role.

Experience in a complex multi-product or multi business unit environment is essential.

Financial services, fintech or payments context strongly advantageous.

Qualifications&Certifications

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or Engineering. Postgraduate qualification or MBA (advantageous).

TOGAF 9 or 10 certification (essential).

AWS, Azure or GCP solutions architect certification (Google advantageous).

SABSA or equivalent security architecture certification (advantageous).

Ready to Build With Us? If this is the kind of work you want to be part of, we want to hear from you. Apply now or share this with someone exceptional.

Our Values

Entrepreneurial Spirit– We innovate boldly and act with ownership

Integrity– We operate with honesty, trust, and transparency

Collective Wisdom– We collaborate and leverage shared expertise

Bias to Action– We deliver with urgency, discipline, and focus

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