Solutions Architect – Technical Owner

Who we are

Founded in 2016, Alef Education (ALEFEDT on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange) is an award-winning AI powered learning solutions provider redefining K to 12 education. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, the company serves approximately 2.0 million students and 84,000 educators across 19,000 schools in the UAE, Indonesia, and Morocco.

Its flagship Alef Platform delivers personalized learning experiences that enhance student engagement and outcomes, while its supplemental solutions Alef Pathways, Abjadiyat, and Arabits extend learning across subjects and languages.

Through its innovative use of artificial intelligence, data insights, and culturally relevant content, Alef Education is transforming teaching and learning to advance equity, access, and excellence for every student. 

About The Role

The Solutions Architect – Technical Owner is the single point of technical accountability for a defined portfolio of business systems at Alef Education.

Reporting to the Solutions Architect Lead, the role owns the architecture, non-functional requirements (NFRs), solution design, technical documentation and technical compliance for its assigned systems, and provides the technical expertise behind strategic initiatives that align with business goals. 

As part of this ownership, the role also designs and oversees the integration of the assigned systems with the wider enterprise estate.

This role leads the solution design, defines the technical requirements, manages and assures supplier delivery, and has the depth of experience to identify gaps and assess how they should be addressed. The ideal candidate combines a strong solution architecture and technical ownership background with proven third-party supplier management and stakeholder engagement.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Ownership and Solution Design:

• Act as the single point of technical accountability for the assigned systems, owning their architecture, non-functional requirements (NFRs — performance, scalability, availability, security, maintainability) and overall technical health, and continually assessing them to identify improvement opportunities.
• Lead the end-to-end design of solutions for the assigned systems, owning the data model and dependencies and ensuring alignment with the enterprise architecture strategy and business objectives.
• Facilitate discussions with stakeholders, translating business requirements into technical solutions and clear acceptance criteria for suppliers and development teams to implement.

Technology Evaluation and Delivery:

• Evaluate and recommend new technologies and platforms that improve end-to-end integration capability, keeping up to date with emerging trends through ongoing research.
• Help deliver projects and enhancements successfully, on time and to budget, providing technical direction and resolving design and integration issues.
• Maintain a broad awareness of technology solutions and platforms to enable rapid, well-informed responses to business needs.

System Integration:

• Design end-to-end integration solutions that support the efficient and secure exchange of data between the assigned systems.
• Own the integration architecture and data flows across platforms, directing suppliers and development teams on build and assuring data integrity, security and reliability.
• Govern releases, upgrades and change requests, reviewing supplier designs and test evidence and approving changes prior to deployment.

Technical Documentation and Compliance:

• Develop and maintain technical documentation, including system design, data flows and system integration requirements, and review supplier-produced documentation for completeness.
• Ensure solutions and integrations meet security and compliance requirements, including ISO/IMS, data protection and relevant regulatory obligations.
• Work with the Security function and suppliers to ensure integration points are secure and that vulnerabilities are remediated promptly.

Supplier and Stakeholder Management:

• Promote good practice in third-party supplier selection and management, acting as the primary technical liaison and managing escalations and roadmap discussions.
• Manage and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders internally and externally, gathering feedback and managing expectations on changes and timelines.
• Identify and engage business stakeholders, assisting in the identification of future business capabilities and solution requirements and developing a solid appreciation of the business context.

Technical Assurance and Continuous Improvement:

• Assure the technical quality of supplier-delivered work, reviewing designs and test evidence to confirm solutions are built correctly and to standard.
• Identify technical gaps, risks and improvement opportunities, assess their impact, and direct vendors to deliver remediation and enhancements.
• Maintain enough technical depth across the assigned platforms to challenge supplier proposals, assess solution quality and ensure technical decisions are sound.

To Be The Right Fit, You'll Need

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• Ideally AWS or Azure Certified Solutions Architect; knowledge of architecture frameworks (TOGAF/Zachman) and ITIL is an advantage
• Minimum of 3 years as a Solutions Architect with internal systems integration experience, and 5-6 years of relevant experience across roles such as solution architecture, system architecture, technical consulting or similar.
• Strong experience working with external suppliers and architecting and delivering comprehensive technical, application and business solutions for complex system architectures (a non-development, ownership-led role).
• Strong knowledge of solution architecture, IT infrastructure and security, and system integration (architecture, NFRs, data flows, single sign-on), sufficient to direct and assess supplier work.
• Demonstrated ability to take technical ownership of systems, manage supplier delivery, and see issues through to resolution with minimal supervision.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate complex IT concepts to diverse stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills with the ability to diagnose and resolve system and integration issues effectively.
• Ability to drive innovation in IT services and adapt to changing technology landscapes.
• Experience owning platforms such as Darwin Box, Lattice, GRC tools or web/CMS platforms, good knowledge of Sales, Marketing and ERP systems with integration, and familiarity with Agile methodologies and ISO practices preferred.
• Understanding of IT requirements and challenges within the education sector preferred.
• Good understanding of Agile delivery and proven ability to collaborate with stakeholders, suppliers and technical teams under tight deadlines preferred.
• Fluency in English.

What we offer

We believe our people are our greatest advantage. We value curiosity, purpose, and the drive to make a real difference. When you join Alef, you join a mission — and a team that’s just as passionate about transforming education as you are.

At Alef, we don’t just imagine a better future for education.

We build it — together.

https://www.alefeducation.com/