Solutions Architect - Airline Systems

• Division:
  Digital Technology & Innovation Division

Synopsis

The Solutions Architect is responsible for defining and driving the technology architecture that enables seamless operational performance and guest experiences across the organisation. The role designs scalable, resilient, and integrated solutions that connect operational processes, frontline teams, enterprise systems, data platforms, and digital channels. Working closely with business stakeholders, product teams, and technology delivery functions, the Solutions Architect ensures alignment with enterprise architecture standards while leveraging modern technologies to enhance operational visibility, automation, decision-making, and continuous improvement.

Accountabilities

• Define and govern solution architectures that support operational capabilities and transformation initiatives.
• Design scalable solutions across key operational domains, including Flight Operations, Technical, Training, and Network Operations.
• Architect integrations between operational systems, enterprise platforms, and third-party solutions using appropriate integration patterns and technologies.
• Enable real-time operational visibility and automation through event-driven architectures, monitoring, analytics, and workflow capabilities.
• Ensure operational data is secure, governed, and accessible for reporting, analytics, AI, and automation use cases.
• Partner with business stakeholders to translate operational priorities and challenges into technology roadmaps and solution designs.
• Evaluate technology and vendor solutions to ensure alignment with enterprise architecture, scalability, interoperability, and cost objectives.
• Provide architectural leadership and technical assurance to product, delivery, engineering, and vendor teams.
• Ensure solutions meet requirements for security, resilience, performance, availability, compliance, and business continuity.
• Maintain architecture artefacts, including solution designs, capability maps, data flows, integration models, and roadmaps.
• Manage architecture risks, technical debt, dependencies, and opportunities for standardisation and reuse.
• Assess and promote the adoption of emerging technologies, including AI, machine learning, and intelligent automation, where they deliver measurable business value.
• Support agile delivery by establishing architecture guardrails that enable rapid and effective solution delivery.
• Collaborate across Digital, Data, Technology, Finance, Procurement, Customer, and Operations functions to deliver business outcomes.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in Solution, Application, or Enterprise Architecture, ideally within large-scale digital transformation environments.
• Proven experience designing technology solutions for airline operations, with a strong understanding of operational processes and supporting systems.
• Strong knowledge of APIs, microservices, application integration, and modern integration architectures.
• Experience with cloud platforms, preferably Microsoft Azure, including cloud-native services, data platforms, streaming technologies, and AI capabilities.
• Hands-on experience using AI, automation, APIs, low-code platforms, and cloud technologies to develop prototypes and proof of concepts.
• Experience applying enterprise architecture frameworks such as TOGAF to define architectures, roadmaps, governance, and technology standards.
• Experience working within Agile and/or SAFe delivery environments.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business outcomes.

Etihad Airways is more than the UAE's national airline - we’re shaping the future of global aviation. From our hub in Abu Dhabi, we connect people across continents and cultures, while driving our "Journey 2030" ambition to double our fleet, expand our network and grow our people for a new era of excellence. Join us and become part of a vision where the world is your workplace and extraordinary experiences take flight.