Mission/ Core purpose of the Job:
The purpose of the Senior Manager Digital Security Architect is to govern and scale secure-by-design digital platforms, ensuring security across the company’s digital channels, API ecosystems, digital identity layers, customer-facing services, and cloud-native digital experiences.
The role ensures that the company’s platform economy, developer ecosystems, digital onboarding, API management and monetisation, and omni-channel digital services are secure, trusted, and ready for scalable growth across all markets. The role is responsible to govern secure platform design, engineering, API security, developer ecosystem security, and digital platform enablement. Digital service architecture review and solution designs are key deliverables in order to assure “security by design” and “security by default”
Context Global influences, environmental / industry demands, organisational mission
The company’s strategy toward 2030, focuses on transitioning from a traditional telecom company into a platform-based technology business. The “Beyond 2025” strategy aims to establish the company as a holding company managing three core platforms—Connectivity, Fintech, and Digital Infrastructure—with a strong emphasis on sustainability, AI, and Pan-African growth
Architecture design and the end-to-end security of the platforms and services are key to guarantee the success of the company’s digital transformation. The role must therefore ensure the successful delivery in context of
• The rapid scale of digital channels and consumer/enterprise digital services
• API marketplace expansion and platform engineering
• Rise of digital identity, privacy and data protection, fraud intelligence, and trust frameworks
• Multi-market harmonisation, resilience and scalability of digital architectures across 19+ OpCos
• A dynamic regulatory environment regarding data privacy and consumer protection
• Ongoing digital ecosystem partnerships leveraging hyperscale’s and external developers
• Sustainable, autonomous, green tech
• Cyber resilience & trust as a differentiator
• AI capability and relate guardrails
Values (Their culture):
Our client is a purpose and value-led organization. At the company, they believe that understanding their people’s needs and aspirations is key to creating experiences that delight you at work, every day. They company is committed to fostering an environment where every member of their family is heard, understood and empowered to live an inspired life.
The companies’ values keep them grounded and moving in the right direction. Most importantly, they keep us honest. It is not something they claim to be. It is in their DNA.
As an organisation, they consider it their mission to create an exciting and rewarding place to work, where the company’s people can be themselves, thrive in positivity and ignite their full potential. A workplace that boosts creativity and innovation, improves productivity, and ultimately drives meaningful results. A workplace that is built on relationships and achieving a purpose that is bigger than them.
Their commitments go beyond an organisational promise. It is in their leadership and managerial ethos to meaningfully partner with their employees, customers and stakeholders with a vision to realise their shared goals.
The company
• Lead with Care
• Can-do with Integrity
• Collaborate with Agility
• Serve with Respect
• Act with Inclusion
Key Performance Areas: Core, essential responsibilities / outputs of the position (KPA’s)
The Senior Manager Digital Security Architect is responsible for the following Key Performance Areas:
Digital Platform & API Security Governance:
• Govern security architecture and secure solution design for the company’s digital platforms, omni-channel services, identity layers, and digital business ecosystems.
• Establish digital platform safeguards, reusable security patterns, and paved roads for digital squads. Ensure secure onboarding and lifecycle management of developers, partners, SMEs, and enterprises consuming digital APIs.
Digital Identity, Privacy & Trust Engineering:
• Architect digital identity, trust, authentication, KYC, and fraud prevention capabilities.
• Enable security for digital onboarding, customer journeys, and identity federation.
• Support privacy-by-design for all digital services.
API Marketplace & Developer Ecosystem Security:
• Define security for API catalogues, API marketplaces, SDKs, and developer onboarding.
• Ensure secure exposure of APIs to external ecosystems and hyperscale’s.
• Ensure proper classification of API and protection at runtime via API security platform
Cloud-Native Digital Architecture Security:
• Govern secure microservices, digital workloads, and platform engineering layers.
• Promote secure-by-design in agile digital squads and DevSecOps teams.
• Promote AI guardrails for all Genova project with impact on digital platforms
Pan-African Digital Security Blueprinting:
• Create multi-market digital security blueprints and ensure adoption across OpCos.
• Harmonise digital platform security standards for rapid replication and resilience
Job Requirements (Education, Experience and Competencies):
Minimum Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science/Information Systems/Engineering (or equivalent).
• Post-grad preferred (e.g., MSc, MBA) or equivalent experience.
Experience:
• 8–12+ years total IT/security experience; 5-7+ years in security architecture within large, complex enterprises.
• Demonstrable delivery across cloud, API, data/AI, mobile/web apps, Security for AI and AI for security and telco/network environments.
• Experience operating in multi-market/Group-OpCo models and regulated domains (POPIA/GDPR; PCI/FS for fintech).
Certifications (preferred):
• Architecture: SABSA, TOGAF.
• Security: CISSP, CCSP, CISM (or equivalent).
• Cloud: Azure/AWS/GCP security certifications.
• AI: security for AI certifications
• DevSecOps/IaC: Kubernetes, Terraform, or equivalent product certs.
• Compliance: ISO 27001 Lead Implementer/Auditor, PCI ISA (if fintech).
Technical Competencies:
• API security, OAuth/OpenID Connect, identity platforms
• Cloud-native security (CSPM, CNAPP, IaC, SBOM)
• Microservices & platform engineering security
• Digital identity, fraud detection, privacy engineering
• DevSEcOps Developer ecosystem governance
• Security for AI
• Security incident management
• Project Management
Behavioural competencies:
• Systems thinking
• Digital ecosystem mindset
• Multi-market stakeholder influence
• Innovation & experimentation
Other:
• Regional and international travel may be required
Collaboration (Formal and Informal Relationships):
Responsibility towards:
• Group & OpCo Digital, Technology, Cybersecurity, Platform Engineering
• Developer communities, hyperscalers, API partners
• CCOE – Cloud Center of Excellence
• AI COE – AI Center of Excellence
• S2 COE- Software Solution Center of Excellence
• Fintech & Identity teams
• External partners and ecosystem integrators