Senior Solution Architect - Banking Domain

London: 2-3 days onsite in a week

Job Summary
We are looking for a highly experienced Solution Architect with extensive Banking and Financial Services domain expertise to lead the design and implementation of enterprise-scale technology solutions. The ideal candidate should possess strong architecture skills across cloud, integration, data, and application domains while having a deep understanding of retail banking, commercial banking, payments, lending, trade finance, treasury, risk, and regulatory requirements.
The Solution Architect will work closely with business stakeholders, product owners, enterprise architects, and engineering teams to define solution architecture, technology roadmaps, and transformation initiatives.

Key Responsibilities
Solution Architecture & Design
Define end-to-end solution architecture aligned with business and technology strategies.
Create architecture blueprints, high-level designs (HLD), and low-level designs (LLD).
Lead architecture reviews and ensure adherence to enterprise standards.
Design scalable, secure, resilient, and high-performing solutions.
Banking Domain Expertise

Understand and architect solutions for:
Retail Banking
Commercial Banking
Corporate Banking
Trade Finance
Payments & Cards
Lending & Mortgages
Treasury & Capital Markets
Risk & Compliance
Customer Onboarding & KYC
AML/Fraud Detection
Cloud & Modernization
Lead cloud transformation initiatives across AWS, Azure, or GCP.
Design cloud-native and hybrid architectures.
Drive Legacy modernization and platform transformation programs.
Define API-led and Microservices-based architectures.
Integration Architecture
Design enterprise integration solutions using APIs, ESB, Event-Driven Architecture, and Messaging platforms.
Define integration patterns between banking applications and third-party systems.
Architect Real Time and batch processing solutions.
Governance & Security
Ensure architecture compliance with banking regulatory requirements.
Define security architecture, authentication, authorization, and data protection strategies.
Support audit, governance, and risk management initiatives.
Stakeholder Management
Engage with business stakeholders and senior leadership.
Translate business requirements into technology solutions.
Provide technical leadership and mentorship to development teams.

Mandatory Technical Skills
Architecture
Enterprise Architecture
Solution Architecture
Microservices Architecture
Event-Driven Architecture
Domain-Driven Design (DDD)
API-First Design
Cloud Platforms
Azure
AWS
GCP
Integration Technologies
REST APIs
SOAP Services
Kafka
MQ Series
APIGEE
MuleSoft
Azure Integration Services
Application Technologies
Java/Spring Boot
.NET Core
Node.js
Containerization (Docker)
Kubernetes/OpenShift
Data Technologies
SQL & NoSQL Databases
Data Warehousing
Big Data Platforms
Data Lake Architecture
DevOps & Automation
CI/CD Pipelines
GitHub
Jenkins
Terraform
Infrastructure as Code

Banking Domain Knowledge Required
Must Have Experience In
Core Banking Systems
Payment Processing
SWIFT Messaging
SEPA/CHAPS/Faster Payments
Open Banking
PSD2 Regulations
Basel Frameworks
KYC & AML Processes
Financial Crime Prevention
Regulatory Reporting
Preferred Banking Platforms
Temenos
Finastra
FIS
Oracle Banking
Murex
Calypso
SAP Banking

Required Qualifications
Bachelors or Masters Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or Information Technology.
12+ years of IT experience with at least 5+ years as Solution Architect.
Proven experience delivering large-scale banking transformation programs.
Strong experience engaging with senior business and technology stakeholders.
Experience leading globally distributed teams.

Preferred Certifications
TOGAF
Azure Solutions Architect Expert
AWS Solutions Architect Professional
Google Professional Cloud Architect
Kubernetes Certification
Banking Domain Certifications (Nice to Have)

Key Competencies
Strategic Thinking
Stakeholder Management
Architecture Governance
Problem Solving
Technology Leadership
Banking Domain Expertise
Risk & Compliance Awareness
Communication & Influencing Skills