Senior Solution Architect

Project description

A senior architect responsible for end-to-end architecture of all IBM Technology projects — spanning vendor-based, in-house, business-led, and data/AI initiatives.

The role owns architecture design, secures approval at the Architecture Review Board (ARB), and leads Technology Risk Assessments (TRA), constructively challenging Group Security Office (GSO) and central Enterprise Architecture to defend pragmatic and value-driven solutions.

Acts as the trusted bridge between business stakeholders, vendors, central control functions, and engineering teams.

Define and own end-to-end target architectures for IBM projects (vendor, in-house, hybrid, data/AI)

Translate business intent into clear, executable architecture decisions and roadmaps

Prepare and present architecture artefacts at ARB; secure formal approval

Maintain alignment with central Enterprise Architecture (EA) standards and IBM target state

Lead Technology Risk Assessments (TRA) end-to-end for SaaS, cloud, and on-prem solutions

Constructively challenge GSO and central control functions; defend pragmatic risk positions with evidence

Run vendor RFPs, technical due diligence, fit-gap analyses, and PoCs

Define in-house solution designs when vendor options do not fit; balance build-vs-buy decisions

Engage senior business and technology stakeholders (CIO, business heads, product owners, vendors)

Translate technical complexity into clear, business-friendly narratives

Cover business-led, technical, and data/AI initiatives across Global Markets, GCF, Asset Management, and Custody

Stay current on industry trends: cloud, AI/GenAI, data platforms, capital markets technology

Target architecture documents and Solution Design Documents (SDDs)

ARB submission packs and approved architecture decisions

Completed TRA dossiers and GSO / control function alignment evidence

Vendor evaluation reports, fit-gap analyses, build-vs-buy recommendations

Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) and roadmap artefacts

Stakeholder briefings and business-facing architecture summaries

Must have

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.

10+ years as solution / enterprise architect in CIB, Capital Markets, or Investment Banking

Strong understanding of trade lifecycle, post-trade, custody, asset management, and corporate finance

Experience with major vendor platforms (Murex, SimCorp, Calypso, BlackRock Aladdin, Acadia, Traiana, or equivalent)

Familiarity with regulatory and outsourcing frameworks (GSO, GORM, ADGM, MiFID, EMIR)

Solid grasp of modern architecture patterns: microservices, event-driven, API-led, hexagonal, DDD

Cloud architecture: AWS (primary) and Azure — landing zones, security, IaC (Terraform), cost-aware design

Integration patterns: APIs (REST/gRPC), messaging (Kafka, IBM MQ, Service Bus), ETL / streaming

Data & AI awareness: data platforms, data mesh, ML/GenAI use cases, data governance basics

Software engineering literacy: CI/CD, DevSecOps, SOLID, Twelve-Factor — knows the craft even if not coding daily

Executive presence: comfortable presenting to CIO, business heads, ARB, and senior vendors

Influence without authority: drives decisions across teams, business, vendors, and control functions

Constructive challenger: capable of pushing back on GSO / EA with evidence — never combative, always solution-oriented

Active listener and translator: turns business needs into architecture, and architecture into business value

Strong written and verbal communication in English; clear, concise, and structured

Pragmatic decision-maker: balances ideal architecture with delivery realities and time / cost constraints

Self-starter: takes ownership end-to-end, comfortable with ambiguity and senior stakeholder pressure

Collaborative team player: knows when to lead, when to listen, when to escalate

Nice to have

TOGAF / industry certifications welcomed but not a substitute for demonstrated architecture leadership in CIB.