Payments Architect

Role Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Payments Architect to lead the architectural vision design and implementation of Citis next-generation payments infrastructure. This role requires a seasoned professional with deep expertise in global payments systems modern architecture patterns and regulatory compliance frameworks.

The Payments Architect will work closely with the Head of Payments senior stakeholders product managers and engineering teams to evaluate Citis current payment platforms identify gaps and propose scalable secure and high-performing solutions aligned with global payment trends.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture Leadership

o Define the end-to-end payments architecture strategy ensuring scalability resiliency and global adoption.

o Evaluate existing systems and recommend modernization strategies for improved performance security and compliance.

o Drive architectural consistency across payment platforms APIs and digital channels.

Payments Domain Expertise

o Provide deep subject-matter expertise on instant payments real-time settlement systems and cross-border payments.

o Align Citis payment platforms with global instant payment rails (FedNow RTP SEPA Instant UPI & Processing Liquidity Management Data Warehousing and core Cash Management of large MNC clients

o Build architecture for Open Banking & API ecosystems enabling seamless integrations with third-party fintechs and partners

Innovation & Emerging Technologies

o Lead initiatives in Blockchain & Tokenization (e.g. Citi Token Services).

o Explore AI-driven compliance fraud prevention and personalization use cases.

o Implement cloud-native architectures microservices and event-driven designs for payment services.

Governance & Quality

o Review code quality system design and technical debt within payments platforms.

o Establish best practices for development integration and testing across distributed teams.

o Ensure adherence to regulatory requirements (AML KYC PSD2 GDPR ISO 20022).

Stakeholder Management

o Partner with global business heads operations and compliance teams to ensure architectural alignment with strategic objectives.

o Collaborate with vendors fintech partners and external regulators to shape payments innovation.

Key Skills & Competencies

Core Payments Expertise

o Strong knowledge of domestic and cross-border payments ACH SWIFT ISO 20022 RTP SEPA Fedwire.

o Experience with card processing merchant acquiring wallets and tokenization.

Technology & Architecture

o Proficiency in API-first design microservices cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP).

o Strong understanding of event-driven systems (Kafka MQ etc.).

o Knowledge of Blockchain DLT and digital currency frameworks.

Leadership

o Proven track record of architecting enterprise-grade payment platforms.

o Ability to lead large distributed engineering teams and mentor solution architects.

o Strong communication and stakeholder influencing skills