Senior Solution Architect

Job Summary

The Lead Enterprise Architect is the overall technical design authority for the greenfield build and the most senior architect on the Program. You will own the target-state architecture end to end - across business capability, application, data, integration, infrastructure and security domains - together with the transition path that takes the bank from a blank sheet to an authorised, operating institution. You will define the architectural principles and standards the Program works to, hold final design authority over the decisions that flow from them, and lead a team of domain and solution architects across delivery partners and vendors.

This is as much a leadership and influence role as a technical one. You will explain, defend and evidence the architecture to executive sponsors, risk and compliance functions, auditors and supervisory authorities - and hold the line on architectural integrity when commercial and schedule pressure argues otherwise.

Key Responsibilities

Target-State Architecture Own the end-to-end target architecture across business, application, data, integration, infrastructure and security domains, ensuring traceability from business capability to architectural component. Define and maintain the architectural roadmap and transition states, sequencing the build so each phase delivers a coherent, operable and regulator-ready increment; establish the minimum viable Day-1 architecture for licensing without structurally constraining later growth. Maintain the architecture as a living asset - principles, standards, reference models, as-built documentation and decision records - fit for audit and supervisory review at any point. Core Banking Platform and Application Landscape Lead the design and build of the core banking platform, Design the surrounding-system landscape and its integration into the core - financial crime and compliance (KYC/KYB, sanctions and PEP screening, transaction monitoring, fraud), treasury, general ledger and finance, regulatory and management reporting, Determine the appropriate balance of configuration, extension and custom build, minimizing bespoke development where a platform capability will serve, and making the trade-offs explicit and defensible. Own the architectural relationship with platform and tooling vendors, including capability assessment, roadmap alignment, and the technical due diligence behind selection decisions. Payments, Correspondent Banking and Clearing Architect end-to-end correspondent banking and payment flows, including nostro/vostro account structures, cover payments, and the full transaction lifecycle from intake through clearance to settlement and posting. Design connectivity to payment and market infrastructures - SWIFT and ISO 20022 (MT to MX migration), SEPA and SEPA Instant, and RTGS/TARGET services - together with the scheme rulebook compliance, message transformation and reconciliation architecture that supports them. Define clearing, settlement and reconciliation patterns, straight-through-processing rates, and the controlled exception-handling and four-eyes release mechanisms that sit around them. Ensure the design supports the addition of new corridors, rails and counterparties through configuration and controlled endpoints rather than repeated platform change. Data, Integration and Cloud Define the enterprise data architecture - canonical models, golden sources, master and reference data, data lineage, retention, and the reporting and analytics layer serving prudential, statistical and management reporting needs. Own the API and integration strategy, including event-driven patterns, contract-first interface standards, message integrity and idempotency, and the boundary contracts between architectural zones. Set the cloud and infrastructure architecture - landing zones, network segmentation, runtime and container strategy, infrastructure-as-code, observability, and EU data-residency controls. Architecture Governance and Design Authority Be an active member of program's architecture governance forum, responsible for the design-authority process, architectural decision records, exception and waiver handling, and compliance against agreed standards. Exercise final authority over design decisions, arbitrating between competing domain, vendor and delivery positions and holding accountability for the outcome. Set architectural standards, patterns and reference designs, and assure delivery against them through design reviews and gated checkpoints. Operate the governance model effectively in a multi-vendor context, ensuring end-to-end architectural coherence across systems integrators, platform vendors and tool-only providers. Leadership and Stakeholder Management Lead, mentor and develop a team of solution architects, setting technical direction and raising the standard of architectural practice across the Program. Act as the senior architectural voice with executive sponso

Skill Requirements

epth and seniority: 15+ years in enterprise, solution or domain architecture within banking or financial services, including at least one prior appointment as lead or principal architect on a large-scale, multi-year transformation Program. Greenfield delivery: Demonstrable experience architecting and delivering greenfield or near-greenfield banking builds - a new bank, a new licensed entity, a new branch or subsidiary, or a full estate replacement - taken through to live operation. Core banking at scale: Proven core banking transformation delivery at scale, with genuine accountability for outcomes rather than advisory involvement alone. Regulated environments: A career built in supervised financial institutions, with a clear understanding of how architectural decisions carry regulatory consequences. Technical Capability Deep, current and vendor-neutral knowledge of the core banking market and the surrounding system landscape - platform capabilities, architectural models, deployment options, relative maturity and known limitations - sufficient to run a credible selection process and challenge vendor claims. Strong command of payments architecture: ISO 20022, SWIFT, SEPA, RTGS/TARGET services, payment hub patterns, clearing and settlement, and reconciliation design. Practical expertise in integration architecture - API design, event-driven and message-based patterns, middleware, and the discipline of contract-first interface management. Solid grounding in data architecture, master and reference data management, and regulatory and management reporting data flows. Functional and Domain Expertise Working knowledge of correspondent and wholesale banking business processes - nostro/vostro management, cross-border payments and remittances, trade finance instruments, treasury and liquidity, deposits and lending. Understanding of banking product structures, pricing and fee models, limits and exposure management, and the accounting and general-ledger implications of transaction flows. Familiarity with retail and corporate banking operating processes is sufficient to design coherently across the customer, operations and back-office landscape. Regulatory and Compliance Direct working experience of Spanish and EU banking regulation and supervision - Banco de España, ECB/SSM and EBA expectations, including prudential and statistical reporting obligations. Working knowledge of DORA and operational resilience requirements, NIS2, GDPR and EU data-residency obligations, and EBA outsourcing and ICT third-party risk guidance. Working knowledge of AML/CFT and sanctions requirements and their architectural implications, including screening, monitoring, case management and regulatory reporting interfaces. Experience supporting a licensing or authorization process, or supervisory inspections and audits, with architectural evidence and documentation. Stakeholder Management and Soft Skills Proven ability to influence and align senior stakeholders across a wide and often competing constituency - executive sponsors, business leadership, risk and compliance, regulators, vendors, systems integrators and delivery partners. Exceptional executive communication: able to present a complex architectural trade-off to a board or a supervisor in terms they can act on, without either oversimplifying or retreating into jargon. Structured, evidence-led problem solving, with the judgement to make decisions under genuine uncertainty and the discipline to document the reasoning. Credible authority without hierarchy - the ability to hold a design position across organizational boundaries where you have influence rather than direct control. Comfort operates at pace under regulatory deadlines, and the resilience to sustain quality of thought when the Program is under pressure. Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Mathematics or a comparable discipline; a Master's degree or MB

Other Requirements

• Language: Native or near-native Spanish is essential - the role involves direct interaction with Spanish supervisory authorities and Spanish-speaking business and operations stakeholders, and requires the ability to work fluently in Spanish in technical, regulatory and executive settings. Fluent professional English is equally essential, as the Program operates bilingually across international delivery partners.

• Location: Based in Spain, with Madrid as the primary Program location. The role requires substantive on-site presence, including availability to support supervisory and internal on-site inspections in Spain. Candidates must hold the right to work in Spain and be EU/EEA-resident, consistent with the bank's data-residency commitments.

• Travel: Occasional European and international travel to vendor, partner and group locations.