JOB REQUIREMENTS OR EXPERIENCE
Business & Domain Experience12+ years of technology experience, with 5+ years in financial services or payments platforms
Proven experience architecting mission‑critical, high-volume, regulated systems
Strong understanding of payments operations, controls, and regulatory considerations
TECHNICAL SKILLS
CORE – MUST HAVE
Strong experience in enterprise and solution architecture within banking or payments environments
Hands-on architectural knowledge of:Distributed systems and microservices-based architectures
API-led and event-driven integration patterns
High-availability, multi-region, and fault-tolerant designs
Deep understanding of:Payment processing lifecycles
Financial messaging standards (e.g., ISO 20022, XML/JSON-based formats)
Solid background in:Java-based enterprise platforms or equivalent JVM ecosystems
Relational databases and transactional data models
Messaging platforms and streaming technologies
Strong grasp of:Security architecture, authentication, authorization, encryption, and data protection
Regulatory and risk controls relevant to payment systems
Ability to analyze, document, and communicate complex system interactions clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
NICE TO HAVE
Experience with real-time or instant payment platforms
Exposure to vendor payment engines, clearing systems, or market infrastructures
Cloud and hybrid architecture experience (AWS, Azure, or private cloud)
Familiarity with container platforms and orchestration (OpenShift, Kubernetes)
Knowledge of DevSecOps, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code
Experience supporting modernization from legacy payment systems to next-generation platforms
EDUCATION AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline, or equivalent practical experience
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders
Demonstrated ability to operate with high autonomy and accountability
Comfortable working across business, technology, risk, and operations teams
Strong analytical mindset with a focus on enterprise value, risk stewardship, and long-term sustainability
PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Solution Architecture & Design
Own the solution architecture for enterprise payment platforms including high-value payments, real-time payments, clearing, settlement, and reporting systems
Translate business requirements into end-to-end technical architectures, covering application, integration, data, infrastructure, and security layers
Design solutions aligned with enterprise architecture principles, target-state roadmaps, and regulatory requirements
Evaluate trade-offs across scalability, resilience, performance, cost, and delivery timelines
Define integration patterns for internal systems, vendor platforms, and external market infrastructures
Payments Domain & Platform Architecture
Architect solutions supporting domestic and cross-border payment flows, lifecycle processing, reconciliation, and exception handling
Apply strong working knowledge of payment rails, clearing models, and settlement mechanisms
Design architectures aligned with financial messaging standards (e.g., ISO 20022, legacy formats)
Support modernization initiatives including real-time payments, API-led architectures, and event-driven processing
Partner with business and operations teams to ensure solutions meet SLA, resiliency, and operational readiness requirements
Technical Leadership & Governance
Serve as a design authority throughout project lifecycles, from concept through production deployment
Review and approve solution designs, modeling artifacts, and implementation approaches
Ensure adherence to architecture standards, security controls, and development best practices
Guide and mentor development teams, influencing design decisions rather than managing day-to-day coding
Participate in architecture review boards, technology evaluations, and vendor assessments
Documentation & Standards
Produce and maintain architecture diagrams, solution blueprints, interface contracts, and design specifications
Document current-state and target-state architectures, including transition roadmaps
Contribute to enterprise reference architectures, reusable patterns, and design guidelines
Ensure architectural artifacts are audit-ready and suitable for regulatory review
Delivery Support & Production Engagement
Partner with delivery teams during build, testing, and deployment phases to ensure architectural integrity
Support SIT, UAT, and production readiness reviews, including non-functional testing considerations
Provide architectural guidance during production incidents, root-cause analysis, and remediation planning
Collaborate with infrastructure, DevOps, and SRE teams on resilience, observability, and performance tuning
Our client, a major bank in New York City, is looking for Senior Solutions Architect - Payment Systems (Director Level). New York City Location.
This is hybrid commute, 2/3 days per week in the office.
** Must be authorized to work for ANY employer in US - NO H1 Visa support for this role
Salary range 200-225K, plus around 20% bonus, plus great benefits package.
Senior Solutions Architect – Payment Systems
In this role you will be responsible for the end-to-end architecture, solution design, and technical oversight of payment platforms supporting Mizuho Americas’ domestic and cross‑border payment capabilities.
This role acts as a hands-on technical leader and design authority, partnering closely with product, business, risk, operations, infrastructure, and security teams to deliver secure, scalable, and regulatory-compliant payment solutions. You will work closely with the enterprise architects and define target-state solution architectures, guide implementation teams, and ensure alignment with enterprise standards across high-value, real-time, and batch payment systems.
The position requires deep expertise in payment processing architectures, strong understanding of financial messaging standards, and the ability to drive complex initiatives across multiple platforms in a highly regulated environment.
Please email your resume or use this link to apply directly:
https://brainsworkgroup.catsone.com/careers/index.php?m=portal&a=details&jobOrderID=16810081
Or email: igork@brainsworkgroup.com
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