• Strong knowledge of card systems and transaction flows, with expertise in operations, processing, reconciliation, connectivity, and certification, plus experience across retail banking and core systems such as loans, LOS, ATMs, and core banking platforms.
• Experience with core banking and card system integrations, including third-party service providers and payment networks.
• Strong ability to translate complex business requirements into clear, comprehensive solution designs and functional specifications, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture standards and Cards domain needs.

SCORECARD DIMENSIONS

Key-in the data relevant to the job

Financial Perspectives:

• Achieve cost efficiency in solution designs.

Customer Perspectives:

• Positive feedback from business stakeholders on solution quality and timeliness.

Business Process and Initiatives:

• ≥95% of projects pass Architecture Review Board without major deviations.
• ≥90% of critical initiatives delivered on time and meeting NFRs (performance, resilience).

Talent Engagement:

• Conduct at least 4 architecture knowledge-sharing sessions per quarter; maintain updated templates and standards.

Requirements

Accountability

Supporting Activities

Outcome/ deliverables

1. Architecture Alignment & Governance

• Translate enterprise architecture (EA) standards into Cards IT-specific reference architectures and patterns.

• Lead/participate in Architecture Review Forums (SDRF, EASF, EAC).

• Maintain Cards IT architecture roadmaps aligned to cloud, security, data, and integration strategies.

• Approved Solution Architecture Document (SAD).

• Architecture compliance dashboards; reduced deviations/waivers.

• Updated Cards reference architectures & reusable component library.

2. Solution Design Quality (Robust, Secure, Scalable, Cost-Effective)

• Define and enforce NFRs (performance, resilience, RTO/RPO, observability). • Drive secure-by-design practices (threat modeling, PCI DSS controls, data privacy). • Standardize integration standards, API specifications, and coding/design checklists.

• Signed-off architecture view and detailed technical blueprint with NFR/security coverage. • Performance benchmarks met (TPS/latency), fewer design-related incidents.

3. Core Project Delivery Leadership

• Assume delivery co-ownership for priority/at-risk Cards IT initiatives.

• Remove cross-team blockers; set clear checkpoints and track risks, issues, and dependencies.

• Ensure end-to-end delivery integrity from requirements to stabilization.

• On-time milestone delivery (MVP/GA) with minimal critical defects. • Post-implementation reviews; lessons fed back into standards.

• Improved stakeholder satisfaction and reduced escalations.

4. Cost Optimization & Technology Lifecycle Management

• Design for efficiency (right-sizing, autoscaling, caching, managed services).

• Maintain tech currency inventory (versions, EOL/EOS, patch plans).

• Rationalize duplicative services and integrations.

• TCO models and cost-per-transaction improvements.

• Executed currency plans; no critical EOL in production.

• Consolidated services with lower run costs.

5. Vendor & Partner Architecture Oversight

• Evaluate vendor architectures; enforce API/security and resiliency standards.

• Set and monitor SLAs/SLOs; include architecture clauses in contracts.

• Lead technical due diligence during RFP/RFI.

• Vendor evaluation reports; integration compliance checklists.

• Contractual obligations tracked and met.

6. Talent Leadership & Capability Building

• Define roles/skills matrix and career paths for solution architects.

• Coach through design reviews and pattern/anti-pattern sessions.

• Maintain architecture knowledge base.

• Higher first-pass approvals; faster design cycles.

• Improved team competency and autonomy.

• Updated, widely adopted architecture repository and templates.

• Experience in leading solutions across cards and financial services, including issuing, authorization, settlement, lifecycle, disputes, tokenization, fraud controls, as well as retail banking systems such as loans, LOS, ATMs, and core banking.
• Running Architecture Review Boards/design gates; enforcing standards across multiple squads.
• Deep experience with API-led integration (REST/GraphQL), event-driven patterns (Kafka/RabbitMQ), microservices, service mesh, container orchestration (Kubernetes/OpenShift).
• Performance engineering (TPS/latency tuning), resilience patterns (circuit breakers, retries), HA/DR design with RTO/RPO targets.
• Observability (logs/metrics/traces), capacity planning, and SRE/operability considerations.

Authority to approve high-level and detailed solution designs for Cards IT projects, ensuring compliance with enterprise architecture standards and security requirements.

Authority to decide on technology components, integration patterns, and vendor technical solutions within the Cards IT domain, subject to alignment with enterprise architecture and budget constraints.

KEY CHALLENGES

Describe major challenges that this incumbent will or may face, that might hinder his/her success

· Ensuring all solutions comply with enterprise architecture standards while meeting aggressive timelines for Cards IT projects.

· Aligning diverse priorities from business, operations, compliance, and technology teams without compromising design integrity.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

State both internal and external stakeholder that this incumbent will be liaising with and the nature of the engagement

Internal Stakeholders:

• Business Units
• Enterprise Architect Teams
• Application Development, QA, and DevOps
• Technology Risk, Security, and Compliance Teams

External Stakeholders:

• Payment networks and third-party integration partners

KEY SUCCESS FACTORS OF THE INCUMBENT

Describe the traits of the incumbent that would be successful in this role

• Can balance long-term architectural alignment with short-term project delivery needs.
• Comfortable making decisions and driving consensus in complex, multi-party environments.
• Understands both legacy systems and modern architectures (cloud, microservices, APIs).
• Open to adopting emerging technologies and evolving architecture practices.
• Calm, structured problem-solving approach under pressure.
• Clear communicator who bridges business and technology effectively.
• High ownership mindset with attention to detail and delivery discipline.