Technical Architect

Job Summary

The Technical Hands-On Senior Architect is a pivotal leadership role responsible for defining and driving the architectural vision and technical strategy for critical IT systems and applications. This role requires a seasoned professional with deep technical expertise, a hands-on approach to problem-solving and implementation, and a proven ability to lead and mentor development teams. The architect will ensure that solutions align with enterprise blueprints, adhere to Citi's engineering excellence principles, and contribute significantly to the firm's technical direction and business outcomes. This individual will be a key contributor to the developer manifesto by fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Architectural Leadership & Strategy:
  • Provide clear architectural vision and strategic direction for complex IT systems and applications, ensuring alignment with overall enterprise blueprints and business objectives.
  • Develop comprehensive architecture, strategy, planning, and problem-solving solutions at an enterprise level, addressing both current and future state technology needs.
  • Drive the technical direction and strategic decisions for the technology function, ensuring long-term scalability, resilience, and maintainability.
  • Act as a visionary, proactively assisting in defining direction for future projects and maintaining continuous awareness of industry trends, business, technical, and infrastructure issues.
• Hands-on Technical Contribution & Implementation:
  • Engage with the engineering team to support the design, coding, testing, debugging, and implementation of critical software applications, demonstrating advanced knowledge of programming and system internals.
  • Develop and enforce application methodologies and standards for program analysis, design, testing, and deployment, emphasizing clean code, automation, and robust testing practices.
  • Utilize advanced knowledge of supported main system flows and comprehensive understanding of multiple technical areas to achieve technology goals.
  • Lead by example in adopting and promoting modern architectural patterns (e.g., microservices, cloud-native) and best practices for secure, performant, and reliable software development.
• Mentorship & Team Development:
  • Allocate work, coach, and advise developers, analysts, and new team members, fostering their technical growth and adherence to engineering best practices.
  • Promote a culture of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning within development teams.
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement:
  • Consult with end-users and business stakeholders to identify system function specifications and incorporate them into overall system design.
  • Influence and negotiate with senior leaders, communicate effectively with external parties, and build consensus across cross-functional teams.
  • Interface with vendors to assess emerging technologies and guide product roadmaps based on Citi's requirements.
• Quality, Risk Management & Compliance:
  • Drive adherence to Citi's engineering excellence and developer manifesto principles, focusing on high-quality software, automated testing, continuous integration/delivery, and robust operational practices.
  • Appropriately assess technical and business risk when making decisions, demonstrating particular consideration for the firm's reputation and safeguarding Citigroup, its clients, and assets.
  • Ensure compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations, adhering to Policy, applying sound ethical judgment regarding personal behaviour, conduct, and business practices, and escalating, managing, and reporting control issues with transparency.

Qualifications

• Experience:
  • 10+ years of relevant experience in software development, architecture, and engineering roles, with a significant portion in a lead or senior architect capacity.
  • Extensive hands-on experience in designing, developing, and deploying complex, large-scale software applications.
  • Proven experience in systems analysis, programming, and implementation of software applications across diverse technology stacks.
  • Demonstrated experience in driving engineering excellence initiatives, promoting best practices, and fostering a strong developer culture.
• Technical Expertise:
  • Demonstrated Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Applications Development, with deep expertise in at least one major programming language (e.g., Java, Python, C#, Go) and related frameworks.
  • Profound understanding of modern architectural patterns (e.g., microservices, event-driven architectures, cloud-native design), distributed systems, and data management.
  • Strong knowledge of software development lifecycle (SDLC), including agile methodologies, DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing strategies.
  • Familiarity with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Leadership & Soft Skills:
  • Exceptional leadership, project management, and development skills, with a track record of successfully guiding and influencing technical teams.
  • Superior analytical and problem-solving abilities, with sophisticated thought processes to resolve complex technical and business issues.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Strong relationship and consensus-building skills, with the ability to negotiate and collaborate effectively at all organizational levels.
  • Highly self-motivated, proactive, and capable of taking initiative to master new tasks quickly and manage multiple activities under pressure.
  • Methodical approach with keen attention to detail.

Education

• Required: Bachelor's degree/University degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Preferred: Master's degree in a relevant technical discipline.

Job Family Group:

Technology

Job Family:

Applications Development

Time Type:

Full time

Most Relevant Skills

Please see the requirements listed above.

Other Relevant Skills

For complementary skills, please see above and/or contact the recruiter.

Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you are a person with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to use our search tools and/or apply for a career opportunity review Accessibility at Citi.

View Citi's EEO Policy Statement and the Know Your Rights poster.

---