Technical Architect

The Technical Architect / Banking Solutions Lead will serve as the senior technical authority and trusted advisor for a major core banking platform implementation, responsible for solution architecture, systems integration design, regulatory compliance translation, and technical leadership across all implementation workstreams delivered through Agile sprint-based methodologies. This individual will own the technical blueprint that bridges existing technology landscapes with modern core banking platforms while ensuring full compliance with Mexican banking regulations.

This role requires deep expertise in banking technology, systems integration, payments systems, cloud architectures, and Mexican financial services regulations. The individual must be able to make authoritative technical decisions, design complex integrations, and serve as the technical counterpart to client architecture teams and platform vendors. Comprehensive knowledge of various account types (Level 2, 3, and 4 accounts) and their technical implementation requirements is essential.

Key Responsibilities

Systems Integration & Architecture (30%)

• Design and own comprehensive integration architecture connecting core banking platforms with enterprise systems
• Define integration patterns and APIs for seamless connectivity with middleware, fraud detection, AML/PLD, and business application layers
• Architect real-time and batch integration flows ensuring data consistency and transactional integrity across systems
• Design event-driven architectures and message-based integration patterns using modern integration technologies
• Define API management strategies including versioning, security, rate limiting, and lifecycle management
• Create comprehensive integration documentation including interface specifications, data mapping, and error handling strategies
• Design synchronous and asynchronous communication patterns optimized for performance and reliability
• Architect integration solutions supporting multiple account types with varying transaction limits and regulatory requirements
• Lead integration testing strategies and coordinate end-to-end system testing across platforms

Payments Systems & Solution Design (25%)

• Design and oversee integration with Mexican payment infrastructure (SPEI, CoDi, DIMO)
• Define ISO 8583 integration for card transaction authorization and settlement
• Architect real-time payment processing flows ensuring sub-second response times at high percentile
• Design fraud prevention system integrations with bidirectional communication for automated decision-making
• Define webhook architectures and event notification patterns for real-time system communication
• Design multi-currency transaction processing supporting MXN, UDI, and USD with proper conversion and regulatory controls
• Architect disaster recovery and high availability solutions meeting stringent RPO/RTO requirements
• Define security architecture including authentication, authorization, encryption, and comprehensive audit logging
• Design reconciliation processes and reporting interfaces for financial operations

Regulatory Compliance & Local Requirements (20%)

• Translate Mexican FinTech law, CNBV, and Banxico requirements into detailed technical specifications
• Design platform configuration supporting IFPE account types (Level 2, 3, 4) with distinct regulatory limits, transaction controls, and operational characteristics
• Architect technical solutions accommodating account type-specific requirements including balance limits, transaction restrictions, and KYC levels
• Design regulatory reporting capabilities (R24, R26, CUFPE, etc.) with proper data aggregation across account types
• Define data retention and archival strategies meeting 10-year retention requirements with efficient retrieval mechanisms
• Ensure comprehensive audit trail and traceability capabilities meeting regulatory standards
• Design technical solutions supporting CNBV and Banxico approval processes
• Validate that security controls meet Mexican data protection regulations
• Ensure platform configuration supports UDIS-based limit calculations and currency conversions

Platform Configuration & Customization (15%)

• Define core banking platform configuration to meet IFPE requirements
• Identify and document gaps between native platform capabilities and required functionality
• Design customizations and extensions where native capabilities are insufficient
• Work with platform vendors to optimize configuration for performance and scalability
• Define account structures, product configurations, and transaction types
• Configure multi-currency support (MXN, UDI, USD)
• Design batch processing and end-of-day procedures
• Ensure configuration supports high-volume account capacity with required transactionality

Technical Leadership & Team Enablement (10%)

• Serve as trusted technical advisor to client architecture and engineering teams
• Provide technical direction and mentorship to implementation teams working in Agile sprint cycles
• Lead technical decision-making and issue resolution in sprint planning and retrospectives
• Bridge communication between client technical teams, delivery teams, and platform vendors
• Conduct technical knowledge transfer sessions and architecture workshops
• Review and approve technical deliverables from implementation teams
• Establish technical standards and best practices for Agile delivery
• Guide DevOps practices and CI/CD pipeline design supporting continuous delivery
• Lead technical risk assessment and mitigation planning

Required Qualifications

Essential Technical Experience

• 10+ years in banking technology with focus on core banking systems or payment platforms
• 5+ years hands-on experience architecting and implementing large-scale enterprise systems integration solutions
• Deep expertise in payment processing, clearing, and settlement systems
• Proven experience designing and implementing complex API-based integration architectures (REST, SOAP, ISO 8583)
• Strong experience with cloud-based architectures (Azure, GCP, or AWS)
• Extensive experience with microservices architectures and event-driven design patterns
• Proven track record working in Agile frameworks with sprint-based delivery models
• Practical knowledge of database design, data migration strategies, and data integration patterns
• Understanding of high-availability and disaster recovery architectures

Banking & Payments Domain Expertise

• Deep understanding of retail banking operations and account management across multiple account types
• Comprehensive knowledge of IFPE account types (Level 2, 3, and 4) including their distinct technical requirements, transaction limits, and operational characteristics
• Expert knowledge of payment systems, particularly interbank transfers and card processing
• Experience with real-time payment systems (SPEI experience highly valuable)
• Understanding of debit card processing, authorization flows, and settlement
• Knowledge of correspondent banking, remittances, and cross-border payments
• Understanding of banking reconciliation processes and financial controls

Regulatory & Compliance Knowledge

• Strong understanding of banking regulatory frameworks
• Direct experience with Mexican financial regulations (FinTech law, CNBV, Banxico) strongly preferred
• Knowledge of IFPE-specific requirements and account type regulations
• Understanding of financial data protection and privacy requirements
• Familiarity with banking audit and compliance requirements
• Experience with regulatory reporting requirements
• Knowledge of SPEI system rules and Banxico oversight

Security & Compliance Technical Skills

• Expertise in financial services security requirements (PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, SOC 2)
• Understanding of encryption standards and key management
• Experience with authentication and authorization frameworks (OAuth 2.0, SAML 2.0)
• Knowledge of audit trail and logging requirements for banking systems
• Understanding of penetration testing and vulnerability management
• Experience with security architecture and controls in cloud environments

Language & Location Requirements

• Native or fluent bilingual proficiency in Spanish and English (written and verbal)
• Based in or willing to relocate to Mexico City
• Ability to travel domestically within Mexico and occasionally internationally (15-25%)

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct hands-on experience with major core banking platforms (Finastra, Temenos, Oracle FLEXCUBE, FIS, etc.)
• Prior implementations for Mexican financial institutions or IFPEs
• Practical experience with Mexican SPEI system integration
• Experience with Azure or GCP cloud platforms
• Knowledge of Kubernetes, Docker, and container orchestration
• Familiarity with DevOps tools and practices (Jenkins, GitLab, etc.)
• Experience with ServiceNow or similar ITSM platforms
• TOGAF, AWS/Azure/GCP Solutions Architect, or similar architecture certifications

Technical Competencies

Architecture & Design

• Enterprise architecture frameworks and methodologies
• Solution architecture patterns for financial services
• API-first design and microservices architectures
• Event-driven architecture and message-based integration
• Data architecture and database design
• Cloud architecture patterns (multi-region, active-active, DR)
• Security architecture and zero-trust principles

Integration Technologies

• REST API design and implementation
• SOAP web services
• ISO 8583 message processing
• Message queuing systems (RabbitMQ, Kafka, etc.)
• ETL and data integration patterns
• Webhook and event streaming
• API management and gateway technologies

Banking Technology Stack

• Core banking platforms (Finastra, Temenos, Oracle, FIS, etc.)
• Payment switch and processing systems
• Card management systems
• Digital banking platforms
• Fraud detection systems
• Anti-money laundering (AML/PLD) systems

Cloud & Infrastructure

• Cloud-native application design
• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation)
• CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
• Container technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Monitoring and observability tools
• Performance testing and optimization