Hi
Open Banking Principal Architect
Location: Memphis (TN), Charlotte (NC), Raleigh (NC) or Birmingham, Alabama. (Remote also fine)
Fulltime
preferred local
Role Overview
We are seeking an Open Banking Principal Architect to lead the enterprise architecture strategy, governance, and delivery of next-generation digital capabilities. This role will own the technology roadmap for Open Banking enablement (provider and consumer models), real-time data-sharing frameworks, and secure API ecosystems. The Principal Architect will guide solution teams across mobile, web, integration, security, and cloud, ensuring security-first design, data privacy, and regulatory compliance while balancing platform stability and modernization.
Required Skills & Experience
12–20+ years of experience in technology architecture, with strong experience in banking, Open Banking, or financial services.
Deep expertise in Open Banking standards: FDX, data-sharing frameworks, consent architecture, customer identity.
Strong experience building API ecosystems using Java/Spring Boot, API gateways, and API management platforms.
Ability to architect solutions on modern cloud platforms (Azure AKS, AWS EKS, or similar).
Experience with Apigee or similar integration modernization platforms.
Broad knowledge of identity, fraud, cybersecurity, compliance, and risk controls.
Experience with Kafka streaming, event-driven architecture, and real-time data processing.
Proven track record architecting major technology transformation programs.
Strong executive communication and business-case development skills.
Skill Matrix — Open Banking Principal Architect
Programming — Must Have: Java (advanced), Spring Boot (3.x, reactive patterns), API design; Good to Have: Node.js, React.js
Open Banking Standards — Must Have: FDX (hands-on), Digital Banking APIs; Good to Have: BIAN, ISO 20022, PSD2
Open Banking Platforms — Must Have: Ninth Wave (hands-on/exposure); Good to Have: Plaid, Tink, MX, Finicity
IDP & Security — Must Have: OAuth2.0, OIDC, mTLS with Okta/Ping/Azure AD/ForgeRock; Good to Have: Advanced tokenization and FPE
Consent Management — Must Have: Consent & data sharing flows; Good to Have: GDPR/CCPA preference management
Data Security — Must Have: Mandatory data masking, logging compliance, secure coding practices; Good to Have: Tokenization, format-preserving encryption (FPE)
Cloud & Deployment — Must Have: Docker, Kubernetes, Azure AKS; Good to Have: AWS EKS, Google Cloud Platform GKE
Ingress & API Gateway — Must Have: NGINX ingress controller, Azure API Management; Good to Have: Apigee, MuleSoft, Kong
Event Streaming — Must Have: Kafka (producer/consumer, schema registry); Good to Have: MQ, Pulsar
AI/Automation — Must Have: AI tools for development, testing, and code review; Good to Have: Prompt engineering, AI-assisted documentation
Testing — Must Have: Unit testing (JUnit, Mockito), functional automation testing; Good to Have: Cucumber, Karate, Postman automation
Code Quality & Security — Must Have: SonarQube, Veracode, static analysis, secure coding practices; Good to Have: Checkmarx, Fortify
CI/CD & DevOps — Must Have: Jenkins, Bitbucket Pipelines, Azure DevOps; Good to Have: GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD
Domain Knowledge — Must Have: Banking / Financial Services; Good to Have: Insurance, FinTech startups
Soft Skills — Must Have: Strong communication, mentoring, technical leadership; Good to Have: Client-facing presentation skills