FIS IBS SME / Solution Architect
Location: Remote role
Type: Contract
Duration: Until November 30, 2026 + possible to extend
1. PURPOSE OF THIS PROFILE
delivering a custom Multi-Entity Loan Routing (Intelligent Routing) solution for Western Alliance
Bank. The delivery team is strong on integration, middleware, AI routing, and program execution, but does not
have deep FIS product expertise. A prior FIS consultant (time-share) produced the solution approach but
availability has been unreliable.
This profile defines the replacement / standing FIS domain expert we need: someone who can stand in front of the
client with the TF team, run intelligent discovery, validate IBS premises, and de-risk caller-side and lending/GL
integration — without becoming a single point of failure.
2. ROLE TITLE & POSITIONING
Recommended title options (use one consistently in search):
FIS IBS Solution Architect — Lending & Integration (Preferred)
FIS Digital One / IBS Domain Consultant — Core Banking Integration
Senior FIS Core Banking SME — Multi-Entity Loan Routing
This is a hands-on client-facing domain architect role, not a pure developer seat and not a distant advisory-only
retainer. The person must be available for workshops, discovery on the bank’s IBS install, and ongoing design
validation with TF engineers.
3. BASELINE REFERENCE (SKILLS WE ARE REPLACING / MATCHING)
The prior consultant profile is used only as a skill baseline — not as a named replacement requirement. Ideal
candidates should meet or exceed the following capability clusters:
Tenure & FIS suite: 15+ years core banking; deep FIS product suite exposure
Products: IBS (Integrated Banking Solution), with secondary strength across Digital One, and familiarity with
related FIS cores (BancPac, Bankway, HORIZON, MISER, Systematics) for multi-core context
Domains: Consumer & Commercial Lending, loan boarding/advances/payments, deposits, payments
(ACH/Wire), General Ledger / reporting pathways
Lifecycle: Implementation, conversion, data mapping, IBS configuration/parameters, UAT, parallel processing,
cut-over, post-go-live stabilization
Client engagement: Client workshops, translating FIS concepts for non-FIS teams, training bank staff, floor
support
Technical breadth: API-oriented integration, microservices awareness, enterprise architecture communication
(enough to partner with TF middleware/API engineers — not necessarily to build the stack alone)
Differentiator: Digital One Business / corporate channel experience (transaction initiation, lending-related
flows, multi-core integration) is a strong differentiator for this bank’s Case 1 path.
4. PROJECT CONTEXT THE CANDIDATE MUST OWN CONCEPTUALLY
Western Alliance runs a single FIS IBS instance. A REIT (no IBS of its own) currently receives real-estate-related
activity via next-day manual reconciliation from Bank GL into PeopleSoft.
Target solution (custom Intelligent Routing — not a generic TF platform product):
At transaction entry, determine destination legal entity (Bank, REIT, future entities).
Bank-bound events: standard TXN through existing overnight IBS → Bank GL path.
Non-Bank events: MEMO in IBS (record, no Bank GL hit) + actual post to PeopleSoft (or other destination).
Routing decision via custom middleware called by FIS D1 Connect and/or WA Middleware — never direct
TF→IBS.
Channels: Case 1 FIS Digital One (UI → Gateway → D1 Connect → Reverse Proxy → Code Connect → IBS); Case
2 WA UI → WA Middleware → Reverse Proxy → Code Connect → IBS.
Discovery must validate memo vs TXN per event, destination carrier field (Option A additional field / Option B
Additional Description), servicing continuity under memo, and memo consumption for PeopleSoft.
5. MUST-HAVE SKILLS (NON-NEGOTIABLE)
Skill Area What “Good” Looks Like Why This Project Needs It
FIS IBS — deep product expertise Can explain and validate event
classification (memo vs transaction),
additional fields, description tags, overnight
GL behavior, and servicing side effects on
this bank’s install.
Four IBS premises gate the entire design;
wrong assumptions = rework.
Commercial / Real-estate Lending on IBS Fluent in loan boarding, advances,
payments, fees, participation concepts, and
how RC-C / call codes are used
operationally.
Routing today is RC-C driven; target is per-
event entity routing for RE/REIT activity.
FIS Digital One + D1 Connect Knows how D1 initiates transactions, how
D1 Connect translates to IBS-compatible
traffic, and where a pre-IBS routing call can
be inserted safely.
Case 1 is a primary integration path; TF
team is blind here without an SME.
Code Connect / Connectware Understands gateway role, what may/may
not be modified, and realistic integration
constraints with bank security.
All IBS traffic converges here; SOW forbids
direct core/gateway surgery.
GL / intercompany / downstream
posting literacy
Can speak to Bank GL overnight post vs
memo non-post, and REIT/PeopleSoft-style
intercompany or destination posting
patterns.
Success = kill manual next-day REIT move
with clean reconciliation.
Discovery & premise validation
leadership
Runs structured workshops with bank + FIS
owners; writes clear validation outcomes;
forces Option A vs B decision.
Month 1 is discovery-critical under T&M;
delays burn the cap.
Client-facing with mixed audiences Credible with WA business/accounting and
with FIS/platform owners; coaches TF
engineers live in the room.
TF must appear competent when the SME
is the only FIS brain in the meeting.
Integration partnering
(API/middleware)
Can specify caller contracts: when to TXN vs
MEMO, payload fields, failure modes,
idempotency, audit needs — for D1
Middleware is custom-built by TF; SME
must guide interfaces, not only IBS screens.
Connect and WA Middleware teams.
UAT, parallel run, cutover discipline Designs parallel against manual REIT
process, defines reconciliation tolerance,
cutover checklist, rollback thinking.
Explicit in-scope transition pattern;
accounting trust depends on it.
Reliable availability Predictable calendar, responsive in client-
critical windows, written handoffs; not a
choppy time-share black box.
Prior gap: knowledge trapped with
unreliable availability.
6. STRONGLY PREFERRED SKILLS
PeopleSoft Financials / GL intercompany or equivalent bank ERP posting integration experience.
Multi-entity, participation, or REIT/SPE banking operating model exposure.
Western Alliance or similar mid/large U.S. commercial bank IBS implementations.
Prior FIS employee or long-term FIS partner delivery (conversion/modernization).
Experience inserting decisioning/middleware beside D1 Connect or bank-owned middleware without breaking
overnight batch.
Regulatory/call report awareness (confirm memo classification does not distort RC-C / call report outputs).
Security & access patterns for bank APIs (authN/Z, network zones, change control with FIS).
Ability to produce FSD-quality functional specs and review TSDs written by TF engineers.
Cloud/API literacy (REST, JSON payloads, audit logging) sufficient to challenge designs.
Training mindset: short lender/sender guides and accounting transition narratives.
7. NICE-TO-HAVE SKILLS
HORIZON / Systematics / BancPac / Bankway / MISER cross-core context (helps multi-core war stories; IBS+D1
is primary).
ODS, Kafka, Snowflake, or reporting-lane experience (observability/reconciliation patterns).
Positive Pay / ACH / Wire depth (payments adjacency; not core of day-1 REIT routing).
Azure/AWS architecture fluency; IaC familiarity (partnering only).
M&A core consolidation experience (change-over-time / multi-entity storytelling).
8. BEHAVIORAL & WORKING-MODEL REQUIREMENTS
Knowledge transfer: Teaches while delivering — leaves TF team smarter every week (written notes, decision
logs).
Intellectual honesty: Separates fact (confirmed on this install) from assumption (needs discovery).
No bluffing: Comfortable saying “I don’t know — here’s how we verify with FIS/WA.”
Meeting leadership: Can run a 60-minute discovery agenda without TF feeding every question.
Artifact discipline: Documents open questions, owners, due dates; does not rely on oral-only tribal
knowledge.
Commercial sensitivity: Aligned to custom client solution framing — not pitching a multi-tenant “TF product
platform” narrative that confuses Legal/IP.
Availability SLA: Minimum agreed weekly hours + on-call windows for client workshops; backup coverage plan
if PTO.
9. EXPECTED RESPONSIBILITIES ON THIS ENGAGEMENT
Lead / co-lead IBS premise validation at Western Alliance (memo/TXN, fields, servicing, memo consumption).
Map as-is Case 1 and Case 2 paths to precise insertion points for routing calls.
Define functional routing rules inputs (RC-C, loan type, participation, collateral, entity IDs, NVPs) with bank
SMEs.
Advise Option A vs B destination carrier; document operational and audit implications.
Specify caller-side behavior for D1 Connect and WA Middleware (TXN vs MEMO handling).
Guide REIT/PeopleSoft destination connector expectations and reconciliation keys.
Support FSD content; review integration designs and test scenarios.
Stand up with TF in client meetings; ask and answer FIS-intelligent questions.
Coach TF engineers and PM on FIS vocabulary and risk signals.
Support parallel run design and cutover readiness criteria with accounting stakeholders.
10. SUCCESS CRITERIA (FIRST 30–45 DAYS)
Written Premise Validation Report (pass/fail/unknown per premise + fallback path).
Confirmed carrier option (A or B) with bank sign-off path.
Integration touchpoint diagram for D1 and WA channels agreed with client system owners.
Draft routing rule catalog and exception/override model.
TF team can run a client technical discussion with SME backup only — not SME monopoly.
Risk register updated for FIS cooperation, access, and premise failures.
11. EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION BAR
12–20 years in banking technology preferred; 10+ minimum if FIS IBS depth is exceptional.
At least one full lifecycle: implementation or major conversion involving FIS IBS or Digital One.
Demonstrable lending + GL pathway experience (not deposits-only careers).
Bachelor’s in CS/Engineering/Information Systems or equivalent experience.
Certifications nice-to-have: FIS product credentials, cloud architect associate, relevant banking ops certs —
not a substitute for install-level IBS depth.
12. ENGAGEMENT MODEL (SEARCH GUIDANCE)
Type: Contract / consulting; part-time time-share acceptable only if calendar is fixed and client workshops are
protected.
Location / hours: Strong preference for overlap with U.S. banking hours (Western Alliance). India/offshore
supplemental possible for documentation — primary SME should cover live client sessions.
Intensity: Discovery-heavy first 4–6 weeks, then design authority + on-demand validation through
UAT/parallel run.
IP / KT: Must agree to structured KT: session recordings notes, decision log, and a “FIS field guide for TF” living
doc.
Anti-profile: Avoid pure staff-aug developers with shallow IBS admin exposure; avoid pure sales engineers
with no conversion scars.
13. SCREENING QUESTIONS (USE IN INTERVIEWS)
Technical / domain:
Walk through how a commercial loan advance posts in IBS from Digital One to overnight GL.
Explain memo vs transaction classification — per event vs account-level — and servicing impact risks.
Where would you carry a destination-entity identifier on an IBS transaction, and how would downstream pick
it up?
How does D1 Connect differ from bank-owned middleware when both use Code Connect?
Design a parallel run that proves REIT postings match the current manual PeopleSoft process.
Working model:
Describe a time you enabled a non-FIS delivery team to face a bank client confidently.
How do you document decisions so the project survives your PTO?
What is your realistic weekly availability for a 3-month T&M engagement with workshop spikes?
14. CANDIDATE SCORECARD (RATE 1–5)
Dimension Weight Score (1–5) Notes
FIS IBS depth (memo/TXN,
fields, GL path, servicing)
25%
Digital One / D1 Connect /
Code Connect fluency
15%
Lending + RC-C / multi-entity /
REIT-adjacent business sense
15%
PeopleSoft/GL or destination-
posting integration judgment
10%
Discovery leadership & client
presence
15%
Ability to coach TF (KT,
artifacts, no hero
dependency)
10%
Availability reliability &
communication discipline
10%
Guideline: Do not advance candidates below 4 on FIS IBS depth or below 3 on availability reliability, regardless of overall
average. A brilliant but unreachable SME recreates the current failure mode.
15. SOURCING KEYWORDS & CHANNELS
Keywords:
FIS IBS, Integrated Banking Solution, FIS Digital One, D1 Connect, Code Connect, Connectware, HORIZON,
Systematics, core banking conversion, commercial lending IBS, RC-C, memo transaction IBS, bank GL
overnight, PeopleSoft banking integration
Channels:
Ex-FIS delivery / professional services alumni networks
Core banking implementation partner benches (FIS SI ecosystem)
Specialist banking technology recruiters (IBS/Digital One explicitly in req)
Referrals from WA/FIS project veterans (screen carefully for conflict/independence)
16. READY-TO-POST SHORT REQUISITION
seeks a contract FIS IBS / Digital One Solution Architect to support a custom Multi-Entity Loan Routing
engagement for a U.S. commercial bank. Must have deep IBS lending and GL-path expertise, Digital One/D1
Connect/Code Connect fluency, and proven ability to lead discovery (memo vs TXN, additional fields, servicing
continuity) while coaching a non-FIS integration team in live client settings. Experience with multi-entity or
PeopleSoft-bound intercompany posting is a plus. Reliable workshop availability is mandatory. This is hands-on
domain architecture and client facilitation — not a multi-tenant product build and not an unreliable advisory time-
share.
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