Solution Architect

Position: Payments Solution Architect
Job Details

Job Title:

Payments Solution Architect

Location:

Milton Keynes, UK (3days a week) Assignment Details Experience

Required:

8 years Job Purpose and Primary Objectives UK Banking client is expanding its Payments Solution Architecture team. We are looking for senior-level architects with deep experience in payments execution processing. These hires will support the modernisation of the payments estate and the migration of legacy platforms to the Payments Hub (Pago Nxt). The individuals must have strong payments scheme knowledge, deep understanding of ISO 20022, and proven experience designing solutions for core payment processing.

Key Responsibilities (Position is part of a team) Support the modernisation of the payments estate and migration of legacy platforms to the Payments Hub (Pago Nxt). Design and govern solutions for core payment execution processing in a complex banking environment. Desirable Qualifications Banking Payments Services industry experience Key Skills / Knowledge Mandatory Requirements Candidates must meet all of the following:
Payments Domain Expertise Strong experience across payments execution processes such as orchestration, order management, clearing, settlement, reconciliations, exception handling, and returns. Practical scheme knowledge in at least several of the following:
Bacs, Faster Payments, CHAPS, SWIFT, SEPA, cheques . Ability to discuss scheme rules, settlement cycles, messaging flows, operational constraints, and compliance obligations in detail. ISO 20022 Deep understanding of ISO 20022 , including message structure, mandatory and optional elements, data modelling, mapping, validation, and cross-scheme differences. Experience designing or reviewing solutions that implement ISO 20022 end to end. Architecture and Solution Design Significant experience as a Solution Architect in complex financial services environments.

Ability to produce clear functional architecture, design logical components, and define interactions between systems. Experience balancing business outcomes with long-term technical strategy. Experience governing technical designs produced by engineering teams. Soft Skills and Behaviours Strong communication and stakeholder engagement abilities. Practical, delivery-focused mindset. Able to operate independently in a fast-moving environment. Evidence of thought leadership, ownership, and initiative. Desirable (Not Mandatory) Knowledge of BIAN, TOGAF, Archi Mate, or C4 .

Experience with Avolution Abacus or similar architecture tools. Familiarity with microservices, API integration patterns, and cloud concepts such as AWS . Exposure to global banking environments or large-scale payment transformations. What We Do Not Want Channel, mobile, front-end, or API-only specialists with limited understanding of the execution layer. Engineers or developers without architecture experience ments product owners without hands-on architecture or design experience.

People whose payments experience is limited to card issuing or eCommerce gateways without knowledge of core bank payment rails. People with shallow or theoretical ISO 20022 knowledge who cannot talk through message fields and flows.