Global Head of Technology - CitiDirect Online Platform

Citi • Jersey City, NJ

9d

About The Position

Would you like to drive the technical evolution of client platform relied on by many of the world’s largest companies? Do you enjoy transforming critical high-volume systems into cloud-native architectures? Would you relish the opportunity of influencing the technology strategy of one of the top financial institutions in the world? If you are excited by implementing high-profile projects to the highest quality standard, then this is the ideal role for you.
Services processes trillions of dollars in B2B payments every day for our largest corporate customers, in 135+ currencies across 90+ countries. The Platform group owns all customer facing channels – web, mobile and the API platform. We have a three-pronged strategy – agile transformation, domain driven design lead microservices and move to cloud. As Applications Development Function Group Manager, you will drive the architecture vision and roadmap for CitiDirect Online and Mobile platforms.
The Services Platform team creates client facing technology to facilitate our clients’ interactions with us via a wide variety of channels – API, File, Mobile and Web. We are currently investing heavily in driving forward our digital transformation which involves significant improvements in the platform – focusing on simpler client experience, increased agility, and adoption of cloud-native technology for development and deployment.
Critical in this is transforming key aspects of our processing pipeline using cloud-native solutions to achieve step-changes in scalability, availability, and agility. The role manages multiple teams through other managers. A good understanding of the industry, direct competitors’ products, and services is also necessary to contribute to the commercial objectives of the business. Requires thorough understanding of strategic direction within the business, combined with a solid conceptual/practical grounding in both the functional domain and the technical aspects of the platform. Excellent communication skills required to negotiate internally, often at a senior level. Some external communication/negotiation may be necessary. Responsible for executing functional strategy in area managed. Determines approach to implementing functional strategy. Accountable for end results, budgeting, planning, policy formulation, and contribution to future strategy of the area(s). Impact reflects size of team managed, strategic influence on the business and interaction with other functions or businesses. Full management responsibility for multiple teams, including management of people, budget, and planning, to include duties such as performance evaluation, compensation, hiring, disciplinary actions and terminations and budget approval. May be doing involved or responsible for diverse (cross-discipline) activities.

Requirements

• Experience in designing cloud-native containerized solutions
• Proven ability to work with existing platforms to modernize them without completely rewriting from scratch
• Understanding of the power of using automated testing to accelerate technology transformation
• Background of delivering software using an iterative Agile approach.
• Comfortable interacting directly with business product managers to understand requirements and explore solutions
• Experience in forming plans and executing to schedule, while retaining flexibility to adapt to changing priorities
• Good understanding of risk management withing projects – particularly around cross-team dependencies
• Ability to focus on multiple projects simultaneously
• Strong understanding of technology and a commitment to technical quality as a cornerstone of delivery
• Appreciation of cloud-native technologies and their ability to inlock increases in development velocity and release frequency
• Strong background in financial services preferable
• Proven architecture experience in building horizontally scalable, highly available, real-time applications
• Understand how to build a great team of architects, developers and can mentor and upgrade the current team. You are a culture carrier, and developers look up to you.
• Have led a software organization through transformation from legacy on premise applications to microservices based applications in the cloud.
• Know how to make tradeoffs while designing platforms. You can explain in detail the design tradeoffs you made while building complex applications.
• Built applications on top of PAAS such as Pivotal Cloud Foundry or have built containerized applications on Kubernetes.
• Built a dev ops pipeline
• Anything you build, you build to run. Automate everything mindset.
• You have built applications with standard monitoring, observability, logging, and enabled blue-green deployment
• Open and collaborative communication
• Understanding of enterprise architecture – both functional and technical – and experience in facilitating discussions around this in large organizations.
• Experience of cloud-native architectures and delivery of such solutions using microservice patterns
• Experience and aptitude of Agile and DevOps approaches – e.g. continuous integration, test automation, frequent releases, containerization
• Experience in operating running highly visible projects with senior accountability
• Understanding of HTTP and REST based architectures
• Basic knowledge of relational databases and SQL
• Basic knowledge of non-relational databases such as MongoDB
• Any experience with tools such as TeamCity, Jenkins, Kubernetes, Helm, OpenShift and Amazon Web Services would be beneficial.
• 20+ years of relevant experience
• 15+ years experience in applications development
• 15+ years experience managing global technology teams
• Experience in constructing and executing comprehensive delivery plans
• Proven track record in managing large initiatives
• Experience in evaluating subordinates' performance and makes recommendations for pay increases, promotions, terminations, and other personnel actions.
• Experience in providing architectural vision for all IT systems, ensuring that architecture conforms to enterprise blueprints.
• Experience in developing architecture, strategy, planning, and problem-solving solutions on an enterprise level. Interfaces across several channels, acting as a visionary to proactively assist in defining direction for future projects.
• Maintains continuous awareness of business, technical and infrastructure issues and acts as a sounding board or consultant to aid in the development of creative solutions.
• Working knowledge of industry practices and standards
• Interfaces with vendors to assess their technology and to guide their product roadmap based on Citi requirements.
• Exhibits sound understanding of theories and practices in architecture and multiple related areas.
• Ability and willingness to take personal responsibility for timeliness and quality of delivery
• Strong collaborative communication with business users and other technology teams
• Culture of continuous improvement – always striving to approve the processes and practice of self and others
• Comfortable with giving and receiving open and honest feedback

Nice To Haves

• Any experience with tools such as TeamCity, Jenkins, Kubernetes, Helm, OpenShift and Amazon Web Services would be beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Leading the design, implementing and delivery of significant change across the CitiDirect Online and Mobile platform
• Provide architecture leadership on the transformation to containerized cloud-native topologies that deliver on key non-functional goals
• Articulate the architecture strategy within the wider context of the global organization
• Partner with internal central Engineering & Architecture Practice to leverage to latest cloud-native solutions within Citi and also on off-premises cloud
• Push the envelope of change in introducing new technologies and approaches to Citi
• Solve complex problems with simple and innovative solutions
• Negotiate and assemble project plans, commit on deliverables, and resolve blocking issues
• Proactively manage risk through the delivery lifecycle
• Ensure high technical quality of design, delivery, and operational process
• Drive agility using efficient technical and process improvements
• Evaluates subordinates' performance and makes recommendations for pay increases, promotions, terminations, and other personnel actions.
• Responsible for providing architectural vision for all IT systems, ensuring that architecture conforms to enterprise blueprints.
• Develops architecture, strategy, planning, and problem-solving solutions on an enterprise level. Interfaces across several channels, acting as a visionary to proactively assist in defining direction for future projects.
• Maintains continuous awareness of business, technical and infrastructure issues and acts as a sounding board or consultant to aid in the development of creative solutions.
• Interfaces with vendors to assess their technology and to guide their product roadmap based on Citi requirements.
• Exhibits sound understanding of theories and practices in architecture and multiple related areas.

Benefits

• In addition to salary, Citi’s offerings may also include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards.
• Citi offers competitive employee benefits, including: medical, dental & vision coverage; 401(k); life, accident, and disability insurance; and wellness programs.
• Citi also offers paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays.
• For additional information regarding Citi employee benefits, please visit citibenefits.com.
• Available offerings may vary by jurisdiction, job level, and date of hire.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive