Principal, Technical Support Architecture & Service Strategy

APEX Fintech Services•Austin, TX

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Apex Fintech Solutions is seeking a Principal, Technical Support Architecture & Service Strategy to lead the strategic design of our technical support ecosystem as we transition to 24x7 operations, expand into international markets, and scale to support exponentially higher trading volumes. This is a forward-looking, business-aligned role responsible for designing support capabilities ahead of business growth—not reacting to it. Partner with Sales, Product, Strategic Partnerships, and Executive Leadership to translate business strategy into actionable support models, capacity plans, and operational readiness. Impact: The support architecture you design directly impacts customer retention, regulatory compliance, sales win rates, and our ability to execute on growth strategy in a competitive clearing environment.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a technical field (or equivalent work experience) required
10+ years in technical support/service delivery; 5+ years in leadership roles managing 50+ FTEs
8+ years in financial services operations (clearing, brokerage, fintech); deep understanding of trade lifecycle, settlements, corporate actions
Proven track record scaling support organizations (2x-5x growth) and designing tiered support models
Experience with 24x7 global support operations and follow-the-sun coverage models
Experience leading organizational transformations: 24x5 → 24x7 transition, geographic expansion, technology migrations
Strategic & Architectural Skills
Service design expertise: customer journey mapping, service blueprints, capability modeling
Capacity planning: demand forecasting, staffing models, cost-per-ticket analysis, ROI modeling
Cross-functional partnership: Sales enablement, product launch readiness, partnership support design
Change management: led major transformations (outsourcing, M&A integration, CRM migrations)
Technical & Analytical Skills
Expert knowledge of support platforms: Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, Freshdesk, Intercom
Comprehension of Workforce management (WFM) tools. Such as: NICE, Verint, Calabrio
AI/automation: chatbots, knowledge management systems
Strong analytical skills: Excel/Google Sheets (advanced), SQL (preferred), statistical analysis
ITIL or similar service management framework; Lean/Six Sigma methodologies
Leadership & Communication
Built and led high-performing global support teams (US, nearshore, offshore)
Executive presence: present to C-suite, decision makers, clients, regulators
Influence without authority: build coalitions, drive organizational change
Business acumen: translate support metrics into business impact (retention, revenue, NPS)
Financial Services Knowledge
Regulatory landscape: FINRA, SEC, MSRB, GDPR, CCPA
Market structure: trading hours, extended hours, market volatility
B2B (broker-dealers, RIAs) and B2C (retail investors) support experience

Responsibilities

Support Strategy & Architecture Design
Translate business roadmap (new products, markets, customer segments) into support requirements and capacity models
Design tiered support models and SLA frameworks for diverse customer types (retail investors, advisors, broker-dealers, institutional)
Architect 24x7 global support coverage (follow-the-sun model: US, EMEA, APAC)
Build support readiness plans for product launches, market expansions, and new account types before go-live
Support a multi-year support strategy: reactive → proactive → predictive → self-service
Cross-Functional Partnership
Sales: Embed in sales process for large deals; define support requirements in contracts; participate in RFPs
Product: Join product development early; conduct support impact assessments; establish launch readiness criteria
Strategic Partnerships: Design support models for white-label partners and channel integrations
Relationship Management: Partner with RMs on concierge support for top-tier clients; establish QBRs
Capacity Planning & Resource Optimization
Build predictive demand models: forecast support volume based on customer growth, market events, product launches
Design headcount planning and hiring strategies (US, nearshore, offshore; FTE vs. contractor vs. BPO)
Optimize cost-to-serve through automation, self-service deflection (target: 30-50%), and process efficiency
Implement workforce management tools to optimize scheduling and reduce overstaffing/understaffing
Technology & Tooling Strategy
Influence the support technology roadmap: ticketing (Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud), phone, chat, CRM, WFM
Contribute and influence the firm’s self-service portal and implement AI chatbots for Tier 0 deflection
Build analytics infrastructure: support KPIs (CSAT, NPS, FCR, AHT, SLA compliance), executive dashboards, predictive analytics
Integrate support tooling and knowledge centers with trading platform, account data, and business systems
Operational Excellence & Customer Experience
Establish quality assurance frameworks and performance management for support teams
Own knowledge base strategy and documentation standards (runbooks, FAQs, video tutorials)
Implement Voice of Customer (VoC) programs: surveys, NPS, sentiment analysis, customer advisory boards
Drive continuous improvement through process audits, Lean methodologies, and root cause analysis
Position support as competitive differentiator through testimonials, case studies, and benchmarking