Principal Architect

Who are we? At Finastra, we’re a global leader in financial services software, dedicated to expanding access to financial services and shaping what’s next for the industry. Our technology powers mission‑critical solutions across Lending, Payments and Universal Banking, supporting over 7,000 customers, including 80% of the world’s top 50 banks, in more than 110 countries. Disclaimer: Finastra has signed an agreement to sell its Universal Banking business to Pollen Street Capital, with completion expected end 2026 / early 2027, subject to consultation and customary closing conditions. Upon completion, this role is expected to transition to the standalone Universal Banking business, creating opportunities to support its future growth and success. What will you contribute? We are looking for a Senior Principal Software Architect who will serve as a recognized enterprise technical authority for Artificial Intelligence architecture. You will set the strategic technical direction for AI capabilities across products, platforms, and business segments, including generative AI, agentic systems, retrieval-augmented generation, AI platforms, model integration, evaluation, governance, security, and responsible AI. Your secondary focus will be cloud and SaaS architecture. You will ensure that enterprise AI strategy is realized through secure, scalable, resilient, multi-tenant, observable, and cost-effective cloud services, while influencing investment priorities, platform evolution, and cross-product adoption Responsibilities & Deliverables: Your deliverables as a [Role Name] will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Set the enterprise AI architecture vision, principles, standards, reference patterns, capability roadmaps, and technology strategy across multiple products, platforms, and business segments.
• Provide authoritative architectural direction for generative AI, RAG, agentic AI, model integration, orchestration, prompt and context engineering, and AI evaluation.
• Sponsor and lead strategic AI research, technology evaluations, and Proofs of Concept, translating validated outcomes into reusable, production-grade capabilities with measurable business value.
• Establish enterprise guardrails for responsible AI, security, privacy, model risk, data governance, observability, auditability, and human oversight in regulated environments.
• Shape cloud-native and SaaS architecture strategy for multi-tenancy, tenant isolation, scalability, resilience, availability, metering, subscription models, and cost management.
• Create and drive adoption of reference architectures, reference implementations, patterns, libraries, accelerators, and engineering guidance across product and platform teams.
• Govern and review strategic architecture and design proposals for alignment with AI strategy, cloud and SaaS principles, enterprise standards, security, regulatory obligations, and long-term sustainability.
• Influence executive and senior technical decisions across architecture, engineering, product, data, security, cloud platforms, governance, and business leadership.
• Develop senior architects and principal engineers, and lead enterprise architecture forums, technical councils, workshops, demonstrations, hackathons, and global knowledge-sharing communities. Primary Skills: Artificial Intelligence AI Architecture & Strategy Enterprise-wide AI target architecture, principles, standards, investment roadmaps, technology portfolio decisions, and adoption strategy across products and business segments. Generative AI & LLM Systems Strategic direction for LLM integration, prompt and context engineering, structured outputs, model routing, grounding, safety, and production controls at enterprise scale. Retrieval-Augmented Generation Enterprise standards for search, embeddings, vector retrieval, chunking, ranking, grounding, citations, authorization-aware access, and measurable retrieval quality. Agentic AI Enterprise patterns and governance for agent orchestration, tool use, workflow design, memory, planning, permissions, human approval, monitoring, and failure containment. AI Platforms & Integration Shared model gateways, AI services, APIs, event-driven integration, data pipelines, reusable platform capabilities, and consistent embedding of AI across products. AI Evaluation & Observability Enterprise evaluation strategy spanning quality, relevance, groundedness, safety, latency, cost, drift, telemetry, red-teaming, and continuous assurance. Responsible AI & Governance Organization-wide security, privacy, regulatory alignment, model risk, data governance, explainability, auditability, accountability, and human oversight. Primary Skills: Artificial Intelligence Secondary Skills: Cloud & SaaS
• Cloud-native architecture using Microsoft Azure or comparable hyperscale platforms, including containers, Kubernetes, serverless, managed services, infrastructure automation, and platform engineering.
• SaaS architecture covering multi-tenancy, tenant isolation, identity, configuration, extensibility, metering, subscription management, data residency, and zero-downtime evolution.
• Distributed systems, APIs, event-driven integration, data platforms, observability, reliability, performance, disaster recovery, operational readiness, and cross-product interoperability.
• FinOps, capacity planning, AI and cloud cost optimization, security architecture, compliance, DevSecOps, CI/CD, and platform operating models. AI architecture is the primary discipline for this role. Cloud and SaaS architecture are essential secondary capabilities for operationalizing AI securely, reliably, and at enterprise scale . Required Experience: 12 years of progressive experience in a corporate IT environment or a IT consulting company with at least 3 years in a senior role 10+ years of experience in building, integrating and delivering large enterprise scale solutions using web based technologies 10+ years of experience designing applications 10+Year years of experience delivering solutions in an agile environment We are proud to offer a range of incentives to our employees worldwide. These benefits are available to everyone, regardless of grade, and reflect the values we stand for: Flexibility: Enjoy unlimited vacation, subject to local regulations and business priorities. Benefit from hybrid working arrangements and inclusive policies such as paid time off for voting, bereavement, and sick leave. Well‑being: Access confidential one‑to‑one support through our Employee Assistance Program, connect with our network of Wellbeing Champions and Gather Groups, and take part in monthly events and initiatives designed to help you thrive—inside and outside of work. Health & Financial Security: Medical, life and disability insurance, retirement plans, lifestyle, and other benefits.* Sustainability: Paid time off for volunteering and donation‑matching opportunities to support causes that matter to you. Inclusion: Get involved in our inclusion communities, such as Count Me In, Culture@Finastra, Proud@Finastra, Disabilities@Finastra, and Women@Finastra—open to everyone who wants to participate and contribute. Career Development: Access online learning and accredited courses through our Skills & Career Navigator tool. Recognition: Take part in our global recognition program, Finastra Celebrates, and share your voice through regular employee surveys that help shape our culture and ways of working. *Specific benefits may vary by location. At Finastra, each individual is unique—bringing their own ideas, perspectives, cultural backgrounds, and experiences. We learn from one another, value what makes us different, and create an environment where everyone feels included, supported, and able to be their authentic selves. Be unique. Be exceptional. Help us make a difference at Finastra.