What is the opportunity?
We are seeking an experienced Senior Solution Architect to lead the design of solutions for our Retail Digital Channels Tribe!
This role involves strategic technical leadership dedicated to defining architecture for customer-facing digital platforms including mobile banking, online banking and other customer facing journeys.
In this role, you will:
Technical Leadership & Integration Expertise
Build scalable solutions connecting internal systems, third-party services, and cloud platforms that are aligned to our Architectural Strategy.
Define integration architecture patterns and standards across the tribe
Lead the implementation of APIs, microservices, event-driven architectures, and integration middleware
Ensure integration solutions are secure, performant, resilient, and maintainable
Provide technical guidance on integration technologies, patterns, and standard processes (REST, GraphQL, messaging queues, ETL, event streaming)
Conduct architecture reviews and code reviews to ensure quality and alignment with standards
Solve complex integration issues and lead root cause analysis
Stay current with emerging integration technologies and recommend adoption where appropriate.
People Management & Mentorship
Lead a team of Solution Architects within the tribe
Conduct regular one-to-ones, performance evaluations, and career development discussions
Set clear objectives and provide ongoing feedback to support engineer growth
Mentor others in the tribe on technical skills, integration patterns, and engineering guidelines
Foster a culture of learning, collaboration, and continuous improvement
Support recruitment, onboarding, and retention of architecture talent
Advocate for team members' development needs and career progression.
Collaboration & Delivery
Work closely with other architects both inside and outside the Tribe, product owners, and other engineers to translate requirements into technical solutions
Participate in squad ceremonies and contribute to sprint planning and backlog refinement
Collaborate with multi-functional teams to understand architectural needs and dependencies
Communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical partners
Contribute to the engineering community through collaboration, documentation, and technical leadership
What will make you stand out?
Technical Expertise
Strong solution architecture experience
Deep expertise in digital channel architecture including:
Mobile application build and structure based on React Native for iOS and Android platforms
Web application architecture using JavaScript frameworks and responsive design
API design and management (RESTful APIs, API gateways, API-first design)
Authentication and authorization patterns (OAuth 2.0, OIDC, biometric authentication)
Digital payment systems and payment orchestration
Deep knowledge of retail banking products, processes, and customer journeys
Extensive hands-on experience with AWS cloud platform with deep expertise across multiple service categories:
Compute : ECS, EKS, Lambda, App Runner, EC2
API & Integration : Muleflex, API Gateway, AppSync, EventBridge, Step Functions, SQS, SNS
Security & Identity : Cognito, IAM, Secrets Manager, KMS, Certificate Manager, WAF, Shield
Data & Storage : RDS, DynamoDB, S3, ElastiCache, Aurora
CI/CD & DevOps : CodePipeline, CodeBuild, CodeDeploy, CodeCommit, CloudFormation
Monitoring & Observability : CloudWatch, X-Ray, CloudTrail
Networking : VPC, Route 53, CloudFront, API Gateway, Transit Gateway
Strong understanding of AWS Well-Architected Framework pillars (operational excellence, security, reliability, performance efficiency, cost optimization)
Experience designing multi-region, highly available architectures on AWS
Knowledge of AWS serverless architectures and event-driven patterns
Core technology stack expertise:
Java and Spring Boot: Extensive expertise in the Spring ecosystem for building microservices and backend systems
React Native and JavaScript : Strong proficiency in mobile app development and modern JavaScript/TypeScript
RESTful API design : Extensive experience designing, documenting, and versioning REST APIs
MuleSoft : Strong knowledge of MuleSoft Anypoint Platform, API management, and integration patterns
ODS (Operational Data Store) technology : Understanding of ODS architecture and real-time data integration
Open Banking: Extensive understanding of open banking standards, PSD2, and open API implementations
Security Architecture : Expertise in security design patterns, encryption, PKI, secure coding practices, and threat modeling
CIAM (Customer Identity and Access Management) : Experience with customer identity solutions and user authentication flows
Solid understanding of:
Microservices architecture and distributed systems design
Micro front end architecture and composable UI patterns
Back ends for front ends (BFF) pattern for optimized API aggregation
Event-driven architecture and asynchronous messaging patterns
Integration patterns and middleware solutions
DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure as code
Data architecture including caching strategies, database design (SQL/NoSQL)
Strong understanding of regulatory requirements within the finance industry
Experience with observability and monitoring solutions (AppD, CloudWatch, Datadog, Splunk, ELK stack)
Architecture & Design Skills
Confirmed ability to design complex, large-scale distributed systems
Strong architectural thinking showing proficiency in balancing trade-offs between competing concerns
Experience creating architecture artifacts (sequence diagrams, architecture decision records)
Deep understanding of architectural patterns and when to apply them
Ability to think strategically about long-term technical direction while delivering tactical solutions
Experience with domain-driven design and bounded context modeling
Knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks (TOGAF, Zachman) is beneficial
Leadership & Communication
Excellent partner management and influencing skills
Strong presentation and documentation skills with ability to tailor messaging to different audiences
Consistent record of leading technical initiatives across multiple teams
Ability to build consensus and drive decision-making in complex environments
Experience working with senior leadership and presenting to executive audiences
Comfortable challenging assumptions and providing constructive technical guidance
Strong facilitation skills for workshops, design sessions, and architecture reviews
Agile & Delivery
Validated experience working in Agile delivery environments (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe)
Solid grasp of Agile ceremonies and the architect's role within Agile teams
Ability to work iteratively and adapt architecture as requirements evolve through sprints
Experience with modern software delivery practices and DevOps culture
Understanding of lean and continuous delivery principles
Comfortable working at pace in an Agile model while maintaining architectural rigor
Experience with any of the following will help you to stand out but is not necessary in order to apply for this role;
AWS certifications (Solutions Architect Professional, Security Specialty)
MuleSoft certifications (Developer, Architect, or Platform Architect)
Experience with specific digital banking platforms or core banking systems
Advanced knowledge of CIAM platforms and customer authentication journeys
Deep experience with HID as the internal CIAM technology platform
Hands-on experience implementing open banking APIs and TPP (Third Party Provider) integrations
Experience architecting and implementing ODS solutions for real-time data access
Knowledge of React Native performance optimization and mobile architecture patterns
Experience with Spring Cloud and Spring Integration for building cloud-native microservices
Familiarity with design systems and front-end architecture patterns
Experience implementing AI/ML capabilities in customer-facing applications
Understanding of mobile DevOps and app store deployment processes (App Store, Google Play)
Experience with API security patterns and OAuth 2.0 flows in financial services
Knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG) and inclusive design
Experience in large-scale digital transformation programs
Contributions to technical communities, speaking at conferences, or published articles
Essential Qualifications
There are no specific qualifications or minimum educational requirements needed for this role.
More about the team
The Retail Digital Channels Tribe delivers new functionality for our B365 Mobile and Web based retail customers.
Reporting to the Head of Tribe Technology, you will work at the intersection of business strategy and technology, translating business objectives into scalable, secure, and innovative architectural solutions while providing technical direction to multiple delivery squads across the RDC Tribe. You will lead and develop a team of Solution Architects with the Retail Digital Channels Tribe.
This is a hybrid role, based primarily in Baggot Plaza. We typically ask colleagues to spend a minimum of 8 days per month working in-person to support teamwork and connection. Specific arrangements will be confirmed by your recruiter to ensure they meet the needs of the role and team.
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Why work with us?
The Bank of Ireland company culture prioritises work-life balance with an opportunity for flexible working, along with 25 days annual leave and excellent pension contributions. Family can mean different things to different people; we offer 6 months paid maternity leave, an innovative fertility and surrogacy policy and working parent supports.
Your wellbeing is important to us; we have an employee assistance program, WebDoctor and financial wellbeing coaches available. We also encourage and support staff to pursue educational and professional qualifications to grow and enhance your career!
Key Competencies
Customer Focused - Self
Better together - Self
Take Ownership - Self
Manage Risk - Self
Be Decisive - Self
We're on a continuous journey to build an inclusive and diverse workplace. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, lived experience, abilities and perspectives. We provide reasonable accommodations at every stage of our recruitment process for disabilities, neurodivergence or medical conditions. If you require an accommodation please complete this form and one of our recruitment team members will be in touch via email. Any information provided will be treated as confidential within the recruitment team and used only for the purpose of determining and providing appropriate accommodations for the application and recruitment process.
Where Agency assistance is required Bank of Ireland Recruitment Team will engage directly with suppliers. Unsolicited CVs / profiles supplied to Bank of Ireland by Recruitment Agencies will not be accepted for this role.
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