Job Purpose
The Lead Architect for Consumer and Digital Banking is responsible for shaping and governing the technology architecture that supports CIMB’s consumer banking and digital platforms.
This role translates business strategy into scalable, secure, and future-ready technology solutions, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards while enabling innovation across key digital and retail banking journeys.
Key Responsibilities
- Architecture Leadership (Domain Ownership)
- Own end-to-end architecture for Consumer Banking and Digital platforms (e.g., mobile banking, onboarding, payments, wealth).
- Define target architectures and roadmap aligned to business growth and digital strategy.
- Act as the primary architecture authority for domain-related initiatives and investments.
- Solution Design & Governance
- Lead solution architecture design for major programmes, ensuring:
- Scalability and performance
- Security and regulatory compliance
- Integration with enterprise platforms
- Govern adherence to enterprise architecture (EA) standards, patterns and reference architectures.
- Chair or contribute to architecture review boards and design forums.
- Business & Technology Alignment
- Partner closely with Business, Product, and Digital teams to translate requirements into viable architecture solutions.
- Provide thought leadership on emerging technologies and digital capabilities to enhance customer experience.
- Delivery Enablement
- Work with engineering, DevOps, and delivery teams to ensure architecture is implemented as intended.
- Resolve complex design trade-offs and technical blockers during delivery lifecycle.
- Ensure reusability and consistency across initiatives.
- Risk, Compliance & Resilience
- Ensure solutions comply with regulatory, security, and risk requirements (e.g., data protection, resilience, audit).
- Embed reliability, availability, and operational excellence into architectural designs.
- Continuous Improvement & Innovation
- Drive modernization initiatives (e.g., cloud adoption, API strategy, microservices, platform re-architecture).
- Promote standardization and reduction of technical debt.
- Identify opportunities to improve cost efficiency (TCO optimisation).
Job Specification
Professional Qualification and/or Regulatory, Licensing requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, or equivalent experience.
- TOGAF, Archimate architectural modeling techniques.
- Cloud Certification such as Oracle, AWS, Microsoft
- Professional banker is optional
Relevant Working Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.
- 12+ years of experience in enterprise architecture, IT strategy development, and technology consulting.
- Minimum of 10 years of architecture, solution design and implementation experience in Technology and Software development.
- At least 5+ years of experience in enterprise architecture, with a focus on banking and financial services.
- Strong technical background in banking and financial services, including experience in banking platforms, payment systems, financial data analysis, and banking in cloud platforms.
- Exposure to multiple, diverse technical configurations, technologies, and processing environments.
Competencies & skills :
Technical & Domain Expertise
- Strong architecture experience in:
- Digital banking platforms (mobile/web)
- Core banking integration
- Payments, onboarding, or wealth journeys
- Experience with modern architecture patterns:
- Cloud-native / hybrid cloud
- APIs & microservices
- Event-driven architecture
Architecture & Governance
- Proven experience in solution architecture and governance in large-scale banking environments
- Familiarity with enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF – preferred but not mandatory)
Leadership & Stakeholder Management
- Strong ability to engage stakeholders across Business, Product, and Technology
- Capable of influencing decisions without direct authority (critical for VP level)
- Clear communicator able to present to senior stakeholders
Delivery & Execution
- Experience supporting large transformation programmes
- Strong understanding of SDLC, DevOps, and agile delivery models
Leadership Expectations (VP Level Positioning)
- Acts as a domain lead architect, not enterprise-wide authority
- Balances strategic thinking with hands-on solutioning
- Provides mentorship to engineers and junior architects
- Drives outcomes through influence, alignment, and technical credibility