Job Summary

•       This role could be based in India and China. When you start the application process you will be presented with a drop down menu showing all countries, Please ensure that you select a country where the role is based.
•    Principal Solution Architect is responsible for overseeing the solution architecture for the assigned domains
•    Have a deep understanding of the relevant domains, focused on digital channels, Mobile, Web and AI
•    Good understanding of underlying foundational technologies including cloud, resiliency, security and identity
•    Drive technical solutions for platforms across these domains
•    Lead the strategy, architecture and roadmaps
•    Collaborate with business and technology stakeholders to ensure that technology strategy, priorities are relevant to business strategy and objectives
•    Contribute in uplifting architecture practice in all aspects including resiliency, security, reduction of complexity and performance, as well as architecture governance for these domains
•    Enforce Enterprise Architecture Policy expectations 
•    Ensure regulatory and audit expectations and requirements from Architecture & cloud adoption perspective
•    Ensure an innovative and sustainable enterprise
•    Create intentional architecture to be nimble aligned with cloud transformation agenda
•    Manage holistically obsolescence and vulnerability
•    Lead principle driven management of security, reliability, resiliency, and recoverability

Key Responsibilities

Strategy
•    Develop and drive technology strategy aligned to both Business and Group’s Tech strategy 
•    Provide architecture direction, guiding principles, guardrails and roadmaps that are aligned to both Business and Group’s Tech strategy
•    Govern the tech decisions, and architecture directions across portfolio of change 
•    Accelerate the Cloud Value strategy through architecting strong foundational building blocks and reusable Cloud patterns.
•    Provide directions of SaaS based products where it makes technical and commercial sense to migrate from on-prem products.
•    Drive Adoption of Information and Cyber Security controls delivered by Cyber Security Services globally across the Consumer, Private and Business Banking (WRB) portfolio.
•    Strategy to increasing productivity of our cloud architecture & engineering through providing them the right tools, career paths and collaboration capabilities. 
•    Improve developer productivity through creation Infrastructure as Code, Cloud patterns which are engineered well and used by development teams across the bank accelerating speed to market.
Business
•    Enable business to increase revenue where speed to market is crucial – by modernising, reducing the complexity of the technology landscape and transforming technology assets to fit-for-purpose, flexible and cloud ready platforms that supports business innovations required to enable aggressive acquisition & retention in the targeted segments & markets.
•    Improve cost efficiency – drive efficiency by identifying opportunities to rationalise to a fewer best of breed platforms which provides strategic business capability and aggressively decommission redundant applications. 
•    Collaborate with various Business, Technology and Security Teams.
•    Govern the architecture decisions, and directions across the bespoke domain
•    Bring thought leadership in assessing and defining architecture and design solutions for cloud

Processes
•    Develop architecture blueprint for transformation agenda including cloud following Architecture Management standards and processes
•    Facilitate Architecture governance and approvals
•    Work with Architecture, Security, Compliance, Cloud and Technology Governance to follow appropriate policies, procedures and controls 
People & Talent
•    People leadership responsibility, set and monitor job descriptions and objectives for direct reports and provide feedback and rewards in line with their performance against those responsibilities and objectives.
•    Lead through example and build the appropriate culture and values.  Set appropriate tone and expectations from the team.
•    Ensure the provision of ongoing training and development; make sure that the team members are suitably skilled and qualified for their roles, ensuring that they have effective supervision in place to mitigate any risks.
•    Employ, engage and retain talents with diversity agenda in mind.
Risk Management
•    Ensure a full understanding of the risk and control environment 
•    Ensure onboarding of technologies are done properly with Legal, Compliance and Security Teams
•    Act quickly and decisively when any risk and control weakness become apparent and ensure they are addressed within an appropriate timeframe and, if necessary, escalated through the relevant committees
Governance
•    Ensure adherence to, bank-wide technology, cloud, security and architecture standards.
•    Awareness and understanding of the regulatory framework, in which the Group operates, and the regulatory requirements and expectations relevant to the role.
•    Improve and simplify architecture and cloud governance and decisioning across the strategic Technology Themes

Regulatory & Business Conduct
•    Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct. 
•    Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across Standard Chartered Bank. This includes understanding and ensuring compliance with, in letter and spirit, all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines and the Group Code of Conduct.
•    Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate and resolve risk, conduct and compliance matters.
Key stakeholders
•    CIO, WRB
•    CIO Technology Platforms & Architecture
•    Chief Architect, WRB
•    Global Head of Platforms/Journeys Delivery, WRB
•    Platform Domain Tech Leads
•    Enterprise/Domain Architecture Teams, Enterprise Technology Team, Technology Standards Team
•    Business Domain Heads
•    Cloud Engineering, Cyber Security and Compliance teams
Other Responsibilities
•    Embed Here for Good and Group’s brand and values in first line operational risk management.
Key Requirements for the role:
•    Architecture and Problem Solving ability
•    Deep knowledge of Mobile and Web Technologies AND/OR deep business domain knowledge in one or more of payments, wealth, Retail Banking
•    Usage of AI in Business solutions and Architecture
•    Experience in Financial Services or adjacent industries, or tech sector

Skills and Experience

The ideal candidate will bring extensive expertise across multiple dimensions of enterprise and solution architecture within a digital banking environment. Key skills and experience include:
• Proficiency in architecture modelling and requirements analysis to translate business needs into scalable technical solutions.
• Deep knowledge of platform architecture and software product ecosystems, including digital channels such as mobile and web platforms.
• Hands-on experience with cloud technologies, particularly public cloud platforms and Infrastructure as Code practices.
• Solid understanding of information security architecture, ensuring that security is embedded at each architectural layer.
• Proven ability in designing applications and business architectures that are robust, flexible, and aligned to strategic goals.
• Familiarity with transitional architecture approaches to support seamless migration from legacy systems to modern platforms.
• Specific domain expertise in Wealth Management and Retail Banking, enabling nuanced understanding of business requirements and system integration.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with diverse teams and senior stakeholders.
• Commitment to continuous learning and staying abreast of technology evolving trends in digital banking and cloud adoption.

Qualifications

To succeed in this role, candidates should possess:
• A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
• Overall 12+ years with 8+ years of relevant experience in banking technology, digital transformation, or enterprise architecture roles.
• Fluency in English and proficiency in local languages pertinent to the role's location, ensuring effective communication across multicultural teams.
• Recognised certifications in solution or enterprise architecture (e.g., TOGAF, AWS Certified Solutions Architect) will be advantageous.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex architectural projects and influencing technology strategy in large organisations.
• An innovative mindset combined with strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced, agile environment with a focus on delivering business value and technical excellence.

About Standard Chartered

We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.

Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.

Together we:

• Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term

What we offer

In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time-off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders and all sorts of self-help toolkits
• A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies - everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.