Senior Data Architect

Job Title :: Senior Data Architect – Commercial Banking (Payments & Merchant Services)

Location :: Dallas, TX, Cleveland OH, Pittsburgh PA (3-4 days onsite)

Job Type :: Full time

About the Role

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Data Architect to lead the design, governance, and evolution of data platforms supporting Commercial Banking , with a strong focus on Payments , Treasury Services , and Merchant Services . This individual will define enterprise‑grade data architectures, modernize legacy platforms, and ensure our data strategy aligns with key business outcomes—risk reduction, operational efficiency, innovation in payment rails, and world-class customer experiences.

This role requires a blend of deep domain expertise , strong data engineering and architecture skills , and the ability to collaborate with business stakeholders across products, operations, risk, and technology.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Data Architecture

· Develop and maintain target-state data architecture for Commercial Banking Payments and Merchant Services.

· Architect scalable, secure, and high‑performance data models spanning payment processing , merchant acquiring , settlement , chargebacks , fraud , and dispute management .

· Define canonical data models and standards for ACH, RTP, Wires, card transactions, and merchant transaction lifecycle.

Data Platform & Engineering Leadership

· Lead architecture for on-premise and cloud-based data platforms supporting real-time and batch processing.

· Partner with engineering teams to design robust data pipelines , streaming solutions (Kafka/Kinesis/EventHub), and data APIs .

· Oversee data ingestion from core systems: payment hubs, card networks, merchant gateways, core banking, transaction monitoring, and risk decision engines.

Payments & Merchant Services Expertise

· Provide subject-matter expertise on:

o ACH, Wires, RTP, etc.

o Merchant onboarding and KYC

o Settlement, reconciliation, interchange, and fee structures

o Fraud, AML/BSA, risk monitoring

· Translate payment and merchant services business requirements into scalable data solutions.

Data Governance & Quality

· Establish and enforce data governance , metadata standards, lineage tracking, and data quality frameworks.

· Work closely with compliance and risk teams to ensure adherence to regulatory requirements.

Strategic & Cross‑Functional Collaboration

· Advise executives, product leaders, and technology partners on data strategies that unlock business value.

· Drive architectural decisions for new product offerings, modernization initiatives, and digital payment innovations.

· Conduct architecture reviews, proof-of-concepts, and assessments of vendor or fintech solutions.

Required Qualifications

· 12+ years of experience in data architecture, data engineering, or enterprise architecture.

· Proven experience in Commercial Banking , specifically within Payments or Merchant Services domains.

· Deep knowledge of payment instruments and rails: ACH, Wires, RTP, SWIFT, card networks, tokenization.

· Hands-on experience with:

o Data modeling (relational, dimensional, NoSQL)

o SQL, Python, Spark, PySpark

o ETL/ELT tools (Informatica, DBT, Talend, ADF, Glue, etc.)

o Streaming technologies (Kafka, Event Hub, Kinesis)

o MDM, metadata management, data lineage tools

· Solid understanding of data security and compliance frameworks.

Preferred Skills

· Experience with payment hubs , merchant gateways, issuing/acquiring platforms.

· Knowledge of advanced analytics, machine learning, and real-time decisioning.

· Familiarity with modern architecture: microservices, event-driven, and API-first design.

· Prior experience leading data modernization or cloud migration programs.

· Strong communication skills with the ability to interact with senior leadership.

Shubhi Srivastava

Talent Acquisition

Mobile (US): +1. 551 501 3536 | Email: [email protected] |

100 Campus Dr, Florham Park, New Jersey 07932, US