Banking Platforms Technology Manager

Job Summary

The Banking Platforms Technology Manager is an experienced technology leader who reports directly to the Chief Information Officer (CIO). This role provides strategic and operational leadership for the Bank's core banking, payments, lending, and related technology platforms, overseeing platform administration, integrations, data management, security, availability, processing, vendor relationships, and continuous improvement initiatives. The manager is responsible for ensuring critical banking platforms are secure, resilient, compliant, scalable, and operationally efficient while aligning technology capabilities with business objectives, regulatory requirements, and customer needs. The role serves as a key partner to business leaders and vendors to support platform performance, innovation, and the Bank's long-term technology strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategy, governance, operations, and lifecycle management of the Bank's core banking, payments, lending, and related technology platforms, including production processing, configuration, administration, integrations, data management, security, and change control.
• Provide thought leadership regarding banking platform strategy, target operating models, modernization initiatives, automation opportunities, service delivery improvements, scalability, and cost optimization.
• Partner with stakeholders across Operations, Digital Banking, Payments, Lending, Risk Management, Compliance, Finance, and other business units to deliver technology solutions and serve as the primary technology owner and subject matter expert for platform-related initiatives.
• Develop and maintain multi-year platform roadmaps, evaluating platform capabilities, technical debt, vendor solutions, emerging technologies, and investment opportunities to ensure alignment with business objectives, customer expectations, regulatory requirements, and enterprise architecture standards.
• Establish service-level objectives and key performance metrics while continuously monitoring platform availability, performance, system capacity, transaction throughput, processing deadlines, and operational efficiency.
• Direct disaster recovery, backup, retention, business continuity, and succession planning activities for both internally managed and vendor-hosted environments, including coordination and documentation of periodic testing exercises.
• Maintain comprehensive platform documentation, operating procedures, policies, architecture diagrams, data flows, control evidence, and support playbooks, ensuring reviews occur annually and following significant platform or process changes.
• Oversee the operation of a 24/7 production environment, including incident, problem, change, release, escalation, and service restoration processes for mission-critical banking applications and services.
• Manage payment processing platforms and capabilities, including ACH, wire transfers, check and item processing, settlement and clearing activities, real-time payment services, digital payment integrations, fraud-prevention interfaces, and reconciliation processes, as applicable.
• Partner with lending and credit teams to support loan origination, underwriting, documentation, servicing, collateral management, and related technology integrations across consumer, commercial, and specialty lending platforms.
• Prioritize technology initiatives and resource allocation in collaboration with business leadership while overseeing vendor relationships, contract administration, service-level performance, budget management, risk remediation efforts, and strategic technology investments.
• Ensure effective governance, support, and oversight of:
  • Core banking platforms, supporting infrastructure, databases, and administrative environments.
  • Payment networks, settlement processes, reconciliation functions, and payment-related integrations.
  • Lending origination, decisioning, documentation, servicing, collateral management, and credit-related systems.
  • APIs, middleware solutions, managed file transfer processes, batch scheduling, event-driven architectures, and third-party interfaces.
  • Data governance, reporting frameworks, access controls, audit trails, cybersecurity measures, and regulatory compliance requirements.
  • IT service management practices, including incident, problems, change, release, configuration, and asset management.
  • Vendor-hosted and on-premises environments, including production operations, disaster recovery, business continuity, and ongoing platform support.

Compliance Responsibilities

Complies with all applicable state and federal banking laws, regulations, and internal policies related but not limited to lending, operations, and deposit requirements, including Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations, Customer Identification Program (CIP) requirements, Financial Elder Abuse reporting laws, Sexual Harassment prevention policies, information security and privacy requirements.

Required Knowledge

• Advanced knowledge of core banking, payments, lending, and related banking technology platforms, including associated business processes, data architecture, integrations, and operational workflows. Experience with leading banking technology providers and vendor-supported platforms is preferred.
• Strong understanding of IT operations, platform product management, financial and budget management, vendor management, technology governance within a regulated financial services environment.
• Comprehensive knowledge of IT service management principles, cybersecurity controls, data governance, resiliency planning, change management, disaster recovery, and business continuity practices.
• Working knowledge of banking operations, payment systems, lending processes, regulatory requirements, audit standards, and risk-management frameworks applicable to financial institutions.
• Proficiency in developing business cases, technology roadmaps, budgets, total cost of ownership (TCO) analyses, value-realization models, service-level metrics, risk assessments, and performance measurement frameworks.
• Advanced leadership, communication, relationship management, influence, negotiation, presentation, and conflict-resolution skills, with the ability to effectively engage technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across Technology, Operations, Digital Banking, Payments, Lending, Risk Management, Compliance, Finance, Audit, Information Security, and executive leadership teams.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong leadership, people management, coaching, and team development skills, with the ability to build high-performing teams and foster collaboration across technical and business functions.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, executive, and vendor communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Strong analytical, critical-thinking, organizational, prioritization, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives and competing priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to lead the troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and resolution of complex, high-impact platform, system, integration, and production processing issues in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across Technology, Operations, Payments, Lending, Risk Management, Compliance, Finance, Audit, and executive leadership teams.
• Current knowledge of banking technology platforms, payment modernization, digital banking and lending solutions, cloud and hosted services, APIs, automation technologies, data management, cybersecurity practices, and emerging industry trends.
• Ability to balance strategic planning with operational execution while driving platform reliability, service excellence, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Strong project, vendor, and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to manage technology roadmaps, service delivery expectations, budgets, risks, and third-party relationships.

Equipment Operated

• Operates standard electronic computers and customary office equipment required to perform essential job functions.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Nothing in this description is intended to limit the availability of reasonable accommodation under applicable law.

• Ability to perform repetitive movements associated with office and computer-based work.
• Ability to sit and or stand for extended periods of time to perform essential job functions.
• Ability to lift, carry, or move objects weighing up to 25 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Ability to use hands and fingers to manage, manipulate, or feel objects and operate standard office equipment.
• Work is primarily performed in an office environment with a controlled temperature and standard office conditions.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• Ten or more years of progressive technology experience, including at least five years leading teams, technology functions, or critical banking platforms.
• Demonstrated experience supporting or managing core banking, payments, lending, digital banking, or other mission-critical financial services platforms within a regulated environment.
• Experience overseeing technology operations, platform administration, system integrations, vendor management, production support, and technology-delivery initiatives.
• Proven track record of leading large-scale technology projects, platform implementations, modernization efforts, system upgrades, or digital transformation initiatives.
• Experience managing vendor relationships, service-level agreements, technology budgets, contract negotiations, and third-party risk considerations.
• Strong understanding of banking operations, regulatory requirements, information security, business continuity, disaster recovery, and risk-management practices.

Minimum Absence Requirement

Some positions within the Bank have been designated as sensitive positions due to access to critical systems, records, or processes. In accordance with Bank policy and sound internal-control practices, employees in sensitive positions are required to complete a mandatory consecutive absence from essential duties each calendar year to support segregation of duties and independent review.

The required absence will be scheduled in coordination with management to ensure continuity of operations. Administration of absence, including paid or unpaid status, will comply with all applicable federal, state, and local wage and hour and leave laws, including California requirements.

Required Minimum Absence for This Position: Two (2) Consecutive Weeks

Officer Title Eligibility

For qualified positions, the Bank may designate an Officer Title based on the role's job level, scope of responsibility, and alignment with established competency frameworks. Eligibility for an Officer Title designation is contingent upon the employee meeting defined competency, performance, and experience requirements and is governed by applicable Bank policies, governance standards, and required approval processes.

• This position is eligible for the following Officer Title(s): Vice President

Compensation

The listed range represents the full compensation range for this position. Placement within the range will be determined based on factors including skills, relevant experience, job-related qualifications, geographic location, and internal equity, in accordance with Bank compensation policies.

• Exempt Salary Range: $129,584 - $240,656 per year

Disclaimer

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed and is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Employees may be required to perform other duties as assigned, consistent with business needs and applicable law.

Farmers and Merchants Bank of Long Beach reserve the right to modify, amend, or discontinue job duties or requirements at any time. Nothing in this job description creates a contract of employment, either express or implied, or alters the at-will nature of employment.

11/03/2026