Synechron

Engagement Lead / Principal Architect

Synechron$130K — $145K *
Finance & Insurance
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years in data architecture or data transformation consulting, including 3+ years in a leadership role.
  • In-depth knowledge of capital markets and banking operations, able to discuss complex financial data.
  • Proven history of presenting target-state architectures to bank review boards successfully.
  • Fluency in data mesh principles and operating models, understanding their strengths and weaknesses.
  • Experience with lakehouse architecture and medallion patterns on Azure Databricks.
  • Strong executive presence to engage with senior banking stakeholders effectively.
  • TOGAF certification or similar qualifications demonstrating familiarity with governance patterns.

Responsibilities

  • Establish initial access to SQL Server metadata and set up analysis workspaces promptly.
  • Align on governance standards, templates, and escalation paths with key stakeholders.
  • Identify and designate a primary coordinator for each business domain to manage dependencies.
  • Maintain a comprehensive risk and issue log, proactively addressing stakeholder availability.
  • Lead discussions in the DACI forum, ensuring clear ownership of responsibilities across domains.
  • Ensure quality checkpoints are met before deliverables are presented to stakeholders.
  • Collaborate on and advocate for the proposed target-state architecture in executive forums.
  • Prepare and deliver executive summaries outlining strategic recommendations and project sequencing.

Benefits

  • Highly competitive compensation and benefits package.
  • Global organization with opportunities for international work.
  • 10 days of paid annual leave plus sick leave and national holidays.
  • Maternity and paternity leave benefits.
  • Comprehensive insurance coverage including medical and dental.
  • Retirement savings plans available.
  • Professional development opportunities including higher education certification support.
  • Access to over 5000 courses via Udemy for Business.
  • Mentorship from experienced professionals in specialized areas.
  • Engagement in innovative projects with leading financial institutions.
  • Inclusive and collaborative corporate culture.
Full Job Description
Our challenge

Synechron is seeking a senior Principal Data Architecture Engagement Lead to lead a strategic data-transformation and target-state architecture engagement for a major banking client. This role combines engagement leadership, enterprise data architecture, governance and executive stakeholder management. The successful candidate will be accountable for establishing the delivery framework, managing risks and dependencies, driving ownership decisions and defending the target-state conceptual architecture at the client's architecture board. Candidate will work closely with business and technology stakeholders, the Data Mesh and Enterprise Architecture teams, domain representatives and delivery leads.

Additional Information*

The base salary for this position will vary based on geography and other factors. In accordance with law, the base salary for this role if filled within New York, NY is $130k - $145k/year & benefits (see below).

The Role

Responsibilities:
  • Secure read-only access to SQL Server system metadata and stand up the approved analysis workspace and repository within the first two weeks; this gate governs the whole plan.
  • Agree the RACI, standards, templates and working cadence with Mizuho, and lock the fortnightly delivery-leadership review and the escalation path into the architecture board.
  • Map stakeholders and secure a single named coordination point per business domain (a stated dependency of the proposal, and the primary schedule risk).
  • Own the risk, issue and dependency log; escalate stakeholder-availability slippage early rather than absorbing it into float.
  • Chair the DACI forum for contested and multi-domain items. Apply the stated position: exactly one accountable owner plus explicit contracted consumers, never diffuse co-ownership.
  • Quality-gate every phase exit against the agreed key exits before deliverables reach Mizuho.
  • Own the target-state conceptual architecture narrative jointly with the Data-Mesh / Enterprise Architect, and defend it at the Mizuho architecture board.
  • Author the executive summary and recommendations (slide deck and Word), sequencing the roadmap against materiality, regulatory exposure and delivery risk.
  • Frame the follow-on phase: what Mizuho should fund next, in what order, and what the cost of deferral is on the highest-materiality core tables.


Requirements:
  • 10+ years in data architecture or data transformation consulting, with 3+ years as the accountable owner of engagements at director or principal level.
  • Capital markets or Tier-1/Tier-2 banking domain grounding: able to hold a credible conversation about trade, position, collateral, sub-ledger and regulatory reporting data without an SME in the room.
  • Demonstrated ownership of a target-state data architecture that was formally accepted by a bank architecture review board - candidates should be able to name the board, the decision and the objections they had to answer.
  • Data mesh operating-model fluency: domain ownership, data as a product, self-serve platform, federated computational governance - and a considered view on where mesh fails (over-centralising versus over-fragmenting shared assets).
  • Lakehouse and medallion architecture on Azure Databricks; sufficient depth to challenge a pattern, not merely approve it.
  • Executive presence with bank stakeholders at head-of and MD level; comfortable running a steering committee and delivering unwelcome findings.
  • TOGAF certification, or equivalent evidence of using TOGAF to govern a pattern catalogue.


Preferred, but not required:
  • Experience decomposing a SQL Server or Oracle monolith where stored-procedure logic obscured ownership boundaries.
  • Regulatory programme exposure: CCAR / FR Y-14, Dodd-Frank, BCBS 239 lineage and CDE evidence.
  • Experience running a distributed delivery team across US, Canada and India time zones on a fixed-window engagement.


We offer:
  • A highly competitive compensation and benefits package.
  • A multinational organization with 58 offices in 22 countries and the possibility to work abroad.
  • 10 days of paid annual leave (plus sick leave and national holidays).
  • Maternity & paternity leave plans.
  • A comprehensive insurance plan including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and long-/short-term disability (plans vary by region).
  • Retirement savings plans.
  • A higher education certification policy.
  • Commuter benefits (varies by region).
  • Extensive training opportunities, focused on skills, substantive knowledge, and personal development.
  • On-demand Udemy for Business for all Synechron employees with free access to more than 5000 curated courses.
  • Coaching opportunities with experienced colleagues from our Financial Innovation Labs (FinLabs) and Center of Excellences (CoE) groups.
  • Cutting edge projects at the world's leading tier-one banks, financial institutions and insurance firms.
  • A flat and approachable organization.
  • A truly diverse, fun-loving, and global work culture.


Candidate Application Notice

About Synechron

Synechron is a digital consulting firm that provides technology solutions to financial services companies. The company's services include digital, business consulting, technology, and data analytics. Synechron serves customers in the banking, capital markets, insurance, and asset management industries. The company has offices in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Learn more about Synechron
Size
10,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2001

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Synechron

More Finance & Insurance Jobs

Find similar Engagement Lead / Principal Architect jobs: