Principal Payments Architect

Overview

In this role you shape and deliver strategic payments transformation programmes for financial services clients, focusing on modernising core platforms and enabling new digital payment capabilities. You will collaborate with engineers and senior stakeholders to guide long-term payments strategies, drive architecture choices, and lead high-performing teams. Your work supports cross-domain impact and thought leadership within Capco’s Technology & Engineering Practice. This is a hands-on, leadership-focused opportunity in a global, entrepreneurial environment with a strong emphasis on collaboration and client value.

Pay / Benefits

• discretionary bonus
• competitive pension
• health and dental insurance
• life insurance
• mental health support
• family-friendly policies

Responsibilities

• Design and modernise payment platforms for domestic and international real-time and card-based flows, collaborating with vendors like Form3
• Define and implement scalable, highly available payment architectures compliant with ISO 20022 and other standards
• Guide regulatory, operational, and technology change across payment ecosystems for cross-border initiatives
• Lead project delivery in agile environments, shaping technology strategies, roadmaps, and migration from legacy formats
• Mentor and grow junior technologists, contribute to Capco’s Practice through thought leadership and client opportunities
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and influence technology investments and strategic directions
• Engage in cross-domain or non-payments initiatives when needed to drive broader architectural impact
• Support pre-sales activities and client engagements, including proposal shaping and architectural governance

Key requirements

• Proven design or modernisation of payment platforms across real-time, on-us, and card-based flows
• Experience with major payment schemes and networks (Faster Payments, Bacs, CHAPS, SWIFT, SEPA, card schemes, Open Banking, CoP)
• Architecting resilient systems capable of high-volume processing and ISO 20022 readiness
• Experience across banking/financial services architecture and cross-domain collaboration
• Modern distributed patterns (microservices, event streaming, containerisation, zero-trust) in hybrid environments
• Delivery of payments transformation programmes with clear technology roadmaps and legacy migration awareness
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to influence senior technology decisions
• Experience with agile delivery models and DevOps practices
• Familiarity with TOGAF and Domain-Driven Design

• Relationship building with senior stakeholders
• Influencing strategic technology and investment decisions
• Mentoring and developing teams
• Form3 (vendor for payments)
• ISO 20022 messaging standards
• Real-time payments architectures

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