Software Architect Sr (Payments)

Job description

Position Overview At PNC, our people are our greatest differentiator and competitive advantage in the markets we serve. We are all united in delivering the best experience for our customers. We work together each day to foster an inclusive workplace culture where all of our employees feel respected, valued and have an opportunity to contribute to the company’s success. As a Software Architect Sr within PNC's C&IB' Payments organization, you will be based in Pittsburgh, PA or Dallas, TX or Fuquay Varina, NC. Position Overview The Payments Software Architect Sr is responsible for defining, governing, and guiding the end-to-end solution architecture for assigned Payments capabilities and platforms at PNC. This role operates as part of the Payments Solution Design & Engineering organization and works horizontally across multiple agile delivery teams to ensure solution designs are aligned with the Payments target-state architecture, enterprise standards, and regulatory requirements. The Software Engineer Expert reports into the Director, Payments Solution Design & Engineering and partners closely with engineering, product, risk, and business stakeholders to translate complex Payments domain requirements into scalable, resilient, and secure technical solutions. ________________________________________ Key Responsibilities Solution Architecture & Design • Define and own end-to-end solution architecture for assigned Payments capabilities, platforms, or value streams, under the guidance of the Payments design authority. • Develop solution designs that align with the Payments target-state architecture, enterprise technology standards, and architectural guardrails established by the Director. • Lead solution design activities including architecture diagrams, design specifications, integration models, and non-functional requirements. • Ensure architectural consistency across multiple agile delivery teams and initiatives. Agile Delivery Enablement • Act as the embedded architectural lead across agile delivery teams while maintaining alignment to centralized Payments architecture standards. • Provide hands-on guidance to engineering teams during design, build, testing, and deployment phases. • Participate in sprint planning, design sessions, and technical reviews to ensure architecture is implemented as intended. • Identify and proactively escalate cross-team dependencies and architectural risks to the Director as needed. Payments Domain & Industry Expertise • Apply deep Payments domain knowledge to solution designs, ensuring they reflect real-world payment flows and operational realities. • Design solutions across Payments capabilities including (but not limited to): o Core payment processing and clearing o Payment orchestration, routing, and workflow o Real-time, batch, and high-value payments o Integration with external networks, vendors, and fintech partners o Data, reporting, reconciliation, and operational controls • Incorporate funding, liquidity, settlement timing, exception handling, and resiliency considerations into solution designs. Architecture Governance & Standards • Ensure solution designs comply with Payments and enterprise architecture principles, standards, and patterns. • Participate in architecture design reviews, trade-off discussions, and exception processes led by the Payments design authority. • Partner with the Director and peer Solution Architects to resolve complex design decisions. • Contribute to the evolution of Payments reference architectures, patterns, and best practices. Risk, Security & Compliance • Ensure all solution designs adhere to PNC policies for information security, resiliency, data protection, and operational risk. • Partner with Risk, Security, and Compliance teams to identify and mitigate technology and architectural risks. • Ensure regulatory, scheme, and network rules are appropriately reflected in solution designs. Collaboration & Thought Leadership • Serve as a trusted technical advisor to engineering, product, and business partners. • Clearly communicate architectural decisions, trade-offs, and impacts to technical and non-technical stakeholders. • Contribute to architectural knowledge sharing and continuous improvement across the Payments organization. ________________________________________ Required Technical Skills • Strong expertise in enterprise solution architecture for large-scale, highly available systems. • Hands-on experience with modern architecture patterns, including: o Event-driven and asynchronous architectures o API-first and service-oriented design o Microservices and domain-driven design (DDD) o High-availability, active-active, and resilient system designs • Experience designing solutions across hybrid environments (on-prem and cloud). • Strong understanding of data architecture concepts including transactional processing, reconciliation, operational reporting, and analytics. • Experience integrating vendor platforms and third-party products into enterprise ecosystems. ________________________________________ Payments Industry Product & Network Expertise • Working knowledge of payment networks, schemes, and rails such as: o ACH o Wire payments (e.g., Fedwire, CHIPS) o Real-Time Payments (RTP) and instant payments o SWIFT and international payments • Understanding of industry standards and messaging formats (e.g., ISO 20022) and their architectural implications. • Experience working with payment engines, orchestration platforms, clearing systems, and supporting operational tooling. ________________________________________ Payments Domain Knowledge • Strong understanding of how payment systems operate in practice, including: o End-to-end payment lifecycle and settlement models o Funding, liquidity, and cut-off timing considerations o Risk exposures, exception handling, and recovery scenarios o Operational resiliency, business continuity, and disaster recovery o Regulatory and compliance considerations impacting Payments technology