Solution / Data Architect : Data & Integration | Collateral Management | Financial Services

Solution / Data Architect : Data & Integration | Collateral Management | Financial Services

Location: Remote, with on-site workshops in Dublin (approximately six visits of one to two days each over 12 weeks)

Role Overview

We are seeking a hands-on, data-focused Solution / Data Architect to lead the bank-side data and integration architecture for a collateral management platform upgrade at a major Irish bank. The programme involves upgrading the existing platform to the latest version, delivered as a vendor-hosted SaaS service, with the objective of establishing the platform as the authoritative source for collateral data.

The successful candidate will own the data and integration landscape assessment, build a comprehensive interface inventory, and trace collateral data through the bank's data warehouse and integration layers to downstream reports, datasets, and business teams. The role will assess the impact of the upgrade, define the target data and integration architecture in collaboration with the bank's architects, and provide technical leadership for a SaaS proof of concept.

This is a client-facing consulting engagement requiring close collaboration with the bank's architecture, data, security, business analysis, and technical teams, as well as the software vendor.

Key Responsibilities

1. Data and Integration Landscape

• Build and maintain a comprehensive interface inventory covering all upstream feeds and downstream consumers, including ownership, integration mechanism, frequency, and criticality.
• Trace collateral data from the platform through the data warehouse and integration layers to downstream reports and datasets.
• Document data lineage, transformation logic, dependencies, and data flows in collaboration with the bank's data analysts.
• Identify regulatory and management reporting datasets that consume collateral data and document the fields and dependencies involved.
• Capture non-functional requirements and constraints, including security, data residency, resilience, performance, and recovery.

2. Data Assessment and Upgrade Impact

• Assess the impact of data model and schema changes introduced by the platform upgrade on downstream systems and consumers.
• Document the required changes, owning teams, dependencies, and indicative effort for each affected consumer.
• Align the assessment with the bank's existing data impact assessment process.
• Evaluate data quality for critical fields relevant to the target operating model and reporting requirements.
• Produce a data migration readiness assessment, identifying data issues, dependencies, and potential risks.
• Assess the technical implications of upgrade path options, including environments, migration sequencing, and cutover considerations.

3. Target Architecture and SaaS Proof of Concept

• Define the target data and integration architecture for the upgraded platform in collaboration with the bank's Solution Architect.
• Establish SaaS viability criteria in partnership with the bank's architecture and security teams.
• Lead the bank-side connectivity and API integration activities for the SaaS proof of concept.
• Work with the vendor's engineering team to validate integration feasibility and technical requirements.
• Assess security, architecture, operational, and integration considerations associated with the SaaS deployment model.

4. Implementation Planning

• Contribute to the data migration strategy and implementation approach.
• Define technical workstreams, environment strategy, dependencies, and indicative estimates.
• Identify key technical risks, constraints, and mitigation measures.
• Provide technical input to the upgrade path recommendation and overall implementation plan.

5. Potential Additional Scope: Data Strategy

Subject to confirmation of an additional data strategy workstream, the role may also lead the technical design of:

• The target data architecture and authoritative-source design for collateral data.
• The data quality, lineage, and control framework.
• A phased technical roadmap for establishing the platform as the authoritative source of collateral data.

Key Deliverables

• Comprehensive interface inventory.
• Data lineage maps and transformation documentation.
• Downstream data impact assessment, including required changes and indicative effort per consumer.
• Data quality findings and data migration readiness assessment.
• Non-functional requirements and constraints catalogue.
• Target data and integration architecture.
• SaaS viability criteria and proof-of-concept integration evidence.
• Security findings and technical risk log.
• Technical input to the upgrade path recommendation and implementation plan.

Skills and Experience Required

• Significant experience as a Solution Architect, Data Architect, or Integration Architect within banking or financial services, preferably in lending.
• Strong hands-on data expertise, including advanced SQL and proven experience tracing data lineage across data warehouses and integration layers.
• Experience assessing the downstream system and regulatory reporting impact of platform changes or upgrades.
• Proven experience delivering data migrations, platform upgrades, or SaaS migrations within a banking environment.
• Strong understanding of integration patterns, including APIs, messaging, and batch interfaces.
• Experience taking cloud or SaaS services through banking security assessments and architecture governance.
• Understanding of outsourcing, third-party risk, and operational resilience requirements, including DORA.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to work independently in a client-facing consulting environment.
• Confidence engaging with senior architecture, data, security, and technical stakeholders.

Desirable Skills

• Experience with collateral management or lending platforms.
• Knowledge of regulatory reporting frameworks, including BCBS 239, AnaCredit, COREP, or FINREP.
• Experience in data architecture, data modelling, and authoritative-source design.
• Experience developing reusable tools or frameworks for data reconciliation and lineage.
• Knowledge of Central Bank of Ireland outsourcing and ICT third-party risk requirements.

Additional Information

• The engagement will be through a consulting contract and is classified as outside IR35.
• A right of substitution is available, subject to the client's screening requirements.
• Appointment is subject to background screening in accordance with BS 7858.
• The engagement is subject to the programme statement of work being signed.
• Specific client and software vendor details will be shared following execution of a non-disclosure agreement.