Job Overview

We are seeking a seasoned data architecture leader to spearhead the enterprise-wide core banking transformation program. This is a high-impact, strategic role responsible for the end-to-end design, delivery, governance, and operational enablement of the data architecture as we transition from a legacy core banking system to a modern, microservices-based banking platform. The ideal candidate will drive architectural excellence, ensure data integrity across the migration lifecycle, and enable seamless business operations through robust data frameworks.

Key Responsibilities

1. Data Architecture Leadership: Own the full lifecycle of data architecture—from planning and design to implementation oversight—ensuring alignment with business objectives and technical standards.
2. Legacy-to-Modern Migration: Define and execute comprehensive migration strategies, including roadmap development, rule specification, cutover planning, and execution oversight for full data migration, incremental synchronization, and historical data archiving.
3. Data Integration & Interoperability: Architect enterprise-grade data integration frameworks across the core banking ecosystem, enabling seamless interaction between core systems, peripheral applications, middleware, and data warehouses.
4. Real-Time Data Synchronization: Leverage Change Data Capture (CDC) technologies to enable near-real-time data replication and consistency during and after the transition phase.
5. Data Governance & Quality: Establish end-to-end data integrity mechanisms across collection, transmission, storage, migration, processing, and application. Lead the development of master data management (MDM) systems for critical domains—customer, account, product, and organizational data.
6. Data Ownership & Stewardship: Define and operationalize a clear data ownership model, assigning responsibilities for data domains, stewards, and user roles, and embed accountability into enterprise data asset management.
7. Standardization & Metadata Management: Build and maintain a unified enterprise data dictionary, enforcing data standards to eliminate silos and ensure consistency across all systems and reporting layers.
8. Compliance & Security: Ensure all data architecture and migration activities adhere to financial data security, privacy regulations, and industry-specific risk control requirements.

1. Education: Bachelor’s degree or above in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Financial Technology, or a related technical discipline.
2. Experience: Minimum 8 years in data architecture, with at least 3 years of end-to-end architectural responsibility in large-scale core banking system transformations.
3. Database Expertise: Deep proficiency in relational and distributed banking databases (e.g., Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB); hands-on experience with DB2 is a strong advantage. Proven track record in physical database design, performance tuning, transaction management, high-availability architectures, and disaster recovery planning. Extensive experience in database migration and cross-database compatibility is essential.
4. Data Governance & MDM: Demonstrated expertise in master data management, data ownership models, enterprise data dictionary construction, and data quality/governance frameworks within financial institutions.
5. Business & Regulatory Acumen: Solid understanding of core banking business processes and regulatory data requirements in the financial services industry.
6. Certifications (Preferred): Professional certifications such as TOGAF, CDMP, or equivalent in data architecture, governance, or enterprise architecture.
7. Soft Skills: Strong team player with proven ability to lead, influence, and mentor cross-functional teams. Proactive problem-solver with a customer-centric mindset and technical resilience.
8. Language: Fluent in written and spoken English; proficiency in Cantonese is a significant plus.