Technology Architecture Governance Specialist, Hybrid

SWIFT
Leiden, Netherlands
6 days ago

Role details

Contract type
Permanent contract
Employment type
Full-time (> 32 hours)
Working hours
Regular working hours
Languages
English
Experience level
Intermediate

Job location

Leiden, Netherlands

Tech stack

Computing Platforms
Confluence
JIRA
Configuration Management Databases
Configuration Management
Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (COBIT)
Information Systems
Enterprise Software Applications
Togaf
Information Technology
ServiceNow

Job description

Reporting to the Architecture and Technology Governance Lead, the Architecture and Technology Planning Manager will oversee the planning and implementation of architectural projects within our organization. You will be responsible for coordinating with internal teams, external stakeholders, and clients to ensure that architectural plans align with business objectives, technology roadmaps, regulatory requirements, and architecture vision. Your role will involve leading virtual teams composed of architects, subject matter experts and collaborating closely with other departments to deliver high-quality, innovative architectural solutions., * Architecture Governance and Decision Framework:

  • Establish and run the Enterprise Technology and Architecture Governance framework (principles, guardrails, standards, patterns) to ensure consistent, secure, resilient technology and architecture decisions across the enterprise.
  • Own and continuously improve the Architecture Review Board operating model: scope, decision rights, escalation paths, quorum rules, and decision quality KPIs.
  • Define risk-based governance: determine which changes require formal review (e.g., high criticality services, customer-impacting changes, regulated data, material outsourcing, major cloud changes).
  • Regulatory and Compliance Alignment
  • Translate regulatory requirements and internal policies into architecture governance controls

  • Partner with Risk, Compliance, Security, and Operational teams to ensure architecture governance supports: o ICT risk management o Change and configuration control o Incident readiness and response o Business continuity and disaster recovery expectations

  • Ensure architecture governance evidence supports audits, regulatory exams, and internal assurance (traceability from requirement * design * decision * implementation).

  • Stakeholder Management & Cross-Functional Alignment
  • Act as the architecture governance interface across Product, Engineering, Security, Risk, Compliance, Procurement, and Operations.
  • Present complex architecture topics clearly to senior stakeholders; facilitate pragmatic decisions balancing time-to-market with risk, resilience, and compliance.
  • Metrics, Reporting & Continuous Improvement
  • Define and measure governance KPIs
  • Use data to improve governance effectiveness: shift-left controls, automation opportunities, and targeted standard/pattern updates.
  • Produce concise, regulator-friendly reporting for technology risk committees and executive governance forums.

Requirements

  • Bachelors degree in a related field (i.e., Architecture, Business, Computer Science or Information Systems) from an accredited college/university or equivalent work experience.
  • 3-5 years in Architecture governance or Architecture Review Board (ARB) leadership; Enterprise/Solution/Platform architecture in complex environments; Technology risk/control design with strong engineering alignment
  • Hands-on experience establishing or running ARB; Architecture Standards; Exception/Waiver process
  • Experience in producing audit-ready evidence: decision records, architecture risk assessments, control mapping
  • Demonstrated experience working in a regulated environment, ideally fintech, banking, payments, insurance or other financial services domain
  • Strong facilitation skills: can drive outcomes in contentious reviews
  • Familiarity with governance tooling (one or more): LeanIX, ServiceNow CMDB, ServiceNow IRM, Confluence/Jira
  • Certifications in any of the following is preferred: TOGAF, ITIL, COBIT, ISO27001

Benefits & conditions

  • We give you a competitive package

About the company

We're the world's leading provider of secure financial messaging services, headquartered in Belgium. We are the way the world moves value - across borders, through cities and overseas. No other organisation can address the scale, precision, pace and trust that this demands, and we're proud to support the global economy. We're unique too. We were established to find a better way for the global financial community to move value - a reliable, safe and secure approach that the community can trust, completely. We're always striving to be better and are constantly evolving in an ever-changing landscape, without undermining that trust. Five decades on, our vibrant community reflects the complexity and diversity of the financial ecosystem. We innovate diligently, test exhaustively, then implement fast. In a connected and exciting era, our mission has never been more relevant. Swift now has a presence in 200+ countries and legal territories to serve a community of more than 12,000 banks and financial institutions. We're the world's leading provider of secure financial messaging services. We are the way the world moves value - across borders, through cities and overseas. No other organisation can address the scale, precision, pace and trust that this demands, and we're proud to support the global economy. We're unique too. We were established to find a better way for the global financial community to move value - a reliable, safe and secure approach that the community can trust, completely. We're always striving to be better and are constantly evolving in an everchanging landscape, without undermining that trust. Nearly five decades on, our vibrant community reflects the complexity and diversity of the financial ecosystem. We innovate diligently, test exhaustively, then implement fast. In a connected and exciting era, our mission has never been more relevant.

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