Principal Architect – Digital Banking & Credit Union Transformation

Gofractional; Canada; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 152,000; Full time

Job summary

Aequilibrium is seeking a Principal Digital Banking Architect to lead complex transformations for Canadian credit unions. This contract-to-hire role requires senior technology leadership, deep banking domain knowledge, and the ability to drive architectural governance across teams.

You will shape migration strategies, mentor engineers, and collaborate with CIOs/CTOs to deliver scalable digital banking platforms using VeriPark, Forge, Azure, and Power Platform ecosystems.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in enterprise or solution architecture.
• Significant experience with Canadian credit unions or financial services.
• Led digital banking modernization initiatives from strategy to implementation.
• Strong APIs, microservices, and enterprise integration expertise.
• Proven Azure architecture experience.
• Excellent executive stakeholder communication.

Responsibilities

• Own architecture and technical leadership for complex digital banking transformations.
• Define target-state architectures across core banking, cloud, data, security and identity.
• Lead integration strategies linking banking platforms with payments, CRM, identity.
• Mentor solution architects and engineers.
• Translate technical decisions into business implications for CIOs/CTOs.
• Develop reference architectures and migration playbooks.

Skills

Enterprise architecture

Leadership

Azure architecture

APIs & microservices

Stakeholder management

Credit unions

Digital banking

Tools

VeriPark

VeriChannel

VeriLink

Forge

Power Platform

Dynamics 365

Job description

Principal Architect – Digital Banking & Credit Union Transformation

Location: Remote

Employment Type: Contracted to Full Time

Level: Experienced

The Opportunity

Aequilibrium is looking for a Principal Digital Banking Architect (contract-to-hire) to help lead the next generation of digital banking transformation for Canadian credit unions. This is not simply an architecture role. We are looking for a senior technology leader who can sit alongside a credit union CIO or CTO, understand their business and technology landscape, define the path from current to future state, and lead multidisciplinary teams through complex digital banking transformations.

What You'll Lead

• Own architecture and technical leadership for complex digital banking transformations, including Forge-to-VeriPark migrations.
• Assess current-state environments and define target-state and transition architectures across digital banking, core banking, integration, cloud, data, identity, security and third-party systems.
• Lead architecture for VeriChannel, VeriLink, Microsoft Azure and Dynamics 365/Power Platform ecosystems.
• Establish integration and API strategies that connect digital banking platforms with core banking, payments, CRM, identity, fraud, analytics, and other financial-services systems.
• Lead Design Authority and architecture governance across Aequilibrium, client and vendor teams.
• Translate complex technical decisions into clear business implications for CIOs, CTOs and other executives.
• Guide engineering teams from architecture through implementation, testing, migration and go-live.
• Champion configuration over customization, platform upgradeability, security by design and API-first integration.
• Mentor solution architects, technical leads and engineers.

Help Build Our Digital Banking Practice

Beyond individual projects, you will help shape Aequilibrium's digital banking architecture capability.

You will:

• Develop reusable reference architectures, migration playbooks, integration patterns and accelerators.
• Help define Aequilibrium's point of view on digital banking modernization and platform migration.
• Participate in strategic pursuits, client workshops and technical presentations.
• Build trusted relationships across the Canadian credit union ecosystem and with platform and technology partners.
• Contribute to thought leadership through articles, webinars, conferences, and industry discussions.
• Help identify emerging opportunities as credit unions modernize legacy platforms, consolidate through mergers, and collaborate through shared technology models.

What We're Looking For

• 12+ years in enterprise architecture, solution architecture, or senior technology leadership.
• Significant experience within Canadian credit unions, banking, or financial services.
• Proven leadership of at least one major digital banking modernization, platform migration, or comparable enterprise transformation from strategy through implementation.
• Strong understanding of digital banking architecture, core banking integration, payments, identity, security, and member-facing digital channels.
• Deep expertise in APIs, microservices, event-driven architecture, and enterprise integration.
• Strong Microsoft Azure architecture experience.
• Ability to move comfortably between executive strategy and detailed technical discussions with engineering teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading architecture governance and multidisciplinary delivery teams.
• Excellent communication and executive stakeholder management skills.

Particularly Valuable Experience

• Hands-on experience with VeriPark, VeriChannel and VeriLink.
• Experience with Central 1 Forge and the Canadian credit union ecosystem.
• Experience migrating from Forge or another legacy digital banking platform to VeriPark.
• Experience with Backbase, ebankIT, Temenos, Intellect Design or other major digital banking platforms.
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform architecture.
• Relationships within the Canadian credit union, digital banking, or fintech ecosystem.
• Industry thought leadership, conference speaking, publishing, or participation in banking technology communities.

What Success Looks Like

Within your first year, you will have:

• Established yourself as a trusted architecture advisor to Aequilibrium's credit union clients.
• Successfully led architecture for one or more major digital banking transformations.
• Created reusable migration patterns and architecture assets that accelerate future implementations.
• Strengthened relationships with our digital banking technology partners.
• Helped Aequilibrium win additional digital banking transformation engagements.
• Mentored and elevated the architecture and engineering capabilities of the broader AEQ team.

Compensation

This is a contract role, with a competitive rate of CAD $80–$110/hour, depending on experience, digital banking expertise, and demonstrated leadership capabilities.

For exceptional candidates with deep VeriPark, Forge, and Canadian credit union experience, compensation will reflect the strategic value and expertise they bring to Aequilibrium and our clients.