Solutions Architect Group Manager (Spark/PySpark Data Platforms)

Citi; Mississauga; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global bank in Mississauga seeks a Solutions Architect Group Manager to lead a high-caliber technical team. The role involves designing and implementing innovative data processing solutions while fostering a high-performing engineering culture. Candidates should possess 10+ years in software development and proven leadership experience. This position offers a chance to drive innovation and support business objectives within a diverse and inclusive environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Software Development, Architecture, or related technical roles.
• 5+ years leading design and implementation of large-scale data processing solutions.
• Proven leadership and team management experience.

Responsibilities

• Design and architect solutions across programs.
• Manage multiple teams and handle personnel duties.
• Provide strategic influence and oversight of resources.

Job description

About Citi

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

Citi creates economic value that is systemically responsible and in our clients’ best interests. Our Enterprise Operations & Technology teams are charged with a mission that rivals any large tech company. Our technology solutions are the foundations of everything we do, from keeping the bank safe to designing our digital architecture and ensuring our platforms provide a first-class customer experience. We reimagine client and partner experiences to deliver excellence through secure, reliable, and efficient services.

Our commitment to diversity includes a workforce that represents the clients we serve from all walks of life, backgrounds, and origins. We foster an environment where the best people want to work. We value respect, merit-based opportunities, and personal development for all. If you are a problem solver who seeks passion in your work, come join us. We’ll enable growth and progress together.

Overview of the Role

The Solutions Architect Group Manager (Spark/PySpark Data Platforms) is a senior management position focused on people leadership and organizational effectiveness. The role is responsible for managing, mentoring, and developing a high-caliber team or department dedicated to application systems. The objective is to orchestrate the successful establishment, implementation, and enhancement of new or revised application systems and programs, in close collaboration with the wider Technology Team. The manager fosters an environment that empowers teams, drives innovation, and ensures high-quality software solutions that support business objectives.

Responsibilities

• Design and architect technical solutions across programs with a standardized approach; bring in the latest technology and design principles to increase efficiency and product output aligned with strategic vision.
• Manage multiple teams to accomplish goals and handle personnel duties (e.g., performance evaluations, hiring, disciplinary actions).
• Provide strategic influence and oversight of resources, budget management, and planning while monitoring end results.
• Apply in-depth knowledge of concepts within own area and basic knowledge of other areas to resolve issues.
• Ensure essential procedures are followed and contribute to defining standards.
• Integrate knowledge of applications development with the broader technology function to achieve goals.
• Provide evaluative judgment based on analysis of facts in complex situations, leveraging internal and external sources.
• Influence and negotiate with senior leaders across functions and communicate with external parties when necessary.
• Assess risk in business decisions, safeguarding Citi, its clients, and assets by driving compliance with laws and regulations; escalate, manage, and report control issues with transparency; supervise and hold others accountable to standards.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant experience in Software Development, Architecture or related technical roles (e.g., Lead Architect, Tech Lead).
• 5+ years of experience leading the design and implementation of large-scale data processing solutions.
• Proven leadership and team management experience, including mentoring, performance management, talent acquisition, and fostering a high-performing engineering culture.
• Demonstrated ability to define, drive, and execute technical strategy, fostering innovation and continuous improvement.
• Strong understanding of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and the ability to manage technical teams with hands-on expertise.
• Hands-on technical background in several areas, including:
  • System Design & Architecture: lead complex distributed system design, evaluate architectural trade-offs, and guide teams in building robust enterprise-grade applications in the big data domain.
  • Apache Spark & PySpark: deep experience with Spark core concepts (RDDs, DataFrames, Datasets), internals (Catalyst, Tungsten), performance tuning, and production-grade PySpark applications; experience with Spark Streaming/Structured Streaming is valued.
  • Cloud Platforms: experience with at least one major provider (AWS, Azure, GCP); understanding of IaaS, PaaS, FaaS, managed services, and cloud-native data pipelines.
  • Programming Languages: proficiency in Python for Data Engineering and general software development; strong PySpark.
  • Microservices Architecture: knowledge of Domain-Driven Design, inter-service communication (REST, gRPC, Kafka), data consistency patterns, API gateways, and service mesh.
  • DevOps & MLOps: CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps), IaC tools (Terraform, Ansible), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), monitoring/logging (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK), and automated testing.
  • Database Technologies: relational (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle) and NoSQL (MongoDB, Cassandra, Redis), including data modeling and scaling.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field or equivalent experience; Master’s degree preferred.

Job Family and related information: Technology, Applications Development, Full time.

Equal Opportunity Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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