Senior Technology Architect

Nationwide; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Nationwide is seeking a Senior Architect to join the Payments Architecture team within the Payments CIO portfolio. The role leads architecture direction and governance for payments systems, shaping strategic programmes and ensuring alignment with enterprise standards.

Hybrid working is available across Swindon and London offices, with structured opportunities to influence senior stakeholders. The successful candidate will contribute practical delivery judgement, data‑led insights and clear

Job description

We are looking for a Senior Architect to join our multi-disciplinary architecture team in the Payments portfolio, supporting Payments CIO strategic programmes and value stream initiatives to shape and assure the technical direction for Nationwide’s Payments systems. We’re looking for someone who brings thought leadership, strategic vision combined with practical delivery judgement and the confidence to influence senior business and technology stakeholders through clear architecture narratives, data-led insights and well-structured recommendations. The successful candidate will balance innovation and fast-paced delivery with strong governance, helping us exploit emerging technology safely and pragmatically.

This role is part of the leadership team within the Payments Architecture team in Customer Technology Delivery (COO), aligned to the Payments CIO. The team is responsible for defining the Payments technical roadmap based on business strategy, shaping solution options and design, and ensuring CIO deliveries align to the agreed strategies, roadmaps, enterprise guardrails and relevant industry standards.

Payments within Nationwide is entering a period of significant change as we complete our simplification and modernisation roadmap within the existing estate to drive resilience and security, exploit new technology like artificial intelligence to improve customer experience and efficiency, prepare for further change including the technical integration between Nationwide and Virgin Money, while responding to industry and regulatory demands as they emerge. This creates a strong pipeline of meaningful work, with opportunities to transform how Nationwide serves its 24 million customers.

We have an ambitious strategy to transform and simplify our Payments estate to support our members for the future, with our core focus being:

• Electronic Payments: completing our Faster Payments and BACS modernisation journeys; commencing High Value and International Payments Modernisation; and supporting Business customers through the introduction of Direct Debit collections.
• Cards: upgrading infrastructure and legacy applications to deliver enhanced resilience, capacity and capability across card payments.
• Integration: designing solutions that ensure continuity of payments as we are integrating the Virgin Money and Nationwide estates.

This is an excellent opportunity to join the Payments Architecture team at a time of meaningful change, helping to shape practical, resilient and future‑ready solutions. The successful candidate will bring a broad base of senior architecture experience, together with hands‑on understanding of payment schemes, standards, processes and technologies.

At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this job you'll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, based at either our Swindon Or London office. If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.

Whilst these locations are where we are primarily looking to fill the role, if you’re an internal applicant based in a different location we would welcome your application and if successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this could work for this specific role. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here.

Nationwide is committed to the redeployment of our employees impacted by change, as such applications for redeployment candidates will be prioritised in this recruitment process.
If you’re a colleague on long-term absence (for example, on parental leave) or a temporary worker, please use your personal email address to submit an application.