Python Microservices and Distributed Systems Lead - Vice President

Citi; Pune District; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 9,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Citi invites applications for a Lead Python Architect within Markets Operations Technology in Pune. The role centers on hands-on development and design leadership to build a central data processing platform and a modern workflow framework, replacing legacy licensed tools.

You will influence architecture, guide a team of Python engineers, and partner with technology and business teams across Citi. The ideal candidate has 12+ years in high-volume distributed systems, 5+ years with microservices in

Qualifications

• 12+ years as a hands-on technical leader in real-time, distributed systems.
• 5+ years delivering microservices using Python frameworks (FastAPI, Flask, Django).
• Strong communication skills; able to engage leaders up to the enterprise level.
• Experience with messaging/event systems (Kafka) and Python data stack (Pandas, NumPy).

Responsibilities

• Lead hands-on development and provide design guidance to engineers.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to drive execution and delivery across geographies.
• Promote a culture of innovation and full software lifecycle delivery.
• Manage a team; handle budgeting, planning, and resource allocation.
• Influence technical architecture and communicate with senior leaders and external parties.
• Ensure code quality, test coverage, and governance with Git/Bitbucket.
• Oversee infrastructure assessment and setup for applications.

Skills

Python

Leadership

Microservices

Data pipelines

Airflow

Kafka

Pandas

Dask

FastAPI

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s in Computer Science/IT/CS

Tools

Dagster

Celery

NoSQL

Job description

Role Summary

Markets Operations Technology team is looking for a Lead Python Architect with extensive experience in developing large-scale Data Processing and Workflow platforms. The person in this role will lead the design, development, and delivery of a critical firm-wide initiative to build a central data processing platform and a modern Data Workflow Framework, aimed at replacing costly licensed 3rd Party software like Talend and Appian.

• This is a Vice President role within the ICG Markets Tech team. You will be the Lead Python Architect responsible for hands-on development and providing best-in-class design guidance for a team of Python engineers, while working with a Senior Architect and Delivery Manager to deliver state-of-the-art data pipeline and workflow solutions.
• This is a highly visible role for a key initiative where you will get the opportunity to work on multiple asset classes and business functions, interacting with many teams and stakeholders at a senior level.
• This is a great opportunity to join a high-performing, high-profile, and energized team.
• You will be leading the development and delivery of our central data processing platform to house critical transactional data from multiple business processes and asset classes.
• You will also get the opportunity to liaise between key technology and business partners across Markets Operations and Tech, and coordinate with various Citi Technology Teams, including SaaS offerings, hardware teams, and technology experts from different product vendors.

Responsibilities

• Handson development as well as design guidance to junior developers.
• Work closely with business stakeholders and technology teams to drive execution and delivery.
• Lead a culture of innovation & experimentation, supporting a full software lifecycle that incorporates the best of technology approaches & delivery methodologies.
• Manage a team of professionals to accomplish established goals and conduct personnel duties for the team.
• Actively participate in brainstorming sessions, provide solid inputs to the team, and ensure best practices are followed.
• Provide strategic influence and exercise control over resources, budget management, and planning while monitoring end results.
• Validate detailed requirements, working through solutions, and managing the execution and rollout of the platform. Responsible for ensuring the application meets project specifications and client’s expectations.
• Influence technical architecture and negotiate/communicate with senior leaders across functions, as well as communicate with external parties as necessary.
• Provide thought leadership on how to grow and scale the platform.
• Ensure code quality and proper test coverage is maintained, using tools like Secure Assist, Sonar, etc.
• Ensure proper code governance using GIT/Bitbucket.
• Drive Infrastructure Assessment, Forecasting, and Setup for the applications.

Hands-on Development Opportunity

• Hands-on development opportunity across the latest niche technologies in this domain.
• Experience with modern Python data processing libraries (e.g., Pandas, Dask, Polars, PySpark) and workflow orchestration frameworks (e.g., Airflow, Prefect, Dagster, Celery).
• Continuous collaboration and co-ordination with teams spread across geographies.

Qualification and Skills

• 12+ years of experience as a hands-on technical leader working on complex real-time, distributed, high-volume, event-processing systems in a large organization.
• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or equivalent.
• Proven experience in driving software delivery and transformation through Agile practices, with a focus on establishing a Continuous Delivery culture and process.
• Exceptional communicator who loves working with people, confident communicating at all levels from an individual team to the entire enterprise.
• 5+ years of experience in developing and delivering large-scale, microservices-based architectures using modern Python frameworks (e.g., FastAPI, Flask, Django).
• 5+ years of experience working with at least one messaging/event processing system (e.g., Kafka, Tibco EMS) in a high-volume environment.
• Strong experience with the Python data stack (e.g., Pandas, Dask, NumPy) and data pipeline/workflow orchestration tools (e.g., Airflow, Prefect, Celery).
• Experience working with both relational (e.g., Oracle) and schema less databases (e.g., MongoDB, NoSQL).

Job Family Group

Technology

Job Family

Architecture

Time Type

Full time

Most Relevant Skills

Please see the requirements listed above.

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