Application Engineering Technical Lead, Debit Card

Archer; Malvern (Chester County); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Archer, in collaboration with Vanguard, seeks an Application Engineering Technical Lead for Debit Card and Digital Wallet integration. You will design and deliver scalable frontend and backend solutions for Cash Spend capabilities, partnering with Product Managers, Architects, and UX teams.

You will mentor engineers, enforce secure coding practices, and drive architecture decisions across multiple squads in a highly regulated financial services environment.

Qualifications

• Eight+ years of related work experience with architecture leadership.
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent; graduate degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert-level technical leadership for digital products and platforms.
• Lead the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of scalable frontend and backend solutions.
• Partner with Product Managers, Product Architects, and Domain Architects to translate business requirements into technical solutions, roadmaps, and architecture designs.
• Evaluate, recommend, and integrate third-party products, SDKs, APIs, and vendor services while ensuring scalability and platform health.
• Review and approve technical designs, code, testing strategies, architecture specifications, documentation, and team deliverables to ensure quality and reliability.
• Lead solution reviews, architecture discussions, design sessions, code reviews, and technical decision-making across multiple teams.
• Drive performance optimization, resiliency, observability, and operational excellence across client-facing digital experiences.
• Identify technical risks and complex production issues, perform root cause analysis, and lead timely resolution.
• Establish and promote engineering standards, secure coding practices, testing methodologies, CI/CD automation, and DevOps best practices across the organization.
• Communicate technical strategy, project impacts, and solution recommendations to key stakeholders while influencing technology investment decisions.
• Mentor engineers and technical leads, fostering continuous learning and adoption of emerging technologies.
• Ensure all solutions comply with enterprise technology, information security, and regulatory requirements.
• Participate in special projects and perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Frontend architecture

Angular

React

TypeScript

JavaScript

Node.js

NestJS

GraphQL

AWS (ECS/EKS/Lambda/Fargate)

CI/CD (GitHub Actions)

Observability

Financial services domain

Mobile-web integration

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in STEM

Graduate degree preferred

Tools

GitHub Actions

Kubernetes

AppDynamics

OpenTelemetry

Splunk

Adobe Analytics

Job description

Archer is collaborating with Vanguard to connect them with exceptional professionals for this role.

We are seeking an Application Engineering Technical Lead, Debit Card with deep expertise in modern front-end engineering, enterprise application architecture, and digital payment ecosystems – specifically Debit card and digital wallets integration to lead the design and delivery of Cash Spend capabilities for Vanguard Cash Plus clients. As a senior technical lead, you will partner closely with Product Managers, Architects and UX teams to design, build, and deliver highly scalable, secure, and resilient digital experiences. You will lead technical design decisions, drive engineering excellence, mentor developers, and establish standards that enable teams to deliver high-quality client and crew experiences. The ideal candidate brings expert-level experience in frontend technologies, strong backend integration knowledge, architectural leadership, and a passion for delivering modern digital experiences in a highly regulated financial services environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert-level technical leadership and direction for critical digital products and platforms supporting Cash Plus Debit Card and Digital Wallet integration capabilities.
• Lead the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of scalable frontend and backend solutions leveraging modern architecture patterns and enterprise engineering standards.
• Partner with Product Managers, Product Architects, and Domain Architects to translate business requirements into technical solutions, delivery roadmaps, and architecture designs.
• Evaluate, recommend, and integrate third-party products, SDKs, APIs, and vendor services while ensuring scalability, maintainability, and long-term platform health.
• Review and approve technical designs, code, testing strategies, architecture specifications, documentation, and team deliverables to ensure quality, security, and reliability.
• Lead solution reviews, architecture discussions, design sessions, code reviews, and technical decision-making across multiple teams.
• Drive performance optimization, resiliency, observability, accessibility compliance, and operational excellence across client-facing digital experiences.
• Identify technical risks and complex production issues, perform root cause analysis, and lead timely resolution while proactively preventing future issues.
• Establish and promote engineering standards, secure coding practices, testing methodologies, CI/CD automation, and DevOps best practices across the organization.
• Communicate technical strategy, project impacts, and solution recommendations to key stakeholders while influencing technology investment decisions and engineering roadmaps.
• Mentor engineers and technical leads, fostering continuous learning, technical excellence, and adoption of emerging technologies and development standards.
• Ensure all solutions comply with enterprise technology, information security, and regulatory requirements while continuously identifying opportunities for process and quality improvement.
• Participate in special projects and perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum of eight years related work experience, with at least three years of technology architect experience.
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of training and experience. Graduate degree preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Expert knowledge of frontend application architecture and enterprise web application development.
• Strong expertise in Angular, React, TypeScript, JavaScript, and modern frontend design patterns.
• Deep understanding of component-based architectures, state management, API integration, responsive design, and accessibility standards.
• Experience designing and delivering digital payments and debit card solutions.
• Experience integrating payment processors, card platforms, digital wallets, or vendor SDKs.
• Strong expertise with:
• React
• Angular
• TypeScript
• Node.js
• NestJS
• GraphQL
• Experience building cloud-native applications using AWS services such as ECS, EKS, Lambda, and Fargate.
• Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions and modern DevOps tooling.
• Working knowledge of observability and monitoring platforms such as AppDynamics, Open Telemetry, Splunk, and Adobe Analytics.
• Experience developing highly available and resilient applications in enterprise environments.
• Experience working in financial services, fintech, banking, or highly regulated industries.
• Familiarity with mobile application architectures and mobile-web integration patterns.
• Experience presenting technical strategies, architecture decisions, and engineering roadmaps to senior architects and leadership.

Sponsorship

Vanguard is not offering visa sponsorship for this position.

About Vanguard

At Vanguard, we don't just have a mission—we're on a mission. To work for the long-term financial wellbeing of our clients. To lead through product and services that transform our clients' lives. To learn and develop our skills as individuals and as a team. From Malvern to Melbourne, our mission drives us forward and inspires us to be our best.

How We Work

Vanguard has implemented a hybrid working model for the majority of our crew members, designed to capture the benefits of enhanced flexibility while enabling in-person learning, collaboration, and connection. We believe our mission-driven and highly collaborative culture is a critical enabler to support long-term client outcomes and enrich the employee experience.