IT Director - Payments Delivery

Western Alliance Bank; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Medical and dental insurance

401k matching program

Tuition assistance

Job summary

A leading financial institution is seeking an experienced IT Director - Payments Delivery to spearhead the modernization of its Payments Platform. You will manage technology solutions in collaboration with cross-functional teams while ensuring compliance with regulations. The ideal candidate has over 10 years of related experience, a bachelor's degree, and a strong background in API architecture and Agile practices. This role offers competitive salary, benefits, and opportunities for career development.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of related experience required.
• Deep experience in API-driven architecture.
• Proven ability to scale Agile and DevOps practices.

Responsibilities

• Drive modernization of Payments Platform.
• Lead technology solutions in partnership with teams.
• Ensure compliance with regulations and risk management.

Skills

Leadership

Risk Management

API-driven architecture

Agile practices

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Tools

Azure

MuleSoft

Job description

Job Title

IT Director - Payments Delivery

Location

Block 23

What You’ll Do

We’re seeking a proven technology leader to drive the next phase of our Payments Platform modernization journey—scaling our payment systems while ensuring they remain safe, secure, compliant, and reliable. As an IT Director you’ll lead the delivery of technology solutions leveraging partnerships with other technology teams (Architecture, Infrastructure, Engineering, and Support), business teams and leaders, strategic partners, and third‑party technology providers. Additionally, you’ll collaborate with internal business partners to proactively address ongoing customer needs and ensure rapid resolution to open issues. In this role you’ll foster a collaborative environment focused on continuous improvement and the delivery of working software.

• Manage large matrixed teams across multiple domains working on complex problems and solutions. Develop user manuals, as well as policies, procedures, and safety protocols for presentation to larger IT and the enterprise.
• Participate in building the IT organization’s strategy for employee development, retention, resource allocation, talent management, performance management, and achieve a diverse and engaged workforce as well as recruit, train, and evaluate staff member’s work.
• Participate in the annual budget planning and management process as well as business case reviews, execution plans, and operating plans for their teams.
• Ensure adequate risk management and cyber security processes and controls are established and maintained in alignment with the risk appetite for the Bank as well as any applicable regulatory and enterprise risk management expectations.
• Lead cross‑functional Agile teams to deliver high‑performance payment capabilities across multiple payment rails, including Wires, ACH, RTP, Zelle, PayPal, IBT, and SWIFT.
• Own and execute the Payments Platform roadmap, delivering scalable and compliant solutions across online, file‑based, and API payment channels.
• Champion SDLC and Agile excellence, continuously improving engineering discipline, documentation, and control frameworks to meet enterprise and regulatory standards.
• Represent Payments Technology area in architecture, audit and risk reviews, ensuring alignment with IT governance, compliance, and enterprise architecture standards.
• Develop and scale top engineering talent, fostering a culture of accountability, innovation, and delivery excellence.
• Partner with Product, Operations, and Sales leadership to define strategic objectives, prioritize initiatives across business lines, and ensure technology execution supports enterprise goals.
• Influence senior stakeholders to translate business strategy into executable technology roadmaps with measurable outcomes.
• Accelerate engineering productivity and automate operations through modern tools and Generative AI adoption across development, testing, and documentation.
• Collaborate with Enterprise Architecture, Infrastructure, and Cybersecurity to ensure platforms meet standards for security, scalability, and observability.

What You’ll Need

• 10+ years of related experience or similar field.
• Bachelor’s degree in related field required.
• Previous leadership experience required.
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of general Financial Services or Banking is preferred.
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of applicable regulatory and legal compliance obligations, rules and regulations, industry standards and practices.
• Advanced to expert experience in managing multiple technology teams (Application Engineering Support and Delivery, Infrastructure Engineering Support and Delivery, Architecture, or Project Management) including additional responsibility for the execution of KPIs and timelines.
• Advanced to expert ability to analyze a variety of data and summarize findings in applicable reports or other communication mediums. Utilize data to identify areas of improvement and opportunities for growth by collaborating with business and tech leads.
• Deep experience in API‑driven architecture, microservices, and event‑based integrations (MuleSoft or equivalent).
• Proven ability to scale Agile and DevOps practices, driving measurable improvements in velocity, quality, and predictability.
• Strong background in Azure, CI/CD, and SDLC. Demonstrated success in audit readiness, risk management, and SDLC process governance.
• Track record of building high‑performing, inclusive teams and developing future technology leaders.
• Strong executive communication and influencing skills, with experience collaborating across Product, Operations, Sales, and Enterprise functions.
• Familiarity with Generative AI applications for improving engineering productivity and automating business operations.
• May require up to 25% travel.

Benefits You’ll Love

We offer all the important things you’d want—competitive salaries, an ownership stake in the company, medical and dental insurance, time off, a great 401k matching program, tuition assistance program, an employee volunteer program, and a wellness program. In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to bolster your business knowledge, learning the ins and outs of how successful companies operate and manage their finances, giving you invaluable hands‑on experience to help grow your career!

About the Company

Western Alliance Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Alliance Bancorporation. Alliance Bank of Arizona, Alliance Association Bank, Bank of Nevada, Bridge Bank, First Independent Bank, and Torrey Pines Bank are divisions of Western Alliance Bank; Member FDIC. AmeriHome Mortgage is a Western Alliance Bank company.
Western Alliance Bancorporation is committed to equal employment and will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, sex, color, religion, age, nation origin, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or genetic information. Western Alliance Bancorporation is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process and/or need an alternative method of applying, please email [e-mail] or call 602‑386‑2488. When contacting us, please provide your contact information and state the nature of your accessibility issue. We will only respond to inquiries concerning requests that involve a reasonable accommodation in the application process.
© Western Alliance Bancorporation