Senior Lead Python Engineer - Applications Development Group Manager - Senior Vice President

Citigroup Inc.; Rutherford (NJ); On-site; USD 177,000 - 265,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision coverage

401(k)

Life, accident, and disability ins.

Wellness programs

Paid time off

Job summary

Citigroup Inc. seeks a Senior Vice President – Senior Lead, Python Engineering and Generative AI Platforms to steer Retail and Wealth Risk Engineering within Enterprise Risk Technology. Lead ~15 engineers, define strategy for AI PDLC, data platforms, and GenAI solutions across risk domains.

Responsibilities include architecture, governance, and delivery of scalable data pipelines, AI agents, and cloud-native microservices, while ensuring regulatory alignment (CCAR/FDIC) and risk controls.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of relevant experience in enterprise application development, data engineering, or AI platform engineering in regulated environments.
• 8+ years leading multi-team Agile organizations (20+ engineers) including distributed and hybrid AI-assisted teams.
• Advanced expertise in Python, PySpark, and Databricks for large-scale data processing.

Responsibilities

• Lead agile scrum teams of ~15+ engineers, including AI-assisted development, ensuring delivery excellence.
• Define and execute the enterprise strategy for Python engineering, AI agent platforms, and full-stack data apps.
• Architect and oversee AI agents, data pipelines, and microservices ensuring scalability and security.

Skills

Leadership

Agile leadership

Regulatory familiarity

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's preferred

Tools

Devin.AI

GitHub Copilot

Kubernetes

OpenShift

Databricks

Kafka

LLM integrations

FastAPI

Spring Boot

Job description

Summary

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Senior Vice President – Senior Lead, Python Engineering and Generative AI Platforms to lead our Retail and Wealth Risk Engineering organization within Enterprise Risk Technology. This is a senior leadership role responsible for defining strategy, architecture, and execution of enterprise-scale AI agent platforms, Python-based data ecosystems, and full-stack solutions.

The ideal candidate is a forward-thinking technology leader who can effectively manage Product based(PDLC) teams comprising ~15+ engineers, including AI-assisted/virtual developers (e.g., Devin.AI, GitHub Copilot). You will be instrumental in driving the adoption of AI Product Development Lifecycle (AI PDLC), regulatory-compliant data platforms, and scalable GenAI solutions, while aligning technology initiatives with Retail Risk, Wealth Risk, and regulatory programs such as CCAR (14Q/14A) and FDIC.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple agile scrum teams comprising ~15+ engineers, including hybrid teams of human engineers and AI-assisted development (Devin.AI, Copilot), ensuring delivery excellence and alignment with business priorities.

• Define and execute the enterprise strategy for Python engineering, AI agent platforms, and full-stack data applications, aligned with Retail and Wealth Risk objectives.

• Serve as the senior architect and technical authority for enterprise-scale AI agents, data engineering pipelines, and microservices-based applications, ensuring scalability, resilience, and security.

• Drive the adoption and operationalization of AI Product Development Lifecycle (AI PDLC), including model governance, evaluation, deployment, monitoring, and compliance with Model Risk Management (MRM).

• Lead development of high-volume data pipelines and data federation layers using PySpark, Databricks, Kafka, and Data Mesh architecture to support regulatory reporting (CCAR, FDIC) and risk analytics.

• Architect and oversee GenAI agent ecosystems using LLMs (Google ADK, Gemini/Flash), implementing Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) frameworks to ensure explainability, auditability, and compliance.

• Drive AI-augmented software development lifecycle, integrating tools such as Devin.AI, GitHub Copilot, and MCP platforms through advanced prompt engineering and governance guardrails.

• Lead microservices and cloud-native architecture using FastAPI/Spring Boot, Kubernetes/OpenShift, and CI/CD pipelines, ensuring high availability and performance.

• Drive engineering efficiency and standardization by reusing and repurposing enterprise-level frameworks, platforms, and tools, reducing duplication and accelerating delivery across teams.

• Ensure all engineering solutions incorporate data governance and non-functional requirements, including Data Quality (DQ), data lineage, data tracing, and auditability, aligned with enterprise governance processes and regulatory expectations.

• Act as a key partner to Risk, Finance, and Retail Banking stakeholders, translating regulatory and business requirements into scalable engineering solutions.

• Build and manage strong relationships with senior business leaders, leading strategic discussions, requirement gathering, and cross-functional alignment.

• Establish engineering standards, governance frameworks, and best practices across teams, ensuring consistency, quality, and reuse.

• Mentor senior engineers and engineering managers, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Appropriately assess risk when business decisions are made, demonstrating particular consideration for the firm's reputation and safeguarding Citigroup, its clients, and assets by ensuring compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and escalating control issues with transparency.

Qualifications

Required:

• 12+ years of relevant experience in enterprise application development, data engineering, or AI platform engineering, with a strong track record of leadership in regulated environments.

• 8+ years of experience leading multi-team Agile organizations (20+ engineers), including managing distributed and hybrid AI-assisted teams.

• Advanced expertise in Python, PySpark, and Databricks ecosystem for large-scale data processing and ELT/ETL pipelines.

• Proven experience architecting and implementing enterprise AI/GenAI platforms, including agentic AI frameworks, LLM integrations, and prompt engineering.

• Hands‑on experience with AI‑assisted development tools such as Devin.AI and GitHub Copilot and integrating them into engineering workflows.

• Strong experience with microservices architecture, APIs, and cloud-native deployment (Kubernetes/OpenShift).

• Strong experience with event‑driven architectures and streaming platforms (Kafka).

• Deep understanding of data architecture, data mesh, data federation, and regulatory data requirements.

• Exceptional leadership, communication, stakeholder management, and decision‑making capabilities.

• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP, Databricks) and modern data ecosystems.

• Familiarity with frontend technologies (React/Angular) for full‑stack solution delivery.

• Proven client relationship management experience, with the ability to engage and influence senior business stakeholders, lead strategic discussions, and drive consensus across business and technology teams.

Preferred:

• Strong exposure to Retail lending/Credit Risk and Regulatory platforms, including CCAR (14Q/14A /14M), FDIC reporting, and enterprise risk aggregation.

• Deep Core Systems Expertise in Retail Banking domains such as: Cards, Mortgages, Loans, Wealth Lending, Finance and Risk data platforms

• Strong Business Domain Knowledge with experience working directly with Retail Banking and Risk organizations, including understanding of business processes, architecture, and infrastructure.

• Experience with containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) and DevSecOps practices.

• Knowledge of AI Product Development Lifecycle (AI PDLC) and model governance frameworks.

• Relevant industry certifications (e.g., AWS/Azure Data/AI, Kubernetes).

Education

• Bachelor’s degree/University degree or equivalent experience.

• Master’s degree is preferred.

Job Family Group:

Technology

Job Family:

Applications Development

Time Type:

Full time

Primary Location:

Rutherford New Jersey United States

Primary Location Full Time Salary Range:

$176,720.00 - $265,080.00

In addition to salary, Citi’s offerings may also include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards.

• medical, dental & vision coverage
• 401(k)
• life, accident, and disability insurance
• wellness programs
• paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays

For additional information regarding Citi employee benefits, please visit citibenefits.com. Available offerings may vary by jurisdiction, job level, and date of hire.

Automated Processing and AI

We use automated processing, including artificial intelligence, for our legitimate business interests (or our reasonable and appropriate business purposes) to identify and align the candidate's skills and abilities with a specific job opening. Additionally, if you so choose, or consent, we can match your skills and abilities to other suitable roles at Citi.

Importantly, all our hiring processes and decisions, including determining your suitability for a role, are conducted, checked, and decided by individuals. Our automated processing and AI do not involve relying on automatic or autonomous decision-making. Please refer to any Jurisdictional Considerations, with specific provisions for your country (where relevant) for further details.

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