Solution Architect / Systems Architect / Principal Engineer at Fractal Systems Ltd, City of London, £Contract Rate
- Contract Spy
- City of London, London, UK
- Jun 29, 2026
Contract Description
Role: Solution Architect / Systems Architect / Principal Engineer
Domain: Banking / FinTech Distributed Systems Integration & Data
Role Purpose
Lead architecture design and delivery across a complex, highly integrated banking ecosystem. Design scalable, resilient, and compliant systems while working closely with business, product, and engineering. Operate across all levels - from deep technical design to enterprise architecture - ensuring outcomes are delivered in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment. Able to iterate designs quickly as requirements evolve or more details are provided.
Core Responsibilities
Architecture & Design
- Own end-to-end architecture across distributed, event-driven, and integration-heavy systems.
- Design at multiple levels: components, services, APIs, data models, and system interactions.
- Define solutions covering data processing, storage, replication, and consistency models.
- Lead data lifecycle design, including migration strategies, transformation, and reconciliation in regulated environments.
- Balance long-term architecture with pragmatic delivery needs.
Integration & Data
- Architect complex integrations across internal and external systems (core banking, payments, fraud, loan, credit cards, overdraft, etc.).
- Drive API-first and event-driven architectures.
- Ensure robust data flow, integrity, and observability across systems.
- Design for high availability, scalability, and fault tolerance in distributed environments.
Delivery & Technical Leadership
- Drive initiatives end-to-end (“nothing too big or too small” mindset).
- Provide hands-on input in design and problem-solving when required.
- Identify and manage risks in complex, multi-system programmes.
- Ensure solutions are operable, monitored, and supportable in production.
Collaboration
- Work closely with product, business, and engineering leads to shape and refine designs.
- Participate and lead design discussions at all levels (team to enterprise).
- Translate business needs into clear, actionable technical solutions.
Technical Skills
- Strong experience in banking / fintech systems (core banking, payments, ledgers).
- Deep expertise in distributed systems, microservices, and event-driven architectures.
- Proven experience in integration patterns (APIs, messaging, streaming).
- Solid understanding of:
- Data architecture (storage, replication, consistency)
- Data processing and migration in complex environments
- Performance, resilience, security and observability
- Experience with cloud platforms, containers, and modern DevOps/SRE practices.
- Experience modernising and integrating/migrating legacy systems.
Behaviors & Soft Skills
- Ownership & Execution: Drives work through to completion; delivery-focused and pragmatic.
- Adaptability: Adjusts designs quickly as requirements or constraints evolve.
- Collaboration & Influence: Works effectively across business, product, and engineering; builds alignment.
- Communication: Clearly explains complex ideas to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Hands-on Leadership: Leads by example; willing to engage in detail when needed.
- Resilience: Comfortable working in complex, fast-paced, high-pressure environments.
- Judgement: Balances strategic thinking with practical execution.
Ideal Profile
- Staff / Principal Engineer or Architect with strong fintech or banking experience.
- Proven delivery in complex, integration-heavy environments with many moving parts.
- Comfortable operating across all architectural layers and driving outcomes in ambiguous situations.
- Computer Science / Engineering degree qualified
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