Payments Architect - Low Value Domestic Payments

We are seeking an experienced Payments Architect with strong expertise in Low Value Domestic Payment Systems to lead the design, evolution, and governance of critical UK payment platforms. The successful candidate will have deep knowledge of domestic payment schemes including BPRS, FPS, BACS, ICS, and CASS, with hands-on experience supporting payment infrastructure, integrations, and architectural transformations.

This role will involve working closely with business stakeholders, engineering teams, operations, and third-party vendors to ensure secure, scalable, and resilient payment solutions are delivered across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and maintain architecture roadmaps for UK Low Value Domestic payment systems.
• Lead solution design and architectural governance across payment platforms.
• Design and support integrations for BACS, FPS, ICS, CASS, and BPRS payment flows.
• Provide expertise in payment processing, message flows, settlement, reconciliation, and operational resilience.
• Support and oversee Moves, Adds, Changes (MACs) within payment environments.
• Design and manage secure file signing and encryption solutions for payment file transmission.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, security, and development teams to ensure compliance with regulatory and security requirements.
• Drive modernization initiatives and payment platform enhancements.
• Produce high-quality architecture documentation, design standards, and technical governance artefacts.
• Support incident resolution and root cause analysis for critical payment services.

Required Skills & ExperienceEssential

• Extensive experience as a Payments Architect within banking or financial services.
• Strong knowledge of UK Low Value Domestic payment schemes:
• BPRS
• Faster Payments Service (FPS)
• BACS
• Image Clearing System (ICS)
• Current Account Switching Service (CASS)
• Experience with payment platform architecture, integration, and transformation programmes.
• Strong understanding of payment operations, settlement processes, and transaction life cycles.
• Experience managing and supporting MAC (Moves, Adds & Changes) activities.
• Hands-on experience with file signing, encryption, and secure payment file transmission.
• Ability to engage with senior stakeholders and translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Strong documentation and governance experience.