Key Responsibilities: Deliver effective solution designs within the Open Banking Center of Excellence (COE), focusing on API design and security. Develop end-to-end API solutions that align with broader solution implementations to meet business needs. Contribute to overall solution planning, including estimation processes and identification of technical risks, issues, and assumptions. Define and implement best practices for API design, incorporating industry standards and identifying areas for improvement. Create and deliver design artifacts, either independently or as part of a team. Engage stakeholders through workshops to achieve desired outcomes. Present solution designs to the Architecture Review Board when necessary. Ensure alignment of solutions with strategic architectural principles and directions. Review technical team outputs, such as designs and code, to ensure they align with the overall solution design. Collaborate with the delivery lead to break down solutions for iterative sprint delivery. Review requirements and monitor change requests to ensure solutions remain fit for purpose. Essential Skills & Experience: Extensive experience as a solution architect for large-scale API integration projects. Strong expertise in REST API design principles, including the creation of Swagger or RAML definitions. Proficiency in API security standards, including mutual authentication, OAuth, and OIDC. Knowledge of Domain-Driven Design (preferred). Expertise in industry-standard API management platforms (e.g., MuleSoft, Apigee, Kong, AWS API Gateway). Experience in building and deploying distributed microservices using Java and Spring Boot. Deep understanding of observability, logging, monitoring, and error handling. Familiarity with tools like Splunk or ELK (preferred). Proficiency in public cloud platforms, with AWS preferred. Knowledge of Enterprise Integration Patterns and Kafka (preferred). Experience with DevOps tools such as Jenkins, GitLab, or AWS CodePipeline. Financial services industry experience (advantageous). Proven ability to take ownership of complex deliveries and lead projects effectively.