At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead global teams in managing critical financial messaging and payments applications.
- Company: Join Citi, a leader in financial technology with a dynamic work culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy 27 days annual leave, private medical care, and a competitive salary.
- Other info: Hybrid working model with opportunities for professional growth and development.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a high-stakes environment while driving innovation.
- Qualifications: Experience in production support and strong leadership skills required.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 130000 £ per year.
The Global Financial Messaging / Payments Technology SVP (C14) is a senior Application Manager responsible for end-to-end ownership of Global Financial Messaging (GFM) / Payments applications within the Production Support and Services organization. This role combines strategic leadership, deep technical expertise, and operational excellence to ensure high availability, resiliency, and performance of mission-critical, franchise payment platforms.
The role operates at a global level, driving stability, modernization, and transformation initiatives while partnering with business, product, and engineering teams. The SVP acts as a delegate to global leadership and is accountable for delivering best-in-class production support services and continuous improvement across the payments ecosystem.
Key Responsibilities:- Strategic & Regional Leadership
- Define and execute the strategy for GFM / Payments Production Support, aligned with global payments technology objectives.
- Build and lead high-performing global teams, including onshore, offshore, and vendor resources.
- Act as a senior escalation point and decision-maker for critical production and business-impacting issues.
- Partner with senior business stakeholders to align technology services with enterprise priorities.
- Production Support & Operational Excellence
- Ensure 24x7 stability and availability of Global Financial Messaging and Payments applications.
- Oversee incident, problem, and change management processes aligned with ITIL best practices.
- Drive improvements in Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR), incident reduction and root cause elimination, service level adherence, and operational KPIs.
- Lead release management and production deployments, ensuring minimal business disruption.
- Technical Leadership & Engineering Excellence
- Provide hands-on technical leadership across observability (monitoring, logging, tracing), automation and self-healing capabilities, resiliency, disaster recovery, and failover strategies.
- Champion modern engineering practices including Infrastructure-as-Code, CI/CD pipelines, and automation and scripting (Python, Shell, etc.).
- Guide teams on application stability, scalability, and performance optimization.
- Architecture & Platform Governance
- Collaborate with architecture and engineering teams to embed supportability standards and resilient system design principles.
- Define onboarding standards and governance for new applications into production.
- Influence platform modernization across messaging and payment systems.
- Stakeholder & Business Engagement
- Engage with senior leadership, product partners, and clients to communicate platform health, operational risks, and strategic initiatives.
- Translate technical capabilities into business value, ensuring alignment with customer expectations.
- Support audit, regulatory, and compliance engagements.
- Risk, Control & Compliance
- Ensure all activities adhere to Citi risk and control frameworks.
- Proactively identify, escalate, and resolve operational and regulatory risks.
- Maintain strong governance over change management, production controls, and application lifecycle management.
- Financial & Vendor Management
- Manage budgets, resource planning, and cost optimization initiatives.
- Drive efficiencies through automation, process improvements, and vendor optimization.
- Oversee third-party and managed service providers, ensuring SLA adherence.
- Talent & Organization Development
- Lead, coach, and develop diverse global teams.
- Build strong succession pipelines and technical leadership bench strength.
- Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
- Experience in Production Support / Payments Technology / Financial Messaging.
- Proven leadership experience managing large global teams in mission-critical environments.
- Strong domain expertise in payments systems (SWIFT, real-time payments, financial messaging) and high-volume, low-latency transaction systems.
- Strong experience with distributed systems, middleware (MQ, Kafka), and APIs; databases (Oracle, MongoDB); Linux/Unix environments; monitoring tools (AppDynamics, ELK, Geneos); CI/CD pipelines and automation tools; cloud/container platforms (OpenShift, Kubernetes – preferred).
- Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills across all levels.
- Ability to operate under high-pressure, high-visibility environments.
- Strong problem-solving, decision-making, and prioritization capability.
- Strategic mindset with the ability to translate vision into execution.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field required.
- Master’s degree preferred.
- Application uptime and stability metrics.
- Incident reduction and faster resolution times.
- Successful delivery of production releases and transformations.
- Improved operational efficiency and cost optimization.
- Strong stakeholder and client satisfaction.
This role represents a high-impact leadership position within GFM / Payments Technology, combining deep technical expertise, global operational responsibility, and strategic influence.
By joining Citi, you will not only be part of a business casual workplace with a hybrid working model (up to 2 days working at home per week), but also receive a competitive base salary (which is annually reviewed), and enjoy a whole host of additional benefits such as:
- 27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays).
- A discretional annual performance-related bonus.
- Private Medical Care & Life Insurance.
- Employee Assistance Program.
- Pension Plan.
- Paid Parental Leave.
- Special discounts for employees, family, and friends.
- Access to an array of learning and development resources.
Alongside these benefits, Citi is committed to ensuring our workplace is where everyone feels comfortable coming to work as their whole self, every day. We want the best talent around the world to be energized to join us, motivated to stay, and empowered to thrive.
Applications Support Group Manager - Senior Vice President employer: Citibank (Switzerland) AG
Citi is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and inclusive work culture, offering a hybrid working model that promotes work-life balance. Employees benefit from competitive salaries, generous annual leave, and comprehensive health and wellness programmes, alongside ample opportunities for professional growth and development in a global environment. With a commitment to operational excellence and innovation, Citi empowers its teams to thrive while making a meaningful impact in the financial technology sector.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Applications Support Group Manager - Senior Vice President
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to connections in the industry, attend relevant events, and engage on platforms like LinkedIn. We can’t stress enough how personal connections can open doors that applications alone can’t.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and role thoroughly. Understand their products, culture, and recent news. We want you to walk in with confidence, ready to discuss how your skills align with their needs.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Conduct mock interviews with friends or use online resources. We believe that rehearsing answers to common questions can help you articulate your experience and showcase your leadership skills effectively.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up after interviews! A simple thank-you email can leave a lasting impression. We recommend reiterating your enthusiasm for the role and how you can contribute to their success.
We think you need these skills to ace Applications Support Group Manager - Senior Vice President
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in production support and payments technology. We want to see how your skills align with the role, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant achievements!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills:As a senior position, we’re looking for strong leadership qualities. Share examples of how you've built and led high-performing teams, especially in mission-critical environments. This will help us see your potential fit for the role.
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to read through your qualifications and experiences. We appreciate straightforward communication!
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it’s super easy to do!
How to prepare for a job interview at Citibank (Switzerland) AG
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your technical knowledge, especially around payments technology and financial messaging systems. Be ready to discuss your experience with distributed systems, middleware, and APIs, as well as any hands-on knowledge of monitoring tools and CI/CD pipelines.
✨Showcase Leadership Skills
As a senior role, they’ll be looking for strong leadership qualities. Prepare examples of how you've built and led high-performing teams, managed critical production issues, and engaged with stakeholders at all levels. Highlight your ability to operate under pressure and make strategic decisions.
✨Understand the Business Impact
Be prepared to translate technical capabilities into business value. Think about how your past experiences have contributed to operational efficiency, incident reduction, and overall stakeholder satisfaction. This will show that you understand the bigger picture and can align technology with business priorities.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions that demonstrate your interest in the role and the company. Inquire about their current challenges in production support, their approach to platform modernization, or how they measure success in this position. This not only shows your enthusiasm but also helps you gauge if the company is the right fit for you.
