At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead global teams in managing critical payment applications and ensure operational excellence.
- Company: Join Citi, a leading global financial services company with a dynamic 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 the fast-paced world of financial technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in payments technology and strong leadership skills required.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 120000 £ 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.
Core Experience:
- 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) and Linux/Unix environments.
- Hands-on knowledge of monitoring tools (AppDynamics, ELK, Geneos), CI/CD pipelines, and automation tools.
- Cloud/container platforms (OpenShift, Kubernetes – preferred).
Leadership & Behavioral Skills:
- 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.
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field required.
- Master’s degree preferred.
Success Metrics:
- 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.
What we’ll provide you:
- 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 in London 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 landscape.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Applications Support Group Manager - Senior Vice President in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to connections in the industry, attend relevant events, and don’t be shy about asking for introductions. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can help you land that dream job.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their products and services, especially in the payments technology space. 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 platforms to refine your answers. We suggest focusing on behavioural questions, as they often come up in senior roles like this one. Show them you’re the right fit!
✨Tip Number 4
Follow up after interviews! A simple thank-you email can go a long way in keeping you top of mind. We recommend mentioning something specific from your conversation to show your genuine interest in the role and the company.
We think you need these skills to ace Applications Support Group Manager - Senior Vice President in London
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 monitoring tools like AppDynamics or ELK.
✨Showcase Leadership Skills
Prepare examples that highlight your leadership experience managing global teams in high-pressure environments. Think about times when you successfully resolved critical production issues or drove operational improvements.
✨Align with Business Goals
Understand the company's strategic objectives and be prepared to discuss how your role can align with these goals. Show that you can translate technical capabilities into business value and engage effectively with senior stakeholders.
✨Demonstrate Problem-Solving Ability
Be ready to tackle hypothetical scenarios during the interview. Practice articulating your thought process for resolving complex issues, prioritising tasks, and making decisions under pressure. This will showcase your strategic mindset and problem-solving skills.
