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: Flexible hybrid working model and commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- 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 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 and CI/CD pipelines; 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, resilient system design principles, onboarding standards and governance for new applications into production, and 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 risk and control frameworks; proactively identify, escalate, and resolve operational and regulatory risks; maintain 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 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)
- High-volume, low-latency transaction systems
- Strong technical expertise in distributed systems, middleware (MQ, Kafka), and APIs
- Databases (Oracle, MongoDB)
- 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
- Joining Citi provides a business casual workplace with a hybrid working model (up to 2 days at home per week), along with a competitive base salary (annually reviewed) and a range of benefits:
- 27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
- Discretionary 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 learning and development resources
All Citi employees are encouraged to bring their whole self to work, and Citi is an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities during the application process.
Applications Support Group Manager - Senior Vice President in London employer: Citigroup, Inc.
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, extensive annual leave, and a comprehensive range of health and wellness benefits, alongside ample opportunities for professional growth and development in a global environment. With a strong emphasis on innovation and operational excellence, Citi empowers its teams to drive impactful change within 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! Get out there and connect with people in the industry. Attend events, join online forums, and don’t be shy about reaching out on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their products and services, especially in payments technology. This will help you tailor your answers and show that you’re genuinely interested in the role.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Conduct mock interviews with friends or use online platforms. Focus on articulating your experience in production support and technical leadership clearly and confidently.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to engage directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Applications Support Group Manager - Senior Vice President in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV reflects the key responsibilities and skills mentioned in the job description. Highlight your experience in production support and payments technology, as well as any leadership roles you've held.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Use your cover letter to tell us why you're the perfect fit for this role. Share specific examples of how you've driven operational excellence and managed global teams in high-pressure environments.
Showcase Your Technical Skills:Don’t forget to mention your hands-on experience with distributed systems, middleware, and monitoring tools. We want to see your technical expertise shine through in your application!
Apply Through Our Website:For the best chance of success, make sure to apply directly through our website. This way, we can easily track your application and get back to you quicker!
How to prepare for a job interview at Citigroup, Inc.
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your technical knowledge, especially around distributed systems, middleware, and APIs. Be ready to discuss your hands-on experience with monitoring tools and CI/CD pipelines, as these are crucial for the role.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples that highlight your leadership experience managing global teams in high-pressure environments. Think about times when you successfully resolved critical issues or improved operational efficiency, and be ready to share those stories.
✨Understand the Business Side
It's not just about tech; you need to demonstrate how your technical capabilities translate into business value. Familiarise yourself with the company's strategic objectives and be prepared to discuss how you can align technology services with those goals.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect scenario-based questions that assess your problem-solving and decision-making skills. Practice articulating your thought process in high-stakes situations, particularly around incident management and operational excellence.
