Head of Risk QA Software Architecture

Strategy Advisory Director - Risk QA Software Architect - Hybrid role covering Enterprise/Solution Architect, Software Engineer, Delivery Manager within Quant Model Development

Design, deliver, and govern QA software and technology solutions that align with enterprise architecture principles, meet business objectives, and ensure scalability, security, and maintainability. This role bridges strategic architecture with engineering and technical delivery, ensuring that technical solutions are fit-for-purpose, cost-effective, and aligned with organizational standards and long-term technology roadmaps.

Key Responsibilities

• Solution Design & Architecture: Define and document end-to-end solution architectures that meet functional and non-functional requirements, driving QA Software Product strategy
• Enterprise Alignment & Governance: Maintain architecture frameworks, enforce standards, and ensure interoperability across systems.
• Technical Delivery & Engineering: Collaborate with QA development and Infrastructure teams, as well as with Technology to provide technical guidance, and drive automation and use of AI in CI/CD practices.
• Stakeholder Management & Prioritisation: Manage stakeholder expectations within QA and Technology to balance short-term delivery with long-term integrity.
• Quality & Risk Management: Ensure solutions meet performance, scalability, and resilience targets while mitigating technical risks.
• Training: Establish colleague training on systems engineering and architecture

Skills & Competencies

• Strong knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks
• Proficiency in software engineering principles and cloud-native architectures
• Experience with Agile delivery and technical product ownership
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills - to explain the big picture
• Tenacity and perseverance to negotiate and influence multiple stakeholders, holding people accountable to agreed standards

Experience

• Proven track record in solution architecture and enterprise architecture roles.
• Hands-on experience in software engineering and technical leadership.
• Familiarity with governance processes and technology roadmaps.
• Building highly scalable end to end systems of financial models and calculations and their integration with Technology platforms

Purpose of the role

To design, develop, implement, and support mathematical, statistical, and machine learning models and analytics used in business decision-making

Accountabilities

• Design analytics and modelling solutions to complex business problems using domain expertise.
• Collaboration with technology to specify any dependencies required for analytical solutions, such as data, development environments and tools.
• Development of high performing, comprehensively documented analytics and modelling solutions, demonstrating their efficacy to business users and independent validation teams.
• Implementation of analytics and models in accurate, stable, well-tested software and work with technology to operationalise them.
• Provision of ongoing support for the continued effectiveness of analytics and modelling solutions to users.
• Demonstrate conformance to all Barclays Enterprise Risk Management Policies, particularly Model Risk Policy.
• Ensure all development activities are undertaken within the defined control environment.

Director Expectations

• To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
• They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
• Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
• Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
• Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
• Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
• Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
• Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
• Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
• Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
• Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
• Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.