Solution Architect

Here at BNZ, it's about more than just banking. We work together in an agile, energising environment to create innovative solutions through our promise "If you can imagine a better future, let's find a way."

We support wellbeing, flexible working and have a generous leave offering. There is the opportunity for growth, learning and career development. No two days are the same.

Join Our Solution Architecture Practice at BNZ

Are you an experienced and talented Solution Architect looking for an exciting opportunity to work on a strategically significant programme. BNZ is seeking a skilled professional to join our Solution Architecture Practice and contribute to the success of our Financial Crime & Workflow Automation Domain, a critical area for protecting customers and ensuring compliance in a rapidly evolving landscape. Our Solution Architecture Practice is dedicated to designing and implementing innovative solutions that drive enterprise value. We operate across all facets of BNZ's technology ecosystem, ensuring that our solutions are performant, scalable, secure, and future-ready. From integrating cutting-edge innovations to managing complex systems, we strive to balance business needs with technical excellence, connecting all the necessary elements seamlessly.

As a member of our practice, you will have the opportunity to work on real-time fraud detection, AML, sanctions screening, case management, international tax transparency schemes and regulatory compliance platforms, while developing your craft within a thriving Architecture community.

This is a Wellington based hybrid role with Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in the office and the other days you can work flexibly.

Mō te Tūranga | About the Role

We sat down with our Solution Architecture Practice Manager and they told us the following about the role:

What are 5 day to day tasks the person in this role will complete?

This is a busy and varied role, offering opportunities to work across multiple streams and collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders:

• Solution Design & Documentation: Create performant architecture designs, patterns, and artefacts for financial crime systems.
• Stakeholder Collaboration & Advisory: Engage with business, technology, and third-party partners to align solutions with strategic goals.
• Architecture Governance: Take designs through governance processes, ensuring compliance and alignment with enterprise standards.
• Technical Oversight: Provide guidance on cloud-native, microservices, and event-driven architectures (AWS, Kafka).
• Supporting Delivery Teams: Work closely with engineers and product owners to ensure solutions are implemented effectively.

What is the team culture and environment like?

Our team culture is collaborative, innovative, and driven by a shared commitment to excellence. We foster an environment where team members are encouraged to share ideas, take initiative, and support each other in achieving common goals. The wider Business Unit values diversity, inclusivity, and continuous learning.

What projects / work will the candidate be working on now and into the next year?

You'll focus on real-time fraud detection and financial crime platforms, designing event-driven architectures, API gateways, and data mesh concepts. Future work includes integrating graph databases, agentic AI, and modern identity-aware APIs.

What is your management style?

My management style is supportive and empowering. I believe in providing clear direction and guidance while allowing team members the autonomy to take ownership of their work. I prioritise open communication, regular feedback, and professional development to help our team members grow and succeed.

What is the most exciting thing about this opportunity?

The most exciting aspect of this opportunity is the chance to design and deliver high-performance architectures that directly combat financial crime in real time. You'll work on solutions that protect customers across the value change and strengthen BNZ's security posture, while leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as event-driven architecture, microservices, and cloud-native platforms. This role offers visibility across the organisation and the opportunity to influence strategic outcomes, making it both impactful and rewarding.

What is the most challenging thing about this opportunity?

The most challenging part of this role is balancing the need for speed and performance with compliance and architectural integrity. Financial crime prevention requires real-time responsiveness, which means designing solutions that are not only secure and scalable but also highly efficient. You'll need to navigate complex dependencies across multiple teams, manage ambiguity, and ensure alignment with modernisation initiatives, all while maintaining a pragmatic approach that avoids unnecessary technical debt.

What technical skills are required for this role?

This role requires deep expertise in solution architecture with a strong focus on performance and scalability. You'll need proven experience in cloud-native architectures, particularly AWS, and proficiency in microservices and event-driven design using technologies such as Kafka. A solid understanding of API design, identity and gateway concepts, and data mesh principles is essential.

Familiarity with graph databases, networking fundamentals, and modern front-end frameworks such as React will be highly beneficial. Experience with Pega is useful, not for architecting within Pega itself, but for ensuring that Pega integrates seamlessly with other BNZ resources through APIs, events, and data products, while aligning those integrations with target state patterns.

Additionally, exposure to process, workflow, and workforce management concepts will be valuable for supporting end-to-end business capabilities.

Experience in regulated environments and exposure to financial crime concepts such as AML, sanctions, and fraud will set you apart.

Nau Mai ki te Pēke o Aotearoa | Come to the Bank of New Zealand

PLEASE NOTE: Applications close Tuesday 28 October 2025.

This is an exciting opportunity to join us We're bold thinkers who are taking brave steps to create a company that people want to work for, and customers want to bank with. If you're ready to join a fun organisation where we are proud of our culture and how we are helping New Zealander's to 'Find their way', then show your interest by submitting your application - we can't wait to read it.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini" - Success is not the work of an individual, but the work of many."

Applications will be reviewed regularly across the advertising period, but we do reserve the right to close applications early.