Director, Middleware Platforms Support - SMBC

SMBC: A trusted partner for the long term

Here at SMBC Group, we want to help you find the next step in your career so read on to discover if this opportunity is the one for you. We like to recognise potential in our people, so we welcome your application even when your experience doesn't perfectly align with the job description. Whilst we'll always strive to be better, we're proud of our inclusive culture, and encourage our applicants and colleagues to be their authentic, unique selves.

Who we are

United by a sense of purpose towards our customers - to be a trusted partner for the long-term - and our universal banking platform in EMEA, SMBC Group has an international growth agenda and award-winning products, meaning we provide exciting opportunities to work on a diverse range of projects and initiatives. We deliver a full suite of corporate finance products and solutions to our customers as well as investment banking and advisory services, and a range of innovative solutions in global capital markets. Read on to find out how you could enhance your skills and gain valuable experience, by joining us to support our clients transition to a sustainable future.

Role Summary

Lead our Middleware Platforms Support function, owning the strategy, resilience, performance and lifecycle of business-critical messaging, integration and workload automation services across EMEA. Develop specialist teams and drive modernisation, automation and monitoring improvements to deliver reliable, well-controlled services.

Essentials of the role

• Own service outcomes and platform strategy across IBM MQ, AutoSys and associated middleware services.
• Lead managers and technical specialists, building capability and coordinating delivery with global teams and third-party providers.
• Strengthen operational resilience, direct major incident recovery and ensure new or changed services are ready for production.

Candidate requirements

• Proven leadership of middleware, production management or technology support functions within financial services.
• Experience accountable for IBM MQ and AutoSys or comparable workload automation services, including resilience, performance and lifecycle management.
• Strong people leadership, senior stakeholder influencing and risk-based decision-making, supported by experience in service governance and major incident management.

Compensation

The anticipated salary range for this role is £108,000 - £162,000, with the final offer determined based on the candidate's skills, experience, role scope, location, and relevant market factors. In addition to base salary, the role may be eligible for a discretionary incentive award and a competitive benefits package, including core benefits such as pension provision.

Business Area

Production Management & Service Delivery keeps the technology behind SMBC Group EMEA's business running reliably, while shaping how those services evolve. Within the department, Middleware Platforms Support looks after the messaging, integration and workload automation platforms that connect critical applications and keep essential business processing moving.

You'll work closely with Front Office, Treasury, Operations-including payments, settlements and trading operations-Finance, Risk and regulatory reporting teams, connecting their business priorities with resilient technology services. Alongside application development and support, infrastructure, architecture, cyber security, service management, and Monitoring and Observability teams, you'll strengthen reliability, improve recovery and ensure change is ready for production.

Working with global technology colleagues and third-party providers, you'll help modernise core platforms such as IBM MQ and AutoSys, reduce manual intervention and build a more automated, sustainable service.This is an opportunity to shape a specialist function with a direct impact on the bank's day-to-day operations and future technology capability.

Position Description

Lead the platforms that keep critical business processing moving-and shape what comes next.

As Middleware Platforms Support Director, you'll lead the specialist teams responsible for the messaging, integration and workload automation services underpinning SMBC Group EMEA's business operations. Your remit spans IBM MQ, AutoSys and associated middleware services, combining strategic service ownership with the leadership needed to keep critical platforms reliable, resilient and ready for change.

Reporting to the Head of Production Management & Service Delivery, you'll set the direction for the function, develop its people and shape investment in platform modernisation, automation and Monitoring and Observability. You'll balance today's operational priorities with the changes needed to build a more sustainable, less manually intensive service.

You'll connect business priorities with technology delivery, working across business stakeholders, technology teams, global colleagues and third-party providers. From leading recovery during major incidents to challenging production readiness, you'll bring clear judgement, technical credibility and a focus on business impact.

Key responsibilities

• Shape the future of middleware services. Support the strategy, operating model and roadmap, directing investment towards stronger resilience, simpler platforms and sustainable support.
• Take ownership of business-critical platforms. Lead service performance, availability, capacity and lifecycle management across IBM MQ, AutoSys and associated middleware services.
• Build capability that lasts. Develop managers and technical specialists through coaching, cross-skilling and succession planning, creating clear ownership and reducing reliance on individual expertise.
• Lead when it matters most. Provide senior leadership during major incidents, bringing teams together to assess business impact, restore services and communicate clearly.
• Turn recurring problems into lasting improvements. Drive root-cause resolution, strengthen recovery arrangements and address technical debt, control weaknesses and capacity risks.
• Make operations smarter. Champion automation, standardisation and better Monitoring and Observability to reduce manual effort and give teams clearer insight into service health.Challenge change before it reaches production. Govern operational acceptance for releases, upgrades, migrations and transitions, ensuring support, recovery, monitoring and control requirements