Principal Architect - Enterprise Backup and Storage Platforms

Description

4 Days in the office from any of our locations in RI,Iselin NJ, MA, Pittsburgh PA, Nashville TN, Dallas TX or Phoenix AZ and couple other locations

Role is not relocation eligible. 

About the Role

We’re looking for a strategic and hands-on leader to own and evolve our enterprise backup and storage platforms across cloud and on-prem environments. This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of architecture, platform engineering, and team leadership — and who is passionate about building resilient, scalable, and secure data protection capabilities in a regulated environment.

What You’ll Do

Platform Leadership

• Own the end-to-end strategy, architecture, and delivery of backup and storage platforms across hybrid environments (AWS, Azure, GCP, and on-prem).
• Drive modernization initiatives including cloud-native backup, immutable storage, and ransomware recovery capabilities.
• Lead platform lifecycle management, including vendor selection, performance optimization, and cost governance.

Technical Execution

• Architect scalable, secure, and compliant solutions for enterprise data protection, disaster recovery, and long-term retention.
• Implement automation, observability, and self-service capabilities for internal teams.
• Ensure alignment with enterprise security, compliance, and data governance standards.

Team & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and lead a high-performing team of engineers and architects.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, cloud, application, and risk teams to deliver integrated solutions.
• Serve as a technical thought leader and represent the function in executive forums.

Innovation & Growth

• Evaluate emerging technologies (e.g., AI-driven backup, object storage, data mesh) and lead proof-of-concept initiatives.
• Influence vendor roadmaps and drive strategic partnerships.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement and technical excellence.

What You Bring

• 10+ years of experience in infrastructure engineering, cloud architecture, or platform ownership roles.
• Deep expertise in backup technologies (e.g., Commvault, Rubrik, Veeam), storage platforms (SAN/NAS/Object), and cloud-native data protection.
• Proven track record of building and scaling technical teams and platforms.
• Strong understanding of regulatory and compliance requirements in financial services.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a transformation journey in a highly regulated, innovation-driven environment.
• Lead a critical function that directly supports enterprise resiliency and data integrity.
• Work with cutting-edge technologies and shape the future of hybrid infrastructure.

Pay Transparency 

The salary range for this position is $ 132,000  - $ 198,000per yearplus an opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus. Actual pay is based on various factors including but not limited to the work location, and relevant skills and experience.   

We offer competitive pay, comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, maternity/paternity leave, flexible work arrangements, education reimbursement, wellness programs and more. Note, Citizens’ paid time off policy exceeds the mandatory, paid sick or paid time-away policy of very local and state jurisdiction in the United States. For an overview of our benefits, visit https://jobs.citizensbank.com/benefits.

Some job boards have started using jobseeker-reported data to estimate salary ranges for roles. If you apply and qualify for this role, a recruiter will discuss accurate pay guidance.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Citizens, its parent, subsidiaries, and related companies (Citizens) provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all colleagues and applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, citizenship, physical or mental disability, perceived disability or history or record of a disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, genetic characteristic, marital or domestic partner status, victim of domestic violence, family status/parenthood, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, pregnancy/childbirth/lactation, colleague’s or a dependent’s reproductive health decision making, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state and/or local laws. At Citizens, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that enables all colleagues to bring their best selves to work every day and everyone is expected to be treated with respect and professionalism. Employment decisions are based solely on merit, qualifications, performance and capability.