Head of High Availability Systems Engineering

Citi, a leading global bank with approximately 200 million customer accounts in over 160 countries, provides a broad range of financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions. The bank's Enterprise Operations & Technology division underpins these offerings, delivering secure, reliable, and efficient technology solutions that are foundational to managing global resources, ensuring safety, and providing a first-class customer experience. This reflects Citi's mission to create economic value that is systemically responsible and in its clients’ best interests. Fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion, Citi is committed to a workforce that represents the clients it serves. The company values respect, promotes individuals based on merit, and ensures opportunities for personal development are widely available.

About the role

This is a rare opportunity to lead a globally distributed engineering team at the forefront of mission-critical, High Availability infrastructure. As a Head of High Availability Systems Engineering, you will own the strategy, stability, and evolution of a large-scale z/TPF, Stratus, and I-Series estate that underpins enterprise-grade operations around the clock. Ideal candidates are passionate, innovative problem-solvers who thrive at the intersection of deep technical mastery and senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Talent Development
  • Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing global team of z/TPF, Stratus, and I-Series Systems Programmers
  • Foster a culture of engineering excellence, continuous learning, and accountability across geographically distributed teams
  • Set clear performance expectations and develop career pathways for senior technical contributors
• Platform Engineering & System Management
  • Oversee the installation, configuration, maintenance, and upgrades of z/TPF, Stratus, and I-Series software environments
  • Drive end-to-end lifecycle management of complex, large-scale HA infrastructure — from hardware components to operating systems and related software
  • Administer and optimize the IBM Security Portal, ensuring robust vulnerability management practices are embedded across the estate
• Performance Optimization & Capacity Planning
  • Proactively monitor system performance, identify bottlenecks, and architect solutions that maximize throughput and reliability
  • Lead capacity planning initiatives, translating business growth projections into actionable infrastructure roadmaps
  • Implement performance tuning strategies across z/TPF, VOS, and IOS environments
• Security & Compliance
  • Champion comprehensive security policies and procedures that protect sensitive data and preserve system integrity
  • Maintain deep familiarity with mainframe security tooling, including Crypto, FICON, and platform-specific security utilities
  • Ensure compliance with enterprise security standards and regulatory requirements
• Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery
  • Architect and maintain enterprise-grade disaster recovery solutions, with expert-level command of storage replication technologies
  • Lead continuity-of-business planning, testing, and execution to ensure zero-compromise availability for critical systems
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Process Improvement
  • Partner closely with application support, database administration, and network engineering teams to deliver integrated, resilient solutions
  • Identify and implement process improvements that drive operational efficiency, reduce toil, and elevate engineering standards
  • Maintain rigorous, up-to-date documentation of system configurations, runbooks, and troubleshooting procedures

Requirements

• Technical Expertise
  • Deep, hands-on expertise in z/TPF Administration, including system programming, tuning, and troubleshooting at enterprise scale
  • Proficiency with Stratus VOS and I-Series IOS operating systems and associated toolsets
  • Strong working knowledge of mainframe hardware and software ecosystems, including Crypto, FICON, and platform utilities
  • Demonstrated experience with IBM Security Portal and enterprise vulnerability management frameworks
  • Expert-level understanding of disaster recovery architectures and storage replication technologies
• Leadership & Soft Skills
  • Proven track record of leading and scaling global, senior-level engineering teams in high-stakes environments
  • Exceptional analytical and problem-solving capabilities — able to diagnose and resolve complex, multi-layered system failures under pressure
  • Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate technical complexity for executive audiences
  • Strategic thinker who balances long-term platform vision with day-to-day operational excellence
  • Collaborative leader who builds trust across organizational boundaries and drives alignment across diverse IT disciplines

Qualifications

• 15+ years of overall experience in systems engineering or infrastructure roles
• Minimum 8 years of hands-on z/TPF Administration experience in large-scale, production environments
• Demonstrated experience managing global engineering teams in a senior leadership capacity
• Proven expertise in High Availability systems design, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning
• Bachelor’s degree/University degree or equivalent experience
• Master’s degree preferred

Pay

$170,000.00 - $300,000.00. In addition to salary, Citi’s offerings may also include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards.

Benefits

• Medical, dental & vision coverage
• 401(k)
• Life, accident, and disability insurance
• Wellness programs
• Paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays

Schedule

Full time

Primary Location: Rutherford, New Jersey, United States