Middleware Platform Lead (MQ, SWIFT & EAI SME)

Role: Middleware Platform Lead — MQ, SWIFT and Enterprise Application Integration SME

Location: Singapore

Experience: 15+ Years

Visa Status: Local and PR Holders only

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and architecture

• Own and drive a multi-year strategic roadmap for middleware and web services aligned to business goals — cloud migration, cost optimisation, latency SLAs and AI/ML readiness.
• Define the multi-year technical vision for CLIENT's global middleware, web services and SWIFT engineering.
• Provide deep expertise in application hosting technologies, with specialist emphasis on IBM: WebSphere and WebLogic Application Server, WebSphere Portal, WebSphere Liberty, WebSphere Process Server, WebLogic Forms and Reports, and IBM HTTP Server (IHS).
• Provide expertise across other web hosting technologies — Oracle Application Server, Apache, Tomcat and equivalents.
• Drive adoption of cloud-native patterns for web services and middleware on AWS, while sustaining the stability and security of critical on-premises applications and sensitive data.

Messaging, integration and SWIFT

• Design and maintain message-driven processes for low-latency, high-volume transaction environments — wires, ACH and instant payments.
• Own the management of SWIFT applications and the associated operational and control environment.
• Deliver API and integration capability across the estate, including IBM MQ and API gateway technologies (Kong or equivalent).

Automation, AIOps and reliability

• Drive adoption of AI, agentic and AIOps capabilities: anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, self-healing, auto-scaling of clusters and queue managers, and automated patching.
• Build end-to-end observability for middleware platforms using Grafana, Datadog or equivalent.
• Build secure self-service capabilities in the middleware space through UI- and API-based solutions consumable by end users and applications.
• Automate operational tasks and infrastructure changes using wsadmin, Python, Ansible or PowerShell.
• Develop, document and maintain comprehensive middleware disaster recovery plans and end-to-end runbooks for complex platform operations.
• Embed DevOps and Agile practice in day-to-day delivery.

Security, risk and compliance

• Enforce enterprise information security protocols, manage SSL certificates and execute vulnerability patching across middleware components.
• Analyse customer requirements to ensure information-security standards, policies and guidelines are upheld, and support routine compliance activity.
• Interpret information-security procedures and help implement them across IT and the business, applying sound judgement and decision-making.

Talent and culture

• Foster a culture of innovation, build once, reuse everywhere, knowledge sharing, automation-first delivery and measured risk-taking.
• Set performance metrics and KPIs for reliability, throughput, latency, cost, error budgets and time to market.
• Build and inspire a high-performing global team of middleware, web services and SWIFT engineers and technical managers.
• Manage and optimise resource allocation to balance project delivery against operational stability.

Essential Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 18+ years in information technology, including 15+ years hands-on with middleware, web hosting and application server products in a large organisation — banking or financial services strongly preferred.
• Solid administration expertise across IBM middleware: WebSphere and WebLogic Application Server, WebSphere Portal, WebSphere Process Server, WebSphere Liberty, WebLogic Forms and Reports, IHS.
• Hands-on IBM MQ, SWIFT platform and EAI experience, with demonstrable observability capability across those layers.
• Hands-on experience with at least one public cloud — AWS, Azure or GCP.
• Scripting and development depth: WAS scripting, J2EE, XML, SQL, Shell/Perl; Python and Ansible for automation.
• Unix system administration and TCP/IP networking; proficiency across Linux/Unix and Windows.
• IT security compliance experience, including implementation and use of security protocols (SSL, server certificates).
• Familiarity with compliance and risk management frameworks and methodologies (ISO 27002, SDLC).
• DevOps and CI/CD pipeline experience using Jenkins or Spinnaker, with GitHub-based source control.
• Infrastructure as Code with Terraform — writing, testing and deploying clean, reusable modules.
• Support services and change management via ServiceNow.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting capability; excellent written and verbal communication with internal customers and team members.

Desirable

• Certification in a public cloud platform and in middleware products.
• Prior experience leading a middleware modernisation from legacy application servers to containerised or event-driven architecture.

Success Attributes

Initiative, composure under pressure, strong leadership and interpersonal skills, analytical problem-solving, and the ability to work autonomously and self-direct.