Key Responsibilities 1) SDK Architecture, Design, and Development • Lead the end-to-end design and development of Android SDKs, reusable libraries, APIs, and framework components for payment, authentication, device interaction, and mobile service enablement. • Define clean, modular, scalable, and backward-compatible SDK architectures suitable for integration by internal teams, partner banks, fintechs, merchants, OEMs, or ecosystem participants as applicable. • Develop developer-friendly SDK interfaces, abstraction layers, and integration models that simplify adoption while maintaining strict performance and security standards. • Ensure SDKs are robust across multiple Android OS versions, device types, OEM customizations, and deployment environments. • Establish standards for SDK versioning, dependency management, release control, and long-term maintainability. 2) Security Engineering and Secure Mobile Development • Drive implementation of security-first mobile application and SDK design practices across all Android development work. • Design and develop security-sensitive components involving: • secure key handling • device binding • tokenization support • encryption/decryption workflows • secure storage • certificate handling • tamper detection • runtime integrity checks • app hardening techniques • secure communication and API protection • Integrate Android security capabilities such as: • Android Keystore • hardware-backed security where available • biometric authentication • secure device authentication • attestation mechanisms • permission and sandboxing controls • Conduct secure code reviews and enforce remediation of vulnerabilities identified through internal testing or external assessments. • Support design and implementation of controls aligned to payment-grade and regulated ecosystem requirements. 3) Research & Development Responsibilities: • Work within the NPCI R&D function to prototype and evaluate emerging mobile technologies relevant to secure payments, digital identity, authentication, embedded financial services, and future Android platform capabilities. • Assess new Android OS features, APIs, security models, NFC interactions, device capabilities, and OEM variations for potential use in strategic product or infrastructure initiatives. • Translate exploratory concepts into production-ready engineering artifacts, reusable SDK modules, and architectural recommendations. • Contribute to technical innovation in areas such as: • contactless and NFC-based ecosystems • secure mobile transaction flows • SDK-based ecosystem enablement • trusted execution and integrity validation • future-ready authentication and device-side controls 4) Team Leadership and Technical Governance: • Lead a team of Android developers within the R&D setup, providing hands-on technical guidance and delivery oversight. • Break down product and research goals into technical work packages, development plans, milestones, and sprint deliverables. • Mentor team members on Android architecture, secure development lifecycle practices, coding standards, testing frameworks, and debugging approaches. • Review designs, code quality, architecture decisions, and implementation patterns to ensure consistency, security, and maintainability. • Drive engineering discipline across documentation, reusable assets, issue tracking, release governance, and technical risk management. • Collaborate with product, architecture, backend, security, compliance, QA, and partner teams to align engineering execution with business and ecosystem goals. 5) Integration, Performance, and Reliability • Ensure developed SDKs and applications meet high standards of: • performance • memory efficiency • startup latency • battery optimization • reliability under varied network/device conditions • Troubleshoot complex production and integration issues across Android devices, OS versions, and partner application environments. • Build instrumentation, logging, diagnostics, and observability support into SDKs to facilitate integration and support. • Optimize compatibility with enterprise distribution requirements and controlled deployment environments. 6) Quality, Compliance, and Documentation • Own technical documentation for SDK architecture, public APIs, integration guides, sample applications, security controls, release notes, and troubleshooting references. • Ensure adherence to secure SDLC, coding standards, release validation, and quality assurance processes. • Partner with internal security and compliance stakeholders to support reviews, audits, certifications, and control validation where required. • Define and maintain automated testing approaches including unit tests, instrumentation tests, integration tests, and regression frameworks.