Head of Software Development

Company DescriptionUptick Talent is a leading EdTech and Talent Development company dedicated to empowering emerging tech professionals across Africa. We equip young talents with globally relevant digital skills through immersive training, mentorship, and guided career support, and our specialized Recruitment & Talent Placement arm connects trained, high-potential individuals with organizations seeking skilled and impact-driven talent.Role DescriptionOur Client is a licensed Payment Service Provider (PSSP) and Microfinance Bank-backed fintech platform, delivering secure, fast, and reliable digital financial services. With advanced fraud detection, cutting-edge APIs, and multi-channel payment methods, our client powers consumers, merchants, and agents with wallets, payment gateways, and value-added services.The Head of Software Development will be the local execution leader responsible for turning Our Client's global technology vision into reality. The Head of Software Development will ensure the delivery, security, compliance, and scaling of our platforms in Nigeria, while reporting into the Chief Technical Consultant (based overseas) — the architect and custodian of the platform — as well as the Board. This role requires a hands-on, highly technical leader with mastery of Our Client's technology stack, security frameworks, and regulatory requirements, combined with the ability to build, mentor, and lead high-performing engineering teams locally.Key Responsibilities1. Technology Leadership & Execution Translate the consultant’s architecture into daily delivery and platform stability.Drive execution of the product and technology roadmap across fintech, wallets, and MFB integrations.Ensure platforms achieve regulatory-grade resilience, uptime, and scalability.2. Engineering & Product DeliveryLead backend, frontend, mobile, and DevOps engineers locally.Deliver features including wallets, QR payments, card services, microloans, and merchant dashboards.Oversee integration with CBS, NIBSS, Interswitch, and card schemes (Visa, Verve, Mastercard).3. Security, Compliance & Risk Management Enforce PCI-DSS Level 1, ISO 27001, and CBN/NIBSS regulatory compliance.Implement robust fraud prevention: AI-driven behavioral analytics, MFA, AML monitoring, and risk scoring.Ensure resilience through API security, error handling, and DDoS protection.4. Infrastructure & OperationsManage cloud-native deployments (AWS/GCP), Kubernetes orchestration, CI/CD pipelines, and monitoring (ELK Stack, Prometheus, Grafana).Deliver high availability and disaster recovery capabilities.Maintain strong vendor/regulator relationships (cloud providers, auditors, CBN, NCC).5. Team Leadership & CollaborationRecruit, mentor, and lead strong engineering and security teams locally.Drive agile methodologies and DevSecOps culture.Collaborate closely with the overseas consultant, ensuring architectural fidelity and safe code practices.Required Technical Expertise A. Backend Development Languages: Java (Spring Boot), Node.js, Python, Go Frameworks: Spring Boot, Express.js APIs: RESTful & gRPC .NET (C#), PHP B. Frontend & Mobile Development Frontend: React.js, Angular, TypeScript, Tailwind CSSMobile: Flutter, Kotlin (Android), Swift (iOS) Database: SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL Caching: Redis Cloud / Hosting: Azure Infrastructure Automation / DevOps: TerraformC. Messaging & AI/ML Messaging: Kafka (real-time streaming), RabbitMQ (message brokering) AI/ML: TensorFlow, PyTorch (fraud detection); Spark ML, Kafka Streams (real-time analytics) D. Security, Compliance & Fraud Prevention Standards: PCI-DSS Level 1, ISO 27001, SOC2, CBN complianceEncryption: AES-256, TLS 1.3, HSM (FIPS 140-2 certified), tokenization Fraud Prevention: MFA (biometrics, MPIN, device fingerprinting), OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, JWT authenticationRisk Mitigation: Rate limiting, DDoS protection (Cloudflare/Akamai WAF), AI powered fraud detection E. API Performance & Error Handling Redis caching, GraphQL, Gzip/Brotli compression Structured JSON error handling, retry mechanisms, circuit breaker patternELK Stack, Prometheus, AI-based anomaly detectionWebhooks for async recovery & transaction notifications  Qualifications & Experience Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline (Master’s preferred). 8–12+ years in senior technology rolesStrong background in fintech/payments/digital banking platforms.Proven ability to manage large-scale, high-availability systems with microservices architecture.Hands-on experience with full technology stack listed above.Deep knowledge of Nigerian fintech ecosystem, CBN/NIBSS frameworks, and financial inclusion services.Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.Salary: N800,000 - N1MLocation: Hybrid