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We are seeking a Principal Payments Architect with proven experience designing and building EMV- 3-D Secure (3DS) Access Control Server (ACS) platforms for NEPALPAY, Nepal's national domestic card scheme which uses Discover/Diners International specifications.

This is a senior technical leadership role responsible for defining the architecture, responsible for defining the platform architecture, technical strategy, engineering standards and implementation roadmap of a next-generation, enterprise-grade ACS that delivers secure, resilient, highly available and horizontally scalable authentication services for NepalPay eCommerce payment transactions.

The successful candidate will lead the end-to-end design and development of a cloud native ACS platform supporting NepalPay and other EMV 3DS programmes in future. The platform will be responsible for implementing the complete EMV 3DS authentication lifecycle, including processing real-time authentication requests (AReq/ARes), risk-based authentication, frictionless and challenge authentication flows (CReq/CRes), authentication result processing (RReq/RRes), and integrating with Directory Servers, issuer authorization systems, fraud and risk engines, OTP, biometric authentication services, while ensuring full compliance with EMVCo specifications, PCI DSS and card scheme certification requirements.

The ideal candidate will combine hands-on engineering expertise with architectural leadership, guiding the technical direction of the platform, establishing engineering standards, mentoring development teams and working closely with product, security, certification and business stakeholders to deliver a-class issuer authentication solution.

Beyond software development, the successful candidate will be expected to lead EMVCo and scheme certification activities,



define scalable and resilient system architectures for ACS and ensure the platform can support millions of authentication transactions while meeting stringent security, performance and availability requirements.

The ideal candidate will have previously designed, built or led the implementation of a production EMV 3DS Access Control Server and will possess a strong understanding of the complete issuer authentication ecosystem including Directory Servers, EMV 3DS protocols, browser-based authentication, 3DS SDK integration (iOS and Android), app based authentication, issuer systems, HSM integration, fraud and risk decisioning, cryptographic services and secure key management.

Key Responsibilities :

- Lead the architecture, design and development of a production grade EMV 3DS Access Control Server platform.
- Define the technical strategy, architecture roadmap, engineering standards and best practices for the ACS platform.
- Implement and enhance EMV 3DS authentication capabilities, including frictionless and challenge authentication flows.
- Design secure integrations with Directory Servers, issuer systems, fraud engines, OTP services and authentication platforms.
- Lead EMVCo and card scheme certification activities, ensuring compliance with industry standards.
- Define scalable, highly available and resilient system architectures to support enterprise payment authentication volumes.
- Establish security architecture covering HSM integration, cryptographic services, key management and secure communications.




- Collaborate with product, security, certification and engineering teams to deliver a secure issuer authentication solution.
- Mentor engineering teams and provide technical leadership throughout the platform development lifecycle.

Must-Have Skills :

- Proven experience designing or building a production EMV 3-D Secure (3DS) Access Control Server.
- Strong understanding of EMV 3DS 2.x specifications and authentication flows.
- Experience with EMVCo certification and payment scheme authentication programmes.
- Hands-on experience with Directory Servers, issuer systems and 3DS ecosystem integrations.
- Robust knowledge of risk-based authentication, frictionless authentication and challenge flows.
- Experience with HSM integration, cryptographic services and secure key management.
- Experience designing secure, scalable and highly available payment platforms.
- Strong backend engineering experience with enterprise-grade technologies and microservices architecture.
- Experience with API design, distributed systems and cloud-native architectures.
- Understanding of PCI DSS, payment security standards and secure software development practices.
- Experience integrating OTP, biometric authentication and fraud/risk management solutions.
- Strong technical leadership, communication and problem solving skills.

Nice to Have :

- Experience with multiple card schemes including Visa Secure, Mastercard Identity Check, American Express SafeKey or Discover/Diners Club.
- Experience working with issuer processors, payment networks or global payment technology providers.
- Experience deploying mission critical payment platforms in cloud environments.
- Experience with modern authentication technologies such as FIDO, passkeys or behavioural biometrics.

📌 Senior Payment Lead Engineer/Architect (India)
🏢 Astra Solutions
📍 India