Lab49 is an award-winning specialist consultancy that creates bespoke technology in partnership with the world's leading financial institutions. Founded in 2002 to bring Silicon Valley engineering practices to Wall Street, we have delivered hundreds of high-impact projects across global investment banks and buy-side firms, spanning distributed systems, high-performance automation, enterprise UX, cloud, and data-driven platforms.

At Lab49, engineers work directly with clients to design and deliver production systems. We combine technology, design, and business expertise to solve real problems where quality, performance, and clarity matter.

Lab49

is seeking an Android Team Lead (Contractor) who will play a critical role on key projects for Lab49 clients. Working in a collaborative and innovative project team, with direct client-facing interactions, you will have an opportunity to apply your skills and expertise to design innovative applications that solve complex problems and enhance performance and productivity. In particular, you will help build and modernize large-scale consumer banking experiences, focusing on areas such as customer onboarding, account management, and money movement. As part of a greenfield initiative, you will lead the development of new mobile capabilities designed to support expansion into new markets and evolving regulatory requirements.

THE ROLE

As an Android Team Lead, you are a true project leader. You own the technical direction and delivery of client engagements while multiplying the effectiveness of the engineers around you.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You will design systems, write code when it matters most, guide architectural decisions, and ensure the team delivers high-quality outcomes even when you are not directly contributing code.

You will work closely with client stakeholders, designers, product partners, and Lab49 leadership to ensure solutions are technically sound, aligned with business objectives, and delivered with excellence.

This is an on-site role – 5 days/ week in the WTC area in NYC.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

• Design, implement, deliver, and test innovative Android applications while understanding our products  from both a technical and product perspective in the context of our client’s business.
• Communicate with leadership, product owners, other technologists and users to create working software  based on an understanding of business and technical priorities.
• Break down complex problems into elegant technical solutions to intelligently solve problems for Lab49's  clients.
• Actively contribute to the adoption of strong software architecture, development best practices and new  technologies. We are always improving the process of building software; we’ll need your help to do that.
• Bring a passion to stay on top of tech trends.
• Experiment with and learn new technologies. 

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Your teams consistently deliver high-quality software that meets user and client objectives.
• Engineers around you become more autonomous, capable, and effective because of your leadership.
• Clients trust your judgment and rely on you for technical direction and clarity.
• You demonstrate strong ownership of outcomes, proactively addressing risks before they become issues.
• You can step away from day-to-day coding when needed without compromising delivery quality or team performance.

WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE

• 10-12+ years of experience designing and building complex, commercial-grade software systems with 4+ years leading Agile teams
• Expert-level skills building production Android applications using Kotlin and Jetpack Compose
• Experience in consumer banking including account management and onboarding.
• Familiarity with integrating RESTful APIs and third-party libraries 
• Understanding of mobile UI/UX principles and best practices to create intuitive and engaging user experiences 
• Experience with agile development methodologies 
• Knowledge of continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines for mobile applications 
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

BONUS POINTS

• Experience in fraud management/KYC/AML and regulatory reporting
• Experience using on device biometrics for authentication
• Published app(s), downloadable from the Google Play Store. 
• Experience with agile development methodologies 
• Knowledge of continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines for mobile applications 
• College degree in Computer Science or related field of study or equivalent experience
• Leverage AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Claude, Claude Code, Copilot) to improve team velocity and code quality, and help the team adopt them responsibly 

WHY LAB49

At Lab49, you'll work on complex, meaningful challenges alongside talented engineers, designers, and consultants. You'll gain exposure to a wide range of technologies, business domains, and client environments while continuing to grow your career.

We value curiosity, judgment, and ownership. If you care about quality, enjoy helping others succeed, and want your work to have a meaningful impact, Lab49 is a place where you can thrive.

Lab49/ION is committed to maintaining a supportive and inclusive environment for people with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We respect the varied identities, abilities, cultures, and traditions of the individuals who comprise our organization and recognize the value that different backgrounds and points of view bring to our business.

Lab49/ION adheres to an equal employment opportunity policy that prohibits discriminatory practices or harassment against applicants or employees based on any legally impermissible factor.