Principal, Software Engineer

Our Purpose
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we're helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.
Title and Summary
Principal, Software Engineer
Overview
Mastercard is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead complex, cross-department initiatives and drive the design, development, and delivery of high-quality, scalable software solutions. In this role, you will operate across teams and domains, setting technical direction, influencing architectural decisions, and solving complex problems with broad organizational impact. You will balance deep hands-on engineering with strategic leadership, mentorship, and close collaboration with business and technical partners to deliver innovative, secure, and cost-effective solutions aligned with Mastercard's long-term objectives.
Role• Lead the definition, design, and delivery of large-scale, cross-functional initiatives with long-term business impact.• Partner with business and technical stakeholders to identify opportunities, define scope, assess risks, and quantify value, costs, and ROI.• Drive architectural and technology decisions aligned with Mastercard's strategy, security standards, and scalability needs.• Develop and present business cases, technical proposals, and recommendations to senior leadership to support strategic decision-making.• Lead scenario planning, estimation, and validation of costs, benefits, and delivery timelines.• Perform and guide Proofs of Concept (PoCs) to evaluate emerging technologies and innovative solutions.• Define and maintain technology roadmaps aligned with departmental strategy and long-term business vision.• Provide hands-on technical leadership, including design reviews, code reviews, and resolution of complex technical challenges.• Establish, implement, and continuously improve engineering processes, standards, tools, and best practices.• Define and lead quality assurance and quality control practices to ensure reliable, secure, and high-quality software delivery.• Mentor and coach engineers, promote knowledge sharing, and foster a culture of innovation, learning, and technical excellence.• Ensure compliance with audit, regulatory, and security requirements, representing the team during compliance reviews as needed.
All About You• Demonstrated progression from Software Engineer to senior technical leadership roles, with a strong foundation in hands-on software development.• Hands-on experience designing, building, and evolving large-scale, distributed, cloud-native systems using modern programming languages (e.g., Java, .NET/C#, Python).• Strong expertise in microservices, APIs, and event-driven architectures, with a focus on scalability, resiliency, and security.• Proven experience designing and operating solutions on major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), including production-grade system design.• Deep understanding of CI/CD pipelines, DevOps practices, and operational excellence for highly available production systems.• Solid foundation in data and storage technologies, including relational and non-relational databases, with an emphasis on performance, reliability, and scalability.• Experience with PCF, Oracle, Redis, Splunk, Netscout, Dynatrace, and related enterprise tools.• Extensive experience delivering enterprise-grade, secure software solutions, preferably within regulated or financial services environments.• Proven ability to lead and influence technical direction across teams without direct authority.• Strong experience evaluating, selecting, and implementing technologies, frameworks, and engineering methodologies.• Demonstrated success driving productivity, efficiency, and quality through process improvement and innovation.• Experience working with vendors, including RFI/RFP processes and SOW management, is a plus.• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for diverse audiences.• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, Information Technology, or equivalent practical experience.
Corporate Security Responsibility
All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:

• Abide by Mastercard's security policies and practices;
• Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;
• Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and
• Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard's guidelines.