Lead Chef Automation Engineer

Mastercard•O'fallon, MO

10d•$122,000 - $207,000

About The Position

The Lead Chef Automation Engineer is a hands-on technical leader who designs and builds scalable automation solutions for large, hybrid infrastructure environments. The role focuses on reusable automation frameworks using Chef, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and DevOps practices to deliver secure, consistent, self-service infrastructure capabilities. It is suited to a DevOps or platform engineer with deep hands-on Chef experience who prefers building automation at scale over performing manual infrastructure operations. The engineer works across cloud and on-premises environments, developing configuration-management and compliance capabilities, integrating automation with delivery and governance systems, and supporting broader platform engineering initiatives. The position also contributes to engineering standards, reusable patterns, and platform architecture. Mastercard expects employees working with its assets, information, and networks to follow security policies, protect confidentiality and integrity, report suspected breaches, and complete required security training. For a U.S.-based position, the stated base salary range in O'Fallon, Missouri, is $122,000–$207,000 USD. The successful candidate may also be eligible for an annual bonus or commissions depending on the role. The posting says Mastercard intends to fill the position by 01/25/2027, or as soon as possible if that date has passed.

Requirements

Strong experience in DevOps, platform engineering, infrastructure automation, or configuration management.
Deep hands-on experience with Chef Infra, including cookbook development, Policyfiles, Test Kitchen, and InSpec.
Experience supporting large-scale configuration-management environments using Chef Server, Chef Automate, or similar technologies.
Strong understanding of Linux, operating system configuration, hardening, and lifecycle management.
Experience across cloud and on-premises infrastructure, including AWS, Azure, GCP, VMware, or Hyper-V.
Strong scripting or programming skills with Ruby, Python, Bash, or PowerShell; Ruby is particularly relevant to Chef.
Experience integrating automation into CI/CD environments such as GitHub Actions, GitLab, Jenkins, or Azure DevOps.
Strong understanding of Git-based development, testing, code review, and version-control practices.
Ability to diagnose and resolve complex infrastructure and automation problems.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Chef Habitat and/or Chef Automate.
Experience with Terraform or other Infrastructure as Code platforms.
Familiarity with policy-as-code technologies such as OPA, Conftest, or Sentinel.
Experience with security hardening, compliance automation, or CIS benchmarks.
Exposure to Kubernetes, Helm, and container platforms.
Familiarity with observability technologies such as Prometheus, Datadog, Splunk, or ELK.
Experience integrating infrastructure through APIs or network automation.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and maintain Chef cookbooks, recipes, Policyfiles, and automation frameworks across cloud and on-premises environments.
Build and maintain Chef Automate capabilities for configuration management, compliance, reporting, and fleet management.
Develop reusable automation libraries, templates, and patterns to standardize infrastructure configuration and provisioning.
Integrate automation with CI/CD pipelines, secrets management, artifact repositories, APIs, and governance controls.
Build automated testing and validation using Test Kitchen, InSpec, ChefSpec, and related tools.
Partner with cloud, platform, security, and SRE teams to establish configuration baselines, security standards, and compliance policies.
Develop and support Infrastructure as Code using technologies such as Terraform, CloudFormation, and ARM/Bicep.
Troubleshoot complex automation and configuration issues across hybrid environments.
Contribute to platform engineering capabilities, including self-service infrastructure, GitOps, and automated remediation.
Help establish engineering standards, reusable automation patterns, and platform architecture.
Abide by Mastercard security policies and practices, ensure the confidentiality and integrity of accessed information, report suspected security violations or breaches, and complete periodic mandatory security training.

Benefits

Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance.
Flexible spending account and health savings account.
Paid leaves, including 16 weeks of new parent leave and up to 20 days of bereavement leave.
80 hours of Paid Sick and Safe Time.
25 days of vacation time and 5 personal days, prorated based on date of hire.
10 annual paid U.S. observed holidays.
401(k) with a company match.
Deferred compensation for eligible roles.
Fitness reimbursement or on-site fitness facilities.
Eligibility for tuition reimbursement.
Potential annual bonus or commissions depending on the role.