Principal Data Scientist

Mastercard • Toronto, ON

2d • CA$154,000 - CA$247,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Mastercard is seeking a Principal Data Scientist to lead the development and delivery of advanced AI and machine learning solutions for Mastercard’s Ethoca product that enhances consumer purchase experiences. This is a senior technical role, responsible for defining the data science product design, guiding execution across multiple business initiatives, and ensuring solutions are delivered at scale to support chargeback reduction, dispute resolution, and consumer clarity. The successful candidate will combine technical depth with strong cross-functional skills to drive measurable business impact.

Requirements

• Proven experience leading data science teams and delivering enterprise-scale AI/ML solutions.
• Deep expertise in supervised, unsupervised, and generative AI methods, with strong understanding of their mathematical foundations.
• Hands-on background in NLP, information extraction, or computer vision or multi-modal AI applied to real-world business challenges.
• Strong track record of translating complex data problems into scalable, measurable business outcomes.
• Proficiency in Python, ML frameworks (Scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow), SQL, Spark, and Azure ML/Snowflake.
• Experience working in highly regulated industries, with an emphasis on data governance and compliance.
• Skilled at engaging with senior stakeholders, presenting technical results to diverse audiences, and driving alignment across functions.
• Master’s degree required

Nice To Haves

• PhD preferred.
• Experience in payments, FinTech, or consumer transaction data.
• Prior patents or publications in AI/ML.
• Demonstrated success applying GenAI or multi-agent systems in production environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute the data science vision and roadmap for the product enhancement, aligning technical initiatives with business priorities and product strategy.
• Lead, mentor, and inspire a high-performing data science team, fostering a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and collaboration.
• Partner with product, engineering, and business leaders to shape requirements and deliver data-driven capabilities that improve customer experience and reduce disputes.
• Build and scale AI/ML models that enrich merchant data, enhance transaction clarity, and reduce chargeback/dispute rates.
• Guide the design and implementation of solutions that leverage generative AI, multi-agent systems, NLP, and computer vision to enhance purchase experiences.
• Monitor and continuously improve deployed models to ensure accuracy, reliability, and compliance in a regulated financial environment.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership in model development, deployment, and governance across cloud environments (Azure, Snowflake, Spark).
• Ensure compliance with Mastercard’s data governance, security, and privacy requirements.
• Review and oversee code, models, and engineering components developed by the team to maintain enterprise-grade standards.
• Drive exploration of cutting-edge technologies, including generative AI and agentic frameworks, to strengthen the product offering and Mastercard technical competence.
• Represent Mastercard’s AI leadership through patents, publications, conference presentations, and academic partnerships.
• Incubate prototypes and proofs-of-concept to evaluate new methods before scaling into production.

Benefits

• competitive pay based on location, experience and other qualifications for the role
• may be eligible to participate in a discretionary annual incentive program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal