Principal Software Engineer

Mastercard • O'fallon, MO

22h

About The Position

Principal Software Engineer

Overview
Mastercard is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead the design complex distributed system archtecture, lead the development and delivery of high throughtput and performance applications. 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.

Requirements

• 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.
• 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, Relational DBs, Redis, Splunk, 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.
• 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.

Responsibilities

• Work on complex enterprise-wide initiatives spanning multiple services/programs and drives resolution
• Work with business/product owners to architect and deliver on new services to introduce new products and bundles
• Drive the architectural design, including dependent services, service interactions, and policies
• Take ownership to improve the customer experience of an entire set of services/applications sold as products or bundled services
• Contribute and lead Guild initiatives by engaging and mentoring Engineers at all levels to improve the craftmanship of Software Engineering
• Simplify and improve the cost/benefit of a function/service/architecture strategy
• Apply judgment and experience to balance trade-offs between competing interests
• Venture beyond comfort zone to take on assignments across different areas of Software Engineering
• Take on organization-wide and public speaking engagements and publishes white papers and blogs on relevant and emerging technical topics
• Consult across teams and across organization lines to identify synergies and reuse opportunities
• Participate and contribute to Principal review architecture meetings and drive resolutions to enterprise-wide challenges and regulatory needs
• Write recommendations for job promotions based on an unbiased view of one's accomplishments
• Conduct technical interviews for hiring engineering staff and raising the performance bar
• Identify and raise awareness to Silo-ed behaviors within the organization and teams

Benefits

• insurance (including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, disability, 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, pro-rated based on date of hire
• 10 annual paid U.S. observed holidays
• 401k with a best-in-class company match
• deferred compensation for eligible roles
• fitness reimbursement or on-site fitness facilities
• eligibility for tuition reimbursement

What This Job Offers

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