Principal Software Engineer (Architecture)

About the role

Mastercard is seeking a Principal Software Engineer (Architecture) to lead the design and delivery of high‑performance, secure payment services. You will collaborate across engineering, product, and regional teams to shape the technical strategy for global APIs, micro‑services, and data integration.

Key responsibilities

• Define and own architecture across APIs, micro‑services, data, and integration patterns.
• Drive end‑to‑end design and implementation of critical services, staying hands‑on in complex, high‑risk areas.
• Make key decisions on performance, scalability, reliability, security, and observability.
• Balance long‑term architectural vision with practical delivery, platform stability, and business priorities.
• Partner with product, engineering, and architecture teams to align roadmaps and delivery sequencing.
• Provide technical leadership through design reviews, guidance, and hands‑on support.
• Ensure solutions are cohesive, supportable, and aligned with enterprise standards and governance.
• Contribute to architecture governance, reviews, and documentation.
• Promote engineering excellence and modern practices such as DDD, event‑driven design, and secure‑by‑design.

Required profile

• Proven experience building and scaling global software products.
• Strong background in designing large‑scale, resilient systems.
• Leadership experience in agile, high‑performance engineering environments.
• Ability to collaborate across product, engineering, and business stakeholders.

Required skills

• APIs
• Micro‑services
• Data integration patterns
• Domain‑Driven Design (DDD)
• Event‑driven design
• Secure‑by‑design principles